Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing

The Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing was established to recognize and promote literary achievement in the social sciences and humanities—including, but not limited to, history, philosophy, religion, anthropology, regional studies, communication, cultural studies, and linguistics—to be awarded each year in conjunction with the Atlantic Book Awards.

The annual award goes to the author(s) of a published book that is determined likely to have a significant literary, social, and academic impact in the areas of the social sciences and humanities.

Eligibility

  1. Atlantic-Canada-authored titles published in English between December 2021 and November 2022 and widely available through bookstores and libraries.
  2. Books deemed to make a contribution to a deeper understanding of society.
  3. Only non-fiction titles are eligible.
  4. Publishers are invited to nominate authors by submitting their book for consideration.
  5. Titles may be single-authored or co-authored. Books written by more than one person are eligible, but any prize money must be split among the authors. 
  6. Multi-authored collections, anthologies, and conference proceedings are not eligible.

Definitions

  1. Authors must be either native or resident Atlantic Canadians. “Native” is defined as having been born and lived for a substantial portion of their lives in the Atlantic region (Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island). “Resident” is defined as being a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and having lived in the region for at least 24 months preceding the publication. 
  2. A book, or title, is a work that has a minimum of 48 pages, carries an ISBN, is bound and printed in an edition of no fewer than 300 copies, and is widely available through bookstores and libraries.
  3. A publisher is a company that carries out as its primary business the publishing of books. Such firms must have established terms of trade and have distribution in Canada.
  4. Non-fiction is understood to include well-crafted work in the form of essays, memoir, collected letters and diaries, criticism, history, biography, and autobiography, among others.

Selection Criteria

  1. Significance and originality of the work
  2. The quality of the research
  3. The style and organization
  4. The quality of writing, accessible to a general reading audience

Submission Guidelines and Instructions

  1. Note: one submission per publisher imprint.
  2. Submission must include a statement as to the relevance of the submission to the award’s stated objectives and how it meets the selection criteria.
  3. Deadline for submissions published in 2021–2022 is November 1, 2022. 
  4. Submissions are to be accompanied by a non-refundable submission fee of $35, payable to the Atlantic Book Awards Society.
  5. Email a copy of the nomination form and statement to: errol@fernpub.ca. 
  6. Mail a hard copy of the nomination form and statement; a cheque for the submission fee ($35); and five copies of the book to:

Atlantic Book Awards Society
Heather MacKenzie, Halifax Central Library
c/o Halifax Public Libraries Administration
60 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 4P8