Senior Book Prize

The prize goes to a work that is deeply ethnographic and speaks to contemporary social issues with relevance beyond the discipline and beyond the academy.

Submissions for the American Ethnological Society Senior Book Prize are currently open. The deadline for submissions is April 15th, 2026.

Eligibility

Ethnographies and critical works in contemporary theory — single-authored or multi-authored but not edited collections are eligible. The author must be an anthropologist who has held a PhD, or equivalent, for at least 10 years. This award is open to scholars working inside or outside the academy who have already published a previous monograph or co-authored book. The book should have a publication date of either 2024 or 2025 and may not have been previously submitted for this prize.

Nominations

Letters of nomination must come from scholars; self-nominations and nominations from publishers are not invited.

Jury

The jury for the prize is chaired by an AES councilor, who selects two or three other scholars as jury members. The jury members for the 2026 prize are:

Mohamad Junaid (Committee chair)
930 N Main St
Lanesborough, MA 01237

Amira Mittermaier
Department for the Study of Religion
Jackman Humanities Building, 3^rd floor
170 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5R 2M8
Canada

Adriana Petryna
University of Pennsylvania
Department of Anthropology
3260 South Street Room 323-A
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Criteria

Criteria may include: originality, rigor, and maturity of research; an innovative approach to ethnography; theoretical sophistication and depth; thematic prescience; and an enduring contribution to Anthropology and beyond.

Submissions

To submit, please submit nominator, book, and author information through the form below. Please upload your nomination letter through the form. A hard copy of the book should be mailed to each of the AES Senior Prize judges by the April 15, 2026 deadline, to the addresses above. PDF/e-books may be submitted upon request but are not required. Books and letters of nomination must be received by the deadline for full consideration.

Announcements

Announcements regarding the deadlines and other specifics will be posted on this website, as well as through the Anthropology News “AES Section News” column and other e-mail and social media-based publicity.