The Emerson Society 2023 Awards
Graduate Student Conference Paper Award
Provides $750 of travel support to present a paper on an Emerson Society panel at the American Literature Association Annual Conference (May 2023) or the Thoreau Society Annual Gathering (July 2023). All proposals should address the 2023 CFPs posted at emersonsociety.org. Please submit a carefully crafted 1–2-page, single-spaced conference paper proposal to Randall Fuller (randallfuller@ku.edu) and Peter Balaam (pbalaam@carleton.edu) by 15 January 2023.
Research Grant
Provides $500 to support scholarly work on Emerson. Preference is given to junior scholars and graduate students. Please submit a confidential letter of recommendation, and a carefully crafted 1–2-page, single-spaced project proposal, including a description of expenses needed to complete the project, to Austin Bailey (abailey2@gradcenter.cuny.edu) and Georgia Walton (g.a.walton@leeds.ac.uk) by 1 April 2023.
Pedagogy or Community Project Award
Provides $500 to support projects designed to bring Emerson to a nonacademic audience. Please submit a confidential letter of recommendation and a carefully crafted 1–2-page, single-spaced project proposal, including a description of projected expenses, to Austin Bailey (abailey2@gradcenter.cuny.edu) and Georgia Walton (g.a.walton@leeds.ac.uk) by 1 April 2023.
Subvention Award
Provides $500 to support costs for the publication of an upcoming scholarly book or article on Emerson. Submit a confidential letter of recommendation from an academic mentor or colleague and a 1–2-page, single-spaced proposal, including an abstract of the forthcoming work and a detailed description of expenses, to Austin Bailey (abailey2@gradcenter.cuny.edu) and Georgia Walton (g.a.walton@leeds.ac.uk) by 1 April 2023.
Undergraduate Student Essay Prize
Undergraduate students are welcome to submit 1,000–1,500-word academic essays on any topic relevant to the study of Emerson—his life, work, national and transnational reception, importance within and beyond US literature and culture, or contemporary relevance. Winning essays will demonstrate originality, clarity, and rigorous engagement with Emerson. Selected essays may be returned to applicants with suggested revisions. The winning essay will be published in The Emerson Society Papers and the writer awarded $100.
- Submissions should be 1,000–1,500 words and follow the 9th edition of MLA style.
- Submissions should include an informational cover letter containing the applicant’s name, essay title, academic status and affiliation, e-mail address, and postal address.
- Please submit documents by email—with the subject line “Emerson Society Student Essay Prize”—to Prentiss Clark (Prentiss.Clark@usd.edu) by 1 April 2023.
The society welcomes and encourages submissions on Emerson and his circle from diverse perspectives and critical methodologies, as well as by marginalized or traditionally underrepresented groups. All proposals will be evaluated based on the general strength of the submission and clearly articulated relevance to the individual award or grant.
Award recipients must become members of the society; membership applications are available at http://www.emersonsociety.org.