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Prize Awards

The ACLA awards nine annual prizes:

The A. Owen Aldridge Prize

An annual paper competition for graduate students.

Details and Application Information

The Charles Bernheimer Prize

An annual prize awarded for an outstanding dissertation in comparative literature.

Details and Application Information

The Horst Frenz Prize

Awarded for an outstanding paper by a graduate student at the ACLA Annual Meeting.

Details and Application Information

The Harry Levin Prize

Annually awarded to the best first book in comparative literature.

Details and Application Information

The René Wellek Prize

Annually awarded to the best book overall in comparative literature.

Details and Application Information

The Presidential Master's & Undergraduate Prizes

In support of its mission to promote the discipline of comparative literature, the American Comparative Literature Association has established two new prizes recognizing student accomplishment in comparative literary study. The President's Awards for Best Master's Thesis and for Best Undergraduate Essay on a Comparative Topic together honor comparative work broadly construed at these important stages of educational achievement. Work will be judged based on theoretical rigor, comparative breadth, and lucidity of exposition. Though not a formal requirement, especially for the Undergraduate essay prize, work that engages in comparison across linguistic boundaries will be especially valued by the committee.

Presidential Master's Prize

Presidential Undergraduate Prize

The Helen Tartar First Book Subvention Award

Awarded to ACLA-member authors who require subventions to ensure publication of their first books.

Details and Application Information