Call for Submissions: AGAPS Graduate Paper Prize 2022

The Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (AGAPS) invites the submission of graduate student research papers for AGAPS’s 2022 Graduate Paper Prize competition. They must primarily focus on the Arabian Peninsula but can be inclusive of the transnational flow of people, goods and ideas across the Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. AGAPS welcomes submissions from all disciplines. Papers should include an engagement with literature, a clear methodology, and make an original contribution to scholarship in the field. Papers will be evaluated according to originality of research, innovation, contribution to the field, cogency of argument, sources, method and clarity of writing. All applicants must be members of AGAPS at the time of submission. Submission deadline is 1 August 2022.

The author of the winning paper will be presented with a certificate at the AGAPS Business Meeting held during the next annual Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference from 1-4 December 2022 in Denver, Colorado. The winning paper will be announced in the Journal of Arabian Studies (JAS) and given consideration for publication.  

Submission requirements:

The paper must have been written between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.

The cover letter should include: author’s name, contact information, title of paper, name of institution, department, and the name and email address for the faculty member who will provide an endorsement.  Email is fine.

Students can nominate themselves but must provide an endorsement by a faculty member stating that the paper was written as a graduate student during the specified time period.  For example:  This is to verify that “Student Name” prepared the paper, “Title”, for my class on “Subject” during the “Semester”.  This can be sent via email.

The author can be enrolled in an MA or a PhD program and must provide proof of student status. (This can be a letter from the department that can be sent via email).  The author may have just completed a Masters degree but must not have defended a PhD dissertation/thesis prior to the submission deadline in order to qualify.  

The paper must not exceed 7,500 words (excluding bibliography) and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. It should conform to the following format:

  • Standard font (such as Arial or Times Roman)
  • Double-spaced
  • Black and white

Applicant must be a current member of AGAPS. Student fees are $15 per year. You can join online at https://agaps.org/join-agaps.

All materials must be emailed by 1 August 2022 to awards@agaps.org with a copy to Laura Goffman (lauragoffman@arizona.edu). Early submissions are appreciated.