Convention Awards and Prizes

Book Award

At the annual convention, the MMLA awards a $500 prize to the best scholarly or creative book published by an MMLA member. These two valuable forms of contributions are recognized in alternate years—creative in 2024 and 2026; scholarly in 2025 and 2027.

Eligibility criteria are as follows:

  • 2025 Book Award: scholarly publications published between July 01, 2023 and June 30, 2025.
  • 2026 Book Award: creative publications published between July 01, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

Current MMLA members who wish to be considered for a Book Award must submit the following materials to the MMLA at [email protected] by July 01:

  1. Author's Institutional Affiliation and Academic Position
  2. PDF of the Book (which can be circulated to the MMLA's Program Committee)
  3. A Link to the Book on the Publisher's Website

Submissions are reviewed by members of the MMLA's Program Committee, and the winning book is announced prior to the convention's keynote address.

Lodging Awards 

The MMLA offers a limited number of lodging awards to part-time faculty, non-tenure-track faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students who have been selected to present a paper at the annual convention and need assistance paying for lodging.

Lodging awards consist of a free two-night stay at the convention hotel.  Those who wish to be considered for a Lodging Award must submit the following materials to the MMLA at [email protected] by July 01:

  1. One-Page Cover Letter (requesting consideration and indicating other institutional sources of support, if any)
  2. Curriculum Vitae (graduate students are asked to indicate their expected graduation date)
  3. The Accepted Paper's Abstract (250-word maximum)

Submissions are reviewed by members of the MMLA's Program Committee, who will give preference to those that demonstrate need. Applicants will be notified of the decisions via email.

 Graduate Student Paper Prize

The MMLA's Graduate Student Paper Prize is open to all graduate students who have been selected to present a paper at the annual convention. The $100 prize will be awarded to the strongest paper, which will be published in the Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association. The winner of this prize also receives a guest membership and registration for the MMLA's next annual convention.

Those who wish to be considered for the Graduate Student Paper Prize must submit the following materials to the MMLA at [email protected] by October 15:

  1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  2. The Accepted Paper (3,000-word limit, excluding the Works Cited)

Submissions are reviewed by members of the MMLA's Program Committee, and the winning paper is announced prior to the convention's keynote address.

Undergraduate Student Paper Prize

The MMLA's Undergraduate Student Paper Prize is open to all undergraduates who have presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium during the most recent annual convention. The $100 prize will be awarded to the strongest paper. Submissions are gathered after the convention so that undergraduates who wish to revise their papers based on feedback received there may do so.

Those who wish to be considered for the Undergraduate Student Paper Prize must submit the following materials to the MMLA at [email protected] by November 30:

  1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  2. The Presented Paper (3,000-word limit, excluding the Works Cited)

Submissions are reviewed by member's of the MMLA's Executive Committee, and the winning paper is announced via email. 

Please Note: The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association (JMMLA) does not consider for publication essays submitted by undergraduates. At this time, contributing authors to the JMMLA must be pursuing or hold a graduate degree.