Book Prize

Book Prize

The Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Studies (ANZATS) will offer two book prizes annually. These awards are:

The ANZATS Award for the Best Monograph by an Emerging Scholar

The ANZATS Award for the Best Monograph by an Established Scholar

These awards recognise new scholarly publications that make important contributions to the theological disciplines. The awards honour books of academic rigour, originality and creativity which are deemed by the judges to have the potential to inform significantly the way in which their respective disciplines and/or themes are understood and interpreted.

The ‘theological disciplines’ are understood to include inter alia biblical studies; systematic, historical and constructive theology; ecclesiastical history; pastoral and applied theology (including ethics, liturgics, ministry studies, homiletics); comparative religious studies; and other religious studies not otherwise specified.

The Awards The awards shall consist of a certificate and prize money, the monetary value of which shall be determined annually by the ANZATS Council.

Criteria for submission in the category of Best Monograph by an Emerging Scholar:

Submitted publications must have been:

  • Written by an author who is either a citizen or Permanent Resident of either Australia or New Zealand
  • Written by an author whose terminal degree was conferred no more than five (5) years prior to the book’s publication, or by an author who has not previously published at least one other single-authored book with a scholarly publisher
  • Published by a scholarly publisher for a predominantly academic audience, after a process of peer review
  • Published no more than two (2) years prior to the date of submission.
  • Demonstrably within the definition of ‘theological disciplines’
  • At least 70,000 words in length.

Criteria for submission in the category of Best Monograph by an Established Scholar:

  • Written by an author who is either a citizen or Permanent Resident of either Australia or New Zealand
  • Written by an author whose terminal degree was conferred at least five (5) years prior to the book’s
    publication, or by an author who has previously published at least one other single-authored book with a scholarly publisher
  • Published by a scholarly publisher for a predominantly academic audience, after a process of peer review
  • Published no more than two (2) years prior to the date of submission.
  • Demonstrably within the definition of ‘theological disciplines’
  • At least 80,000 words in length.

Review Procedures

  • Submissions shall be called for by 31 October each year, with submissions closing on 30 November each year. Applications are to be submitted to the to the Executive Officer at secretary@anzats.edu.au.
  • Award winners shall be announced no later than 1 June the following year.
  • Awards shall be made at the annual ANZATS Conference in early July of each year.
  • One electronic copy of the book is to be submitted; no hard copies are to be submitted.
  • The submitted copy shall be distributed to the judging panel, the members of which shall be appointed by the ANZATS Council for a (renewable) term of three (3) years.
  • The judging panel shall consist of three (3) suitably qualified persons, with the possibility of co opting two (2) additional members if necessary. Efforts will be made to ensure the panel is representative of ANZATS membership, incorporating such diversity as disciplinary expertise, gender, and confessional tradition.