The biennial ASLE book and graduate student paper awards in the areas of ecocriticism and environmental creative writing recognize excellence in the field. The first awards were given at the 2007 Biennial Conference, and the eleventh biennial awards will be presented at the Authors’ and Awards Reception at our next conference, to be held at the University of Maryland from June 22-24, 2027.

Book Awards

2027 ASLE Book Awards Call (PDF)

The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment invites submissions for its 2027 ASLE Book Awards. Both awards include a prize of $500.

The Book Awards will be presented in two categories:

• the best book-length work of scholarly ecocriticism
• the best book-length work of creative writing (any genre) with an environmental theme

Eligibility Requirements:

• Works published in 2025 or 2026 are eligible. (Books published in January 2027 will be eligible for the next cycle.)
• Works of narrative scholarship, or works that in other ways blend scholarly criticism with creative writing, can only be submitted in one category, indicated with the submission.
• Edited collections in both the scholarly and creative categories are eligible.
• The committee on scholarly ecocriticism will consider only titles in that genre; books with a
  general environmental theme that do not meet that criteria will not be entered into the contest.
• Works must be in English.
• Self-published books, or writing that is not book length, will not be considered.
• Nominees must be current members of ASLE or an international affiliate as of January 8, 2027. If you are unsure of your member status, log in here, or contact info@asle.org or your international affiliate membership secretary to verify.

 Submission Instructions:

• Works may be submitted by either the author or publisher. Authors are advised to coordinate with their publishers to avoid multiple, or missed, submissions.
• Deadline for receipt of all submissions is January 8, 2027. This deadline is firm and NO EXCEPTIONS will be made for late entries.
• Electronic copies of the work (eBook or publisher’s PDF; password-protected and/or watermarked is fine) are encouraged if available. Otherwise, three hard copies of the nominated book should be sent to the appropriate coordinator below.
• If a hard-copy book submission makes the finalist round, we will require two more hard copies for judges.
• Submit ALL book entries via the Google forms linked below; e-copies (preferred) can be uploaded via the form. If sending hard copies, use the appropriate mailing address below to complete submission.

Please note: ASLE Student Paper Awards call will be posted in Winter 2027