General Information

2021 Chautauqua Prize Entry Form (PDF)

2021 Chautauqua Prize Online Entry Form

 

Eligibility

Eligibility

  1. Eligible books are those published first, or simultaneously, in the United States, in English, in 2020, and made available in hardcover or bound paperback form for purchase by the general public. Date of first publication, not copyright date, applies.
  2. Full-length books of fiction and narrative/literary nonfiction are eligible. Nonfiction may include history, science, religion, memoir, biography, journalism, and all sub-genres of creative nonfiction.
  3. Collections of short stories and collections of essays by one author are eligible.
  4. Authors who have or have not been honored previously at Chautauqua Institution, and who have won or have not won other book awards, are eligible.
  5. Any author of an eligible book, including previous winners, is eligible for consideration each year.
  6. Authors are eligible to receive the prize without regard to nationality or residence.
  7. The author must be living at the time of the closing date for entries (December 15, 2020). In the case of a book by two authors, at least one of the authors must be alive on this date.
  8. Several chapters may have been published previously in magazines or journals, but most of the work must be original to the nominated book with the exception of short story and essay collections.
  9. The following books are not eligible:
    1. An English translation of a book written originally in any other language is not eligible.
    2. Self-published books are not eligible. Chautauqua Institution follows the guidelines set by the National Endowment for the Arts, which qualifies self-publishing as work from presses that: "require individual writers to pay for part or all of the production costs; require writers to buy or sell copies of the publication; publish work without competitive selection or a stated editorial policy; or publish work without professional editing."
    3. Anonymous authors are not eligible.
    4. Anthologies containing work written by multiple authors are not eligible.
    5. A reprint of a book published in a previous award year is not eligible.
    6. In general, cookbooks, self-help books (including inspirational literature), reference books, picture books, graphic novels, or children’s books are not eligible.
  10. In the event of a question as to eligibility, Chautauqua Institution will decide whether a book is eligible, and its decision will be binding. No correspondence will be required, and books and entry fees will not be returned.
  11. Selected longlist authors and publishers will be notified in February, and will be required to:
    1. Designate a week in summer 2021 when the author could accept The Chautauqua Prize at Chautauqua Institution (if selected), at which time the prize winner will give a 30-minute acceptance/reading at an event held in their honor.
    2. Grant permission (if selected) to reproduce portions of the book for Chautauqua publicity purposes, with no additional remuneration.
    3. Grant permission (if selected) for Chautauqua Institution to film his or her acceptance talk, and make it available to the public, for sale or not for sale, with no additional remuneration.
Updated Aug. 21, 2020