Established in 2008, the Humanities Institute Book Award is presented for a nonfiction work of humanities-based scholarship. The Book Award celebrates outstanding writers whose contributions to the humanities change the conversation by fostering new directions for their discipline. Winning books receive a cash award of $3,000, promotion in Humanities Institute materials, an award certificate and an all-expense paid visit to the Arizona State University campus so the author(s) may make a presentation of the book.
Request a previous Book Award recipient in digital or physical copy through the ASU Library.
Call for Nominations
Submit nominations by February 9, 2026
The Humanities Institute at Arizona State University invites nominations of books written in English and published in 2024 and 2025 which reflect the finest contemporary humanities-based scholarship on any topic. Nominations should be for books that are:
- authored by an individual(s) external to ASU (as the institute accepts books authored by individuals affiliated with ASU every other year)
- focused on compelling topics of social relevance able to reach a broad, educated public audience
- transdisciplinary in methodology and scope
- works of academic nonfiction that feature a clear humanities perspective, even if they also involve methodologies and perspectives from the sciences and social sciences
Nominated books may have multiple authors, but edited collections are ineligible. Publishers may nominate up to two books only.
Apply by 1.) arranging for the publisher to send a PDF of the book to [email protected] and 2.) sending a completed nomination form to [email protected]. The Humanities Institute accepts self-nominations. The winner will be announced in May 2026.
