SSML Annual Awards
Mark Twain Award
Each year, the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature presents the Mark Twain Award to a living writer for distinguished contributions to Midwestern literature.
We encourage members to nominate an individual for the award. The Mark Twain honoree need not be a member of SSML.
Nominations may be sent to the SSML email account at ssmlmidwestlit@gmail.com by May 1 each year. Please include your name (as nominator) and a brief, 250-word statement regarding the nominee’s qualifications for the award. Only SSML members are eligible to make nominations.
MidAmerica Award
Each year, the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature presents the MidAmerica Award to someone who has made distinguished contributions to the scholarship and/or study of Midwestern literature.
Nominations may be sent to the SSML email account at ssmlmidwestlit@gmail.com by May 1 each year. Please include your name (as nominator) and a brief, 250-word statement regarding the nominee’s qualifications for the award. Only SSML members are eligible to make nominations.
David D. Anderson Award
The David D. Anderson Award for Outstanding Essay in Midwestern Literary Studies recognizes a scholarly article that makes a substantial contribution to exploring ideas, authors, and places related to Midwestern literature. The awardee wins a $1,000 prize and gives a plenary talk at the SSML Symposium.
Eligibility
Any critical essay of at least 3,000 words that was first published in the previous year in a peer-reviewed periodical or edited book collection. Essays published in MidAmerica or Midwestern Miscellany are not eligible, although publications by SSML members in other peer-reviewed journals or edited collections may be nominated.
Nominations
Nominations are preferred by November 30, but will be accepted until December 31 of each year.
Questions?
Please contact award coordinator William Barillas (barillaswilliam@hotmail.com)
Midwestern Studies Book Award
To submit a manuscript…
Manuscripts considered for the SSML Book Award must be single-authored and book-length. They may address various aspects of cultural and literary history or conditions from or about the Midwestern states. They may focus on particular ethnicities, races, or genders, address single figures, or engage theoretical aspects of Midwestern history and culture.
Applicants must be members of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature in order for a manuscript to be considered. For more information, please contact William Barillas (barillaswilliam@hotmail.com).