Waterloo Center for German Studies Book Prize

WCGS Book Prize for 2017

Eligibility

• Non-fiction scholarly monographs by an author who has not previously published an authored book will be considered. Co-authored books are eligible for this award (at least 50% of the authors must be first-time authors). Edited anthologies are not eligible.
• Nominated books must have been published in 2017.
• Language of publication: The book must be either (1) primarily in English (published anywhere) or (2) primarily in French (published in Canada). Translations are permitted; the original work may have been published prior to the competition year, but it must still be the debut monograph of the scholar in question.

Prize

The Book Prize consists of two components:

• Award: CAD $2,000. If the winning book is co- or multi-authored, the award will be split evenly among the authors.
• Keynote Address: in cooperation with Canadian Association of University Teachers of German (CAUTG), the awardee will present a keynote address about the winning book at the Association’s annual conference, normally held at the end of May in conjunction with the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The winner’s transportation, accommodation, meals, and conference registration fees will be covered by the Waterloo Centre for German Studies, and it is expected that the winner will attend most if not all of the three-day conference. Acceptance of the prize is conditional upon agreeing to attend the conference and deliver a keynote address. (If the winning book is co- or multi-authored, one of those authors will be invited to make the presentation.)

Timeline

• June 30th: deadline for nominations
• November: announcement of the short list of finalists
• January: announcement of the winner
• May: keynote address at the annual CAUTG conference

Judging Criteria

• Books will be judged on the significance of their contribution to our understanding of any aspect of the German-speaking world. Significance will be measured in three areas:
  • Originality: the book’s originality in terms of presentation, scope, topic, etc.
  • Scholarly relevance: the book’s potential for influencing scholarly inquiry (in its own discipline or other disciplines).
  • Public scholarship: the book’s potential for contributing to broader public discourses.
• The nominations will be adjudicated by a panel of German studies scholars chaired by the Director of the Waterloo Centre for German Studies and including one faculty member from the University of Waterloo, one member of the Canadian Association of Teachers of German from outside the University of Waterloo, and two other academics.

Application Procedures

• Application deadline: June 30th, 2018.
• Books may be nominated by anyone, including the authors themselves, their publishers, or others. Authors who do not self-nominate will be contacted to ensure that they wish their book to be entered into the competition.
• Applications:
  • Books can be submitted in one of two ways:1) arrange to have five copies of the book sent to:
    Waterloo Centre for German Studies
    University of Waterloo
    Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 CANADA
    519.888.4567, x39267

    2) have the publisher contact the Centre at wcgs@uwaterloo.ca. The Centre will then provide the publisher with the addresses of the book prize jurors, and the publisher can send the books directly to them.

    Method (2) is preferred.

  • Please send an e-mail message to wcgs@uwaterloo.ca alerting us to the nomination. Provide the following information:
    • Full name, postal address, and e-mail address of the author
    • Full book title
    • Publication details (publisher, year)
    • Publisher contact information (e.g. book or acquisition editor)