A. Owen Aldridge Prize

Award Description

Comparative Literature Studies, published at the Pennsylvania State University Press, announces that it will publish an annual prize-paper written by a graduate student. The competition is named in honor of A. Owen Aldridge, founder of CLS. The purpose of this competition is to encourage and recognize excellence in scholarship among graduate students in comparative studies and to reward the highest achievement by publication. This project is sponsored by CLS in cooperation with the American Comparative Literature Association and supported by the Department of Comparative Literature at Penn State. The award carries a monetary prize, depending on the winner’s eligibility to receive such awards.

2025-2026 A. Owen Aldridge Prize Winner

• Allison Gibeily (Northwestern University), "Aleppo’s Other Storybooks: Scottish Physicians, Maronite Ḥakawātīs, and Improvisational Literature." (CITATION)

Submission Guidelines
1. Any graduate student who is a current member of the American Comparative Literature Association as of November 15 and who has completed all requirements for the PhD with the exception of the dissertation may submit one paper annually.
 
2. Papers may be on any comparative topic that is aligned with the mission of CLS. They should be scholarly articles—literary research, theory, or criticism—and should not, for example, be interviews, translations, or editions of texts.
 
3. Papers should be between 7,000 to 12,000 words, including endnotes and quotations, and be written in English. Any professional citational style is acceptable, though the winner will need to revise to conform to CLS style (modified Chicago).
 
4. Submissions consist of: 1) a PDF or Word version of the essay, prepared as in #5 and 2) a note on letterhead or email with institutional domain name from the program head or faculty adviser confirming that the student has completed all requirements for the PhD except dissertation as stated in #1. The membership status of all participants will be confirmed by the ACLA Secretariat before the prize committee begins its deliberations.
 
5. Papers should be prepared for anonymous evaluation. The first page of the paper itself should include the title of the submission, but not the author's name.
 
6. Digital submissions (Word or PDF files only) will only be accepted through the submission portal. Email submissions will no longer be accepted.
 
7. The winning paper will be copy-edited and subject to the same editorial recommendations as other CLS materials. The intention of CLS is to publish the winning paper within 12 months. A note will indicate that the paper is the winner of the Aldridge competition and that it has been selected by the ACLA in collaboration with CLS.

8. Papers will be evaluated anonymously by a panel of judges appointed by the ACLA.

Submit your application by November 15, 2026 using the button below:

Access the Aldridge Prize Competition Submission Portal ➜

Editor-in-Chief
Comparative Literature Studies
427 Burrowes Building
University Park, PA 16802
[email protected] / https://cl-studies.la.psu.edu/