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PROSE Awards
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
In short
The PROSE Awards, run by the Association of American Publishers, recognize scholarly and professional works: academic books, textbooks, reference works, and journals. Academic librarians and the scholarly review press notice the results, and the seal stays on academic backlist covers for years. Only publishers may enter, and the program is built around university and professional presses, so an author cannot file directly. Raise it with your editor, and note that eligibility runs by copyright year rather than publication date.
Next cycle not announcedChecked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
This program has not published a verified deadline for its next cycle. Use the official link before making plans.
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The PROSE Awards (Professional and Scholarly Excellence) are given by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for books, journals, and digital products in professional and scholarly publishing. Subject areas run across the biological and life sciences, humanities, physical sciences and mathematics, social sciences, and reference works, with dozens of subcategories.
Only publishers may enter. For the 2027 awards, a book must carry a 2026 copyright; books with a 2025 or 2027 copyright are not eligible this year, and galleys of 2026-copyright books may be submitted if the book will be published in 2026. Entries go through an online entry system with a $115 fee per entry and one electronic review copy.
Finalists are announced in early 2027, followed by category winners and the R.R. Hawkins Award for the top entry.
Why it may matter
PROSE finalists and winners are noticed by academic librarians, university press marketing departments, and the scholarly review press, and the seal is common on academic backlist covers. For an author, the practical question is whether the publisher plans to enter, since authors cannot file directly; the AAP's own guidance is to raise it with your editor.
2027 cycle: 2027 PROSE Awards (2026 copyright)
- Eligible publication dates
- January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026
- Entries open
- September 8, 2026Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Entry system opened Tuesday, September 8, 2026; the closing date is not stated on the guidelines or how-to-enter pages we read, so confirm it on the entry system. Eligibility is by 2026 copyright year rather than publication date.
- Entry fee
- $115 per entry, paid by credit card online; a title entered in more than one category pays for eachChecked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Finalists announced in early 2027, then category winners and the R.R. Hawkins Award
- Notes
- No final deadline recorded because the official pages did not state one
| Tier | Deadline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Per entry | See rules | $115 |
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Eligibility is by copyright year, not publication date, which trips people up with books released in late 2025 carrying a 2026 copyright (eligible) or early 2027 books with a 2026 copyright (also eligible). The entry pages we read state the 2027 opening date and fee but not the closing date; ask the publisher to confirm it on the AAP entry system.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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