The Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender seeks nominations for awards for scholarly work in English on women and gender in the early modern period (ca. 1450-1750) published/completed between June 2023 and May 2026. Items previously submitted for one of the SSEMWG awards may not be resubmitted, nor is an item eligible for consideration in more than one category. Any member or publisher can nominate an item for consideration. Self-nominations are encouraged. Selection of awards will be made by the SSEMWG Awards Committee.

 The deadline for all nominations is May 25th, 2026. The deadline includes receipt of all relevant information as well as all materials. Awards will be announced in November 2026.

Awards Categories:

  • Book Award (scholarly monographs)

  • First Book Prize (scholarly monographs)

    • The SSEMWG First Book Prize will recognize a single-authored, peer-reviewed scholarly monograph that furthers the mission of the Society (click here to view the Society’s mission statement) and that is the author’s first published book, regardless of their career stage or institutional affiliation. We welcome nominations published in English from any of our sub-disciplines or related fields. Books published between 2022 and 2025 are eligible for consideration. 

    • Books previously submitted for an SSEMWG award may not be resubmitted, nor is a book eligible for consideration in more than one award category. Any member or publisher can nominate a book. Self-nominations are encouraged. Selection will be made by the SSEMWG prize committee. 

  • Editions Awards (critical editions of primary sources)

    • For this category, we are seeking nominations for both teaching and scholarly editions. We have three categories for which we may award prizes in a given year. These include: the Josephine Roberts Award for a Scholarly Edition; an award for a teaching edition; and an award for a scholarly edition in translation. Please note: we do not always award prizes for all three of these categories. We ask that all editions nominations be made simply to the umbrella category of “Editions Awards.”

  • Collaborative Project Award (Edited Collections of Essays, etc.)

  • Digital Scholarship, New Media, & Art Award (Web-based projects, exhibitions, concerts, productions of plays, etc.)  

    • Note: Since such projects often do not have a single date of publication, nominations are accepted for projects operating from July 2024 to May 2026.

  • Graduate Student Conference Presentation Award

  • Essay/Article Award

  • SSEMWG administers the prize for the best article published in each volume of Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal.

    • All articles published in the journal are automatically considered for the prize.

To nominate an entry for the 2026 Book Awards, Editions Award(s), and Collaborative Project Award please complete the following steps by May 25th, 2026:

  1. Please complete the form at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzRFr0qQ3DCu33NPknZSEsOzZuP8roa2y7bYp6QljKxIjCVw/viewform?usp=header

  2. Request from the publisher three hard copies be sent to the following (to arrive by May 25th, 2026) to: Jennifer Welsh, History, Social Sciences and Religion, ENMU Station 35, 1500 S Ave K, Portales, NM 88130

    If your publisher refuses to send hard copies, please email the Awards Committee Chair, Jennifer Welsh,(ssemwgprizes@gmail.com). The committee will equally consider the text via e-Book.

  3. Additionally, please ensure that three e-Book copies of the text OR equivalent PDF copies are available (for review purposes only). The submissions form includes a Dropbox link to submit electronic materials. They may also be sent via email to ssemwgprizes@gmail.com

To nominate an entry for the 2025 Digital Scholarship, New Media, & Art Award Graduate Student Conference Presentation Award, or Essay/Article Awards, please complete the form at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzRFr0qQ3DCu33NPknZSEsOzZuP8roa2y7bYp6QljKxIjCVw/viewform?usp=header by May 25th, 2026. The form includes a link to upload files to Dropbox. If you are unable to submit your material via the Dropbox link, please contact the Awards Committee Chair (ssemwgprizes@gmail.com) to arrange an alternate submission method.

Please send all inquiries to the Awards Committee Chair, Jennifer Welsh (ssemwgprizes@gmail.com)