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Donald Gray Prize
NAVSA
Deadline: May 20, 2014
NAVSA's annual Donald Gray Prize for best essay published in
the field of Victorian Studies is named after Donald J. Gray, Culbertson
Professor Emeritus in the English Department of Indiana University. Professor
Gray received his PhD at Ohio State University, where he completed his
dissertation under the direction of Richard Altick, and began teaching at
Indiana University in 1956. At Indiana, Professor Gray received the
university's Distinguished Teaching Award, its Distinguished Service Award, and
the President's Medal of Excellence; in 1997, he received the MLA award for
professional service. He was a dissertation director of legendary
responsiveness, acuity and stamina, having directed over 75 dissertations.
Professor Gray is the editor of the Norton Pride and Prejudice and Alice
in Wonderland; with George Tennyson he edited Victorian Poetry and Prose for
Macmillan. He also served as editor of the journal College English and,
beginning in 1957, as the Book Review Editor of Victorian Studies, helping
the founding editors steer the journal through its early years. From 1990-2000
he served as principal editor of the journal. He retired in 1998. The Gray
Prize honors his remarkable achievements as editor and graduate-student
teacher.
NAVSA is now seeking nominations for the Donald Gray Prize
for best essay published in the field of Victorian Studies. The prize carries
with it an award of $500 and will be awarded to essays that appeared in print
or online in journals from the previous calendar year. Essays may be on any
topic related to the study of Victorian Britain. Note that the actual date of
appearance trumps the date given on the issue itself since it's common for
journals to lag behind official issue dates. (The prize is limited to journal
essays; those published in essay collections are not eligible.) The winner will
also receive complementary registration at the NAVSA conference at which his or
her award will be announced. Anyone, regardless of NAVSA membership status, is
free to nominate an essay that appeared in print between January 1, 2013 and
December 31, 2013. Nominations will also be solicited from the Advisory Board
of NAVSA and the prize committee judges; self-nominated essays are equally
welcome. Authors may be from any country and of any institutional standing.
To nominate an essay, please submit by Tuesday, 20 May
2014: (1) a brief cover sheet with complete address and email information for both the
essay's nominator and its author, and (2) a digital copy of the essay (in .pdf,
.doc or .docx) to the Executive Secretary of NAVSA, Deborah Denenholz Morse, at
the following e-mail address: ddmors@wm.edu
The winning essay will be selected according to three
criteria: 1) Potential significance for Victorian studies; 2) Quality and depth
of scholarly research and interpretation; 3) Clarity and effectiveness of
presentation. The judges will choose one essay for the award, with one honorary
runner-up also selected, when appropriate, and will provide a short paragraph
for use in announcing the award. If the judges are deadlocked, the decision is
thrown to the NAVSA Executive Council.
