What's New

• Two (2) electronic review copies required before payment. Judges may request hardcopies during review. Winners will be required to provide physical copies to AAP.
• Nonfiction Graphic Novel publications are now eligible for entry.
• The categories below have been updated.
  • Anthropology, Criminology, and Sociology has been updated to Cultural Anthropology & Sociology.
  • Clinical Medicine has been updated to Clinical Medicine, Nursing & Allied Health Sciences.
  • Education Theory and Education Practice have been combined into one category: Education Theory and Practice.
  • Legal Studies has been updated to Legal Studies and Criminology.
  • The Physical Sciences and Mathematics subcategory under Reference Works has been retired (candidates can submit under the Textbooks category).
  • Psychology has been updated to Psychology and Applied Social Work.

General Info

The PROSE Awards recognize publishers who produce books, nonfiction graphic novels, journals, digital products, and reference works of extraordinary merit that make a significant contribution to a field of study.

The online entry system will open on Monday, September 14, 2020 and will close at midnight on Friday, November 13, 2020. (See instructions for submitting entries below.)

The entry fee for the 2021 PROSE Awards is $90.00 per entry.

A panel of judges with extensive expertise in the subject areas will review entries for overall excellence in professional and scholarly publishing.

Winners from each subject category will go on to compete in one of five areas of excellence:

• Biological and Life Sciences
• Humanities
• Physical Sciences & Mathematics
• Social Sciences
• Reference Works

Types of entries

Books and Nonfiction Graphic Novels (print, eBooks, and audiobooks)

Must have a 2020 copyright. 

• Books published in late 2019 with a 2020 copyright are eligible.
• Multivolume titles with a 2020 copyright can be judged by individual volume or as a complete multivolume work.
• Galleys and advance reader copies of books with a 2020 copyright may be submitted if the book will be published in 2020.
• English language literary translations of important works (fiction, poetry, drama) are eligible if the translation has a 2020 copyright.

Books published with a 2021 copyright are not eligible this year.

New editions of books that are not substantially different in format, and content are not eligible.

English language versions of textbooks or scholarly books where direct or literal translation is used are not eligible.

Journals

Journals (print and/or digital) must have launched in 2016 or later and have been published for a minimum of one calendar year before submitting for a “Best New Journal” PROSE award. 

Existing journals relaunched under a new title/publisher must be significantly expanded and/or refocused from their prior incarnation to be considered for “Best New Journal.”

Digital/eProducts

Digital/eProducts (including platforms and enhanced e-book formats) must have launched in 2020.

Click here for entry form guidelines, winner notifications, and FAQs.

2021 Categories