About the Prize
Carrying a cash prize of $10,000, the Laura Shannon Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best book in European studies that transcends a focus on any one country, state, or people to stimulate new ways of thinking about contemporary Europe as a whole.
Each year, the Laura Shannon Prize will be given for a book published in one of two alternating fields:
I. Humanities
Philosophy, Theology, Cultural Studies, Modern Languages and Literatures, and the Arts.
II. History & Social Sciences
History, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Law, and Anthropology.
*Nominations for the History and Social Sciences cycle (for books published in 2012 and 2013) will open this summer.
To nominate a book, complete and submit the Laura Shannon Prize Application. Then, submit two (2) non-returnable copies of the nominated work by Friday, January 31, 2014 to the following address. (If books are delayed due to a warehouse or other unavoidable issue, the nomination will still be considered if a complete form is submitted prior to the deadline and if the books arrive within a reasonable time. Please contact the prize administrator for further details if you anticipate a delay.)
The Laura Shannon Prize
The Nanovic Institute for European Studies
211 Brownson Hall
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5601 USA
Rules and Eligibility
- Only single-author publications in English are eligible.
- Books by current Notre Dame faculty members are not eligible for the Laura Shannon Prize at this time.
- Authors may only win the Laura Shannon Prize once.
- Books on single countries will be considered so long as they have clear implications for thinking about Europe as a whole.
- Translations, anthologies, textbooks, self-published books, memoirs, fiction, poetry, screenplays, performances, posthumous works, books with multiple authors, and books published in previous editions are ineligible. Critical editions are eligible.
- Publishers may nominate up to three (3) books per imprint for each year’s competition and are strongly encouraged to submit rationales, reviews, and other relevant information for each entry. Authors may nominate their own books. Each nomination should be submitted with a completed nomination form and two (2) non-returnable copies of the nominated work. The nominating publisher or author also agrees to submit an additional four (4) books upon request if the nomination makes it to a certain stage in the review process. Final proofs are acceptable.
For this history and social sciences cycle, we will only accept books published in 2012 and 2013. Publication dates are determined by the date the book is actually published, not the copyright date printed in the book. The next humanities cycle (for books published in 2013 and 2014) will open during the summer of 2014.
A nominated book shall qualify for the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies only if:
- The author is informed that, if selected, he or she must present an original lecture at the University of Notre Dame and participate in events related to the award ceremony. The Nanovic Institute will provide the author with travel and accommodations. The lecture may also be published by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.
- The publisher or author agrees to submit an author’s photograph, biography, and an image of the book cover, with permission to use them in promotional materials, if selected for the Laura Shannon Prize or receives an honorable mention. Publishers agree to exercise their best efforts to sticker the winning book; stickers will be provided by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.
- The publisher and author agree that the decisions of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies will be final as to all matters, including eligibility, timeliness, and compliance with procedures and selection criteria.
Jury
The winning book is selected by a jury of five eminent scholars in European studies, three of whom will be prominent scholars serving at institutions other than the University of Notre Dame. The jury will be announced along with the winner.
For questions relating to the prize or the application process, please email Monica Caro, Assistant Director of Operations, at mcaro@nd.edu.
