Each year the journal is proud to manage and present three awards for outstanding scholarship and writing:
The Monroe K. Spears Award to honor the distinguished and humane career of the late Professor Monroe K. Spears. This award is funded by the journal through a generous grant from the Hobby Family Foundation. The Spears award recognizes the essay published in each volume of SEL that is marked by clarity, economy, felicity of expression, and by elegant and discerning interpretation.
The Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award to honor the memory of a Rice University colleague, Elizabeth A. Dietz. This award is funded by an endowed fund under the administration of the Dean of Humanities and the Department of English. The Dietz award is given in alternate years to the best recent study in English Renaissance literary studies (books considered in our Winter issue reviews) or the best recent study in Tudor and Stuart Drama (books considered in our Spring issue reviews). The award consists of a certificate to both the author and the publishing house and a monetary prize to the author.
The Robert Lowry Patten Award to honor the distinguished scholarly career of Bob Patten. This award is made possible largely through gifts from Professor Patten's colleagues and friends and managed by the journal. The Patten award is given in alternate years to the best recent contribution to British literary studies of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century (books considered in our Summer issue reviews) or the best recent contribution to British literary studies of the Nineteenth Century (books considered in our Autumn issue reviews). The award consists of a certificate to both the author and the publishing house and a monetary prize to the author.
All review copies received by our office are automatically placed in the running for the Dietz or Patten awards. There is no special application or submission process, other than to see that the journal has received your book or books to process for our omnibus reviews.
Please see the award buttons to the left for more information and lists of awardees.
