Feminist Formations and NWSA Paper Award
NWSA is proud to collaborate with Feminist Formations (formerly the NWSA Journal).
The Feminist Formations - National Women’s Studies Association annual competition will select one winner whose work will be published in Feminist Formations and who will also receive $500. The competition is open to scholars at all ranks, including independent scholars and artists. Multiple modes of knowledge production will be considered, including, but not limited to traditional scholarly articles, essays, poetry, and visual imagery. We are particularly interested in work that contributes to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color feminisms; trans feminist studies; critical disability studies; and transnational feminisms. We also seek work that contributes to the journal’s mission to support “robust interdisciplinary, intersectional, and transnational feminist scholarship that can inspire incisive and politically meaningful analyses and action.”
Applicants must hold a current NWSA individual membership at time of submission and convening of our Annual Conference.
Note: We do not accept submissions of work that have been previously published or is being reviewed by another journal. Feminist Formations is published three times a year by the Johns Hopkins University Press, and is currently housed in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Oregon State University. For more information, visit www.feministformations.org.
The Feminist Formations and NWSA Paper Award Application will run February 1st - June 1st, 2025
Apply Now
Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize
The prize includes $1,000 and recognition for groundbreaking monographs in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies that makes significant multicultural feminist contributions to Women of Color/transnational scholarship. The prize honors Gloria E. Anzaldúa, a valued and long-active member of the National Women's Studies Association.
A key figure in the creation of academic Border Studies and queer theory, Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa (1942-2004) was an internationally-acclaimed independent scholar, cultural theorist, creative writer, and social-justice activist who has made lasting contributions to numerous fields, including Chicanx studies, composition studies, feminism and feminist theory, literary studies, queer theory, and women’s & gender studies. Anzaldúa’s work spans multiple genres, including poetry, theoretical and philosophical essays, short stories, innovative autobiographical narratives, edited collections, and children’s books.
Anzaldúa's impact on WGSS scholarship and inquiry is difficult to encapsulate; we especially invite submissions that explore: Border studies, Chicana feminisms, decoloniality and empire, Lesbian feminisms/studies, self-naming and identification/agency, transnational solidarity and kinship, etc.
Application Guidelines
- Must hold a current NWSA individual membership at time of submission and convening of our Annual Conference (including co-authors when applicable)
- Books considered must have a first date of US publication between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025
- Must complete the online application
- Presses cannot submit on behalf of their authors
- Anthologies will not be considered
- Applicants must provide access to an electronic version of their book for up to 5 reviewers
The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize Application will run February 1st - May 1st, 2025
Apply Now
Alison Piepmeier Book Prize
NWSA offers an annual $1,000 Alison Piepmeier book award for a groundbreaking monograph in Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies that makes significant contributions to feminist disability studies scholarship thanks to a gift from Susan Shaw, Patti Duncan, Jane Nichols, Kryn Freehling-Burton, and Nancy Barbour. The donation comes from the contributor budget from a four-volume reference collection, Women's Lives Around the World: A Global Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2018).
This prize honors Alison Piepmeier; Dr. Piepmeier, as described on her personal blog, was a professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the College of Charleston, and much, much more. When she wasn't working to bring down the patriarchy, she wrote here and elsewhere about feminist disability studies, Zines, her ugly car, and an eclectic range of topics. She also wrote about the brain tumor that eventually caused her death on August 12, 2016, at the age of 43.
The Association welcomes submissions that examine the intersection of feminist and disability studies, with a particular emphasis on reproductive decisions and disabilities and parenting and disabilities in honor of Dr. Piepmeier's legacy.
Application Guidelines
- Must hold a current NWSA individual membership at time of submission and convening of our Annual Conference (including co-authors when applicable)
- Books considered must have a first date of US publication between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025
- Presses cannot submit on behalf of their authors
- Anthologies will not be considered
- Scholars with disabilities, scholars of color, and LGBTQ scholars are especially encouraged to apply.
- Applicants must provide access to an electronic version of their book for up to 5 reviewers
The Alison Piepmeier Book Prize Application will run February 1st - May 1st, 2025
Apply Now
Sara A. Whaley Book Prize
Thanks to a generous bequest from Sara A. Whaley, NWSA offers an annual $2,000 Sara A. Whaley book award on the topic of women and labor. This prize honors Sara Whaley, who owned Rush Publishing and was the editor of Women's Studies Abstracts. Each year NWSA awards a book prize ($2,000) for a monograph that addresses women and labor from intersectional perspectives grounded in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies.
Application Guidelines
- Must hold a current NWSA individual membership at time of submission and convening of our Annual Conference (including co-authors when applicable)
- Books considered must have a first date of US publication between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025
- Presses cannot submit on behalf of their authors
- Anthologies will not be considered
- Women of Color of the U.S. and/or International origin are encouraged to apply
- Applicants must provide access to an electronic version of their book for up to 5 reviewers
The Sara A. Whaley Book Prize Application will run February 1st - May 1st, 2025
Apply Now
NWSA/University of Illinois Press First Book Prize
The University of Illinois Press (UIP) and the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) are pleased to continue the annual competition for the best dissertation or first book manuscript by a single author in the field of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Applicants must be National Women's Studies Association members.
The Press and NWSA seek nonfiction manuscripts that exemplify cutting-edge intersectional feminist scholarship, whether the area of focus is historical or contemporary. The competition is open to scholars from all disciplinary backgrounds, but the sponsoring organizations especially encourage work that speaks effectively across disciplines, and projects that offer new perspectives on concerns central to the field of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies.
Possible topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
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- Gender, imperialism, and militarism
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- Coloniality, postcoloniality and neo-imperialism
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- Gender and Queer sexualities
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- Cultural production (media, film, music, literature)
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- Feminist knowledge production
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- Gendered experiences of People of Color
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- Global and transnational feminisms
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- Feminist science and environmental studies
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- Institutions and public policies
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- Theories and practices of coalition
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- Gender and labor practices
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If a winner of the competition is selected, they will receive a publication contract with the University of Illinois Press. Runners up may also be considered for publication with the University of Illinois Press. Submitted dissertations must have been completed and defended within the three years prior to submission. All submissions must be must be timestamped by 11:59p (central time) on April 1st.
Application Guidelines
- Must hold a current NWSA individual membership at time of submission and convening of our Annual Conference
- Cover letter (be sure to indicate if any material from the manuscript has been previously published)
- Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)
- Proposal, including a 4-5 page overview of the scope of the project and analysis of competing titles
- Complete manuscript, at least 150 double spaced pages, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, saved as a PDF
Cover letters should mention the competition and indicate if any material from the manuscript has been previously published. All submissions must be exclusive submissions to the University of Illinois Press for the duration of the contest, and finalists will be notified by the end of September. Please visit the official site for more information.
About the University of Illinois Press:
The University of Illinois Press supports the mission of the university through the worldwide dissemination of significant scholarship, striving to enhance and extend the reputation of the university. Through its publishing programs, the Press promotes research and education, enriches cultural and intellectual life, and fosters regional pride and accomplishments. For more information, please visit www.press.uillinois.edu.
The University of Illinois Press First Book Prize Application will run February 1st - May 1st, 2025
Apply Now