The award is given in memory of Paul Gerhard Schmidt (1937-2010), a well liked and eminent scholar of medieval and Renaissance Latin, who was for more than 25 years editor of Brill’s series Mittellateinische Studien und Texte.
The award is given for a distinguished new book on medieval or Renaissance Latin as defined in the scope of the series below. Original scholarly monographs, as well as editions of Latin primary sources (with analytical interpretations or commentaries) are eligible; translations, anthologies, and collections of documents are not. Works may be in English or German (French only in combination with a Latin edition) and should be between 90,000 and 200,000 words in length.
Books that employ new methodological or conceptual tools or that constitute significant reexaminations of important interpretive problems will be given preference. Literary merit is also an important criterion.
Only completed manuscripts which are ready for review, are eligible for the 2016 award.
Each emailed proposal (hammond@brill.com) must clearly include in the subject line “Paul Gerhard Schmidt Award Entry”.
Proposals (in English or German) are due by 5 January 2016 and should contain:
– a short outline of the volume, the existing literature and the contribution made by the volume to this literature and the advancement of the field, and its likely readership,
– a table of contents,
– a sample chapter or a part of the edition of the Latin text,
– an indication of the length of the work.
On the basis of proposals received, a short list of titles will be selected by the editorial board of Mittellateinische Studien und Texte, and authors of such titles will be invited to submit full manuscripts for review. The winning book will be announced in the course of 2016.
The winner of the award will receive prize money of EUR 1,500 and his/her book will be published by Brill in its series Mittellateinische Studien und Texte in the course of 2016.
For questions, please contact the Book Prize Administrator, Kate Hammond (hammond@brill.com).