Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize
Competition in 2024 for Books Published in 2023
Open to Members and Nonmembers of the Association
The Committee on Honors and Awards of the Modern Language Association invites authors to compete for the thirty-fourth annual Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize for an outstanding book published in English or Spanish in the field of Latin American and Spanish literatures and cultures. The prize was established in 1990 by a gift from the parents of Katherine Singer Kovacs, a member of the MLA who died in May 1989. A specialist in Spanish and Latin American literature and film, Professor Kovacs taught at Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and Whittier College.
Under the terms of the gift, the prize selection committee will be especially interested in original, broadly interpretive books that enhance understanding of the interrelations among literature, the other arts, and society and that offer fresh perspectives on the field. Books published in 2023 will be eligible for the competition in 2024; the deadline for entries is 1 May 2024. Authors of competing books need not be members of the MLA.
Authors or publishers who wish to submit a work should send it in print and electronic formats. Send a PDF and letter of identification to awards@mla.org. Send six print copies to the Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize, Modern Language Association, 85 Broad Street, SC Level, New York, NY 10004. In the case of a born-digital publication, send the relevant media or URL and a letter identifying the work to awards@mla.org. The prize, which consists of a cash award and a certificate, will be presented to the winning author at the association's annual convention in January 2025. Publishers may enter more than one title. Provided they meet eligibility requirements, books entered in this competition may also compete for one of the following prizes: the James Russell Lowell Prize, the MLA Prize for a First Book, or the MLA Prize for an Edited Collection. The winning author will be contacted in September, and a public announcement will be made in early December. Because of the volume of submissions, we regret that we are unable to contact each entrant individually.
For further information, write the coordinator of book prizes (awards@mla.org).
Past winners of this prize