http://www.aarweb.org/Programs/Awards/Book_Awards/rules-firstbook.asp
Book Awards – Rules
Best First Book in the History of Religions
The Best First Book in the History of Religions Award was established by the American Council of Learned Societies in 1891 and is now administered by the American Academy of Religion. This award honors exceptional publications. Eligibility for the award is determined by these criteria:
- The nomination must be the first book published by the nominee;
- It must be in the field of "History of Religions" (in the broad sense that it raises historical and/or comparative methodological questions in the field of religion);
- It must have been published within the calendar year of the given award period;
- The nominated book must be written by a single author.
A committee of five, appointed by the Board of the American Academy of Religion, screens books nominated for the award. The nomination process is initiated by individual presses, who send copies of the nominated book, with a letter stating that the book meets the three criteria mentioned above. Presses may also include statements of the merits and special features of the book.
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One (1) copy of the book and the letter of nomination should be sent to the Chair for the History of Religions Jury of the American Academy of Religion before February 1:
Pamela Klassen
Department and Centre for the Study of Religion
University of Toronto
123 St. George St.
Toronto, ON M5S 2E8
CANADA
Phone: 416-585-4573
Fax: 416-585-4584
E-Mail: p.klassen@utoronto.ca
The Chair will screen nominations to determine which books should be considered by the Jurors. The Chair will then contact the publishers to request shipment to the appropriate Jurors. The jurors will then evaluate the books and make their final judgments in June.
Competition for the Best First Book in the History of Religions is open to all books which meet the above eligibility requirements. An author's membership in the AAR is not a necessary condition for successful participation. The current value of the award is $1,000, prorated in the case of a tie.
After the Awards have been announced, each winner publisher will be asked to send no later than September 1 two cloth copies of the book and two extra dust jackets to the AAR Executive Offices for use in promoting the Award. In addition, each publisher will be asked to supply a photograph of the author (preferably gif or ipg image) for use in announcing the Award ceremony in the Annual Meeting issue of Religious Studies News–AAR Edition.