SoFCB Essay Prize 2026

The Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography (SoFCB) is pleased to announce its annual Essay Prize for 2026, to be awarded to a scholarly article that exemplifies the Society’s mission of advancing the study of texts, images, and artifacts as material objects through capacious, interdisciplinary scholarship. The $500 prize seeks to recognize innovative scholarship that brings together multiple fields of study and that strives to be accessible to the bibliographical community at large. Winners and honorable mentions of the previous years can be found here: https://rarebookschool.org/sofcb-essay-prize/. 

Articles published in any format (journal, edited collection, book chapter, digital platform), in any field, and of any time period are eligible for consideration. The study of texts, images, and artifacts as material objects should be integral to the essay’s argument and the evidence upon which it relies. The prize is open to academic researchers and teachers at all career stages, as well as librarians, curators, and independent scholars. Self-nominations are encouraged. Current and former members of the SoFCB and Rare Book School full-time staff are ineligible for the prize.

Articles with a publication date of 2024 or 2025 are eligible for the 2026 prize. Articles submitted for the 2025 prize competition are not eligible for the 2026 competition.

For more information, please visit: https://rarebookschool.org/sofcb-essay-prize/

Deadline for submission: 1 March 2026. Articles may be sent as a PDF attachment to sofcb_prizes@virginia.edu. In your message, please provide preferred contact details for the author(s) of the essay and include an abstract (no more than 250 words) outlining the essay’s original contribution to the study of texts, images, and artifacts as material objects. Limit one submission per author.

The SoFCB was formed in 2017 as a program of Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. Our members seek to integrate methods of critical bibliography into our teaching and research; to foster collegial conversations about historical and emerging media across disciplines and institutions; and to share our knowledge with broader publics. We are committed to creating more accessible, inclusive, and diverse contexts for the study of the material text. For more information about the SoFCB, please see https://rarebookschool.org/sofcb and https://rarebookschool.org/admissions-awards/fellowships/sofcb.

The essay prize has been underwritten by Kimball Higgs, a supporter of Rare Book School and a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Library Service.