New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas

Now Accepting Submissions: 6th Annual New Scholar Essay Prize

The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies invites applications for its sixth annual competition for the New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas. We invite the submission of essays penned by new scholars that offer cutting-edge research about Catholics and Catholicism in North, Central, or South America and/or the Caribbean. Those eligible for the prize include current Ph.D. candidates who are A.B.D. ("all but dissertation") or those with a Ph.D. or Th.D. conferred no earlier than 2018.

The purpose of the prize is to advance, highlight, and support excellent scholarship pertaining to Catholicism in the Americas. 

View an article about previous years prize winners, Tuan Hoang, Ph.D., Kelly Schmidt, Ph.D., Brian Clites, Ph.D., and Raul Zegarra, Ph.D., and Susan Bigelow Reynolds, Ph.D.

The prize once again comes with a $1500 award.

The winning essay will:

  1. Have been published or been fully accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or scholarly collection within twelve months of the application deadline of March 15, 2025 (published or accepted for publication between February 15, 2024-March 15, 2025)
  2. Make a groundbreaking contribution to the study of Catholics and Catholicism in the Americas through:
    1. disciplined and innovative use of sources;
    2. creative and well-grounded argument advancing scholarly conversations; and/or
    3. substantive connection to broader humanistic concerns in the study of religion.

Essays that advance the understanding of historically-underrepresented Catholics (with Latinx, Indigenous, African, and/or Asian heritage) will receive special consideration. Scholars from all humanistic disciplines are encouraged to apply, including those rooted in history, art, anthropology, ethics, literature, religious studies, theology, and related subfields.

Applicants should submit materials below, including the following elements, by March 15th, 2025, 11:59 pm:

  1. Applicant CV
  2. Abstract-500 words or less describing the essay.
  3. Essay- An essay of 12,000 words or less, published or accepted for publication by a peer-reviewed journal or scholarly collection in either English or Spanish. Iff the essay is queued for publication, the applicant must provide evidence of acceptance and a timetable for publication.
  4. Nomination Support Letter (recommended)-A letter from a colleague or mentor from a relevant disciplinary field speaking to the merits of the essay as a contribution to Catholic Studies in the Americas.

The application period closes on March 15th, 2025 at 11:59 pm. The winner will be announced in May of 2025.

For questions or issues with submitting the form, please contact us at [email protected].

5th Annual New Scholar Essay Prize Winner Announcement

The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University is thrilled to announce two honorees in our latest, fifth annual, New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas competition. 

The prize this year goes to Dr. Susan Bigelow Reynolds, Ph.D. for her essay entitled “‘I Will Surely Have You Deported’: Undocumenting Clergy Sexual Abuse in an Immigrant Community.” It was published in Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation in 2023 and can be found here until June 7, 2024. Be on the lookout for further details about Dr. Bigelow Reynolds’ presentation on the theme of her essay at Fordham on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. Congratulations to Dr. Bigelow Reynolds, whose win comes with a $1500 cash award! 

This year the prize committee also chose to name Dr. Andrew Walker-Cornetta and his essay  “‘These Are Our Saints’: A Lourdes Shrine, the St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children, and the Catholic Remaking of Cognitive Disability” in the category of “Honorable Mention.” Walker-Cornetta’s essay was published in January 2024 in American Patroness: Marian Shrines and the Making of U.S. Catholicism (Fordham University Press). The essay can be accessed through this link.

We congratulate and commend both authors and hope their work will be widely read and celebrated.   

Please keep an eye out for our sixth annual competition, with a deadline in February of 2025.