The deadline for submitting entries to the Forum Essay Prize has been extended to 30 April. The editors of Forum for Modern Language Studies invite submissions on the subject of Literature and Hunger, addressing literature of any period, and in any of the languages covered by the journal (usually English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian, but others will be considered too).
ABOUT THE FORUM ESSAY PRIZE
The Forum essay prize competition was launched to mark Volume 45 of the journal in 2009. Having published hundreds of outstanding articles over the years, the editors wished to introduce a means of encouraging and rewarding the very best scholarship from any of the areas of study represented by the journal. True to the principle of the journal as a wide and various ‘forum’ for the discussion of ideas, they also wanted excellence to be the sole criterion for judgment.
The competition is therefore open to all researchers, whether early-career or established, and indeed the prize has previously been awarded to entrants of both kinds. The winning article is published in the journal, while its author receives the sum of £200. Other essays that are highly commended by the judges may also be commissioned for publication in FMLS.
THE FORUM ESSAY PRIZE 2012: LITERATURE AND HUNGER
In every age, literature has reflected the basic human preoccupation with hunger. Writers have documented real deprivation, analysed their own appetites, explored the famished dreaming of prisoners and exiles, and examined the role of hunger in history, politics and society. Just as extensively, the longing for food has been used metaphorically, for instance as a signifier for lack of moral or emotional sustenance, as an instrument of self-denial or of control, or as a marker of wider and deeper ravenous desires. From Aesop (7th Century BC) to Darrieussecq by way of Dickens, Kafka, Hamsun, Calvino, Solzhenitsyn, Okri and many others, the subject of hunger has elicited a rich variety of literary treatments. At a time when famine in Africa once again fills our headlines, the General Editors of Forum for Modern Language Studies invite articles addressing the broad topic of Literature and Hunger.
The 2012 Forum Prize competition invites submissions on the subject of Literature and Hunger, addressing literature of any period, and in any of the languages covered by the journal (usually English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian, but we will consider others too). The competition is open to all researchers, whether established or early-career: it is worth noting that previous competitions have been won by scholars in both categories.
THE FORUM PRIZE
The winner’s prize will consist of:
1. Publication of the winning essay in the next appropriate volume of FMLS
2. A cash prize of £200
There is no runner-up prize, but the Editors may commission for publication any entries that are highly commended by the judges.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FORUM ESSAY PRIZE 2012
The Forum Essay Prize is open to all researchers. A panel of judges will read all entries, which will be assessed anonymously. Entries should be no more than 6,500 words in length including notes, should conform to MHRA style, and must be accompanied by an abstract summarizing the principal arguments and making clear the relevance of the article to the competition topic. The closing date for entries will be 30 April 2012.
- The Forum Essay Prize is open to all researchers.
- Essays are to be no longer than 6,500 words, inclusive of all footnotes and references and should conform to FMLS house style.
- The submission must be accompanied by an abstract summarising the principal arguments and making clear the relevance of the article to the competition topic.
- Permission must be obtained for the reproduction of illustrations and quotations from copyrighted material.
- The closing date for entries will be 31 March 2012. A panel of judges will read all entries, which will be assessed anonymously. All entries will be subject to the normal FMLS standards of refereeing and editorial review.
- Entries submitted to the Forum Essay Prize must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- It is a condition of entry that all entrants will be prepared to grant an exclusive licence to the Journal, which is operated on the Journal's behalf by the Publisher if accepted for publication.
- The decision of the judges will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into by the Editors.
- No alternative prizes will be available.
- There is no runner-up prize, but the editors may commission for publication any entries that are highly commended by the judges.
- In the unlikely event that, in the judges’ opinion, the material submitted is not of a suitable standard, no prize or prizes will be awarded.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For submissions: Entries should be submitted through their online submission system. Go here to access the system and submit your paper.
Website: http://www.oxfordjournals.org
