The WOLA-Duke book award for human rights in Latin America - Call for submissions

The Washington Office on Latin America announces the third annual WOLA-Duke Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America for the best current, non-fiction book published in English on human rights, democracy and social justice in contemporary Latin America. The author of the winning book will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

The award will be given in the fall of 2010 by WOLA and Duke University. Scholarly and popular books are eligible, either edited or authored. To be eligible, books must meet the following criteria:

• An original, non-fiction book related to issues of human rights, the rule of law, social and/or economic justice, and democracy, as they are broadly understood, in contemporary Latin America. Books should pertain to events that took place in roughly the past 25 years.
• Published in the English language by a commercial, university, or non-profit publishing concern. Books written originally in other languages and translated into English are eligible. Self-published books are not eligible.
• Published in the two years before the date of the award, including the year of the award. In other words, books published in 2009 and 2010 will be eligible for the 2010 prize. Books published before 2009 are not eligible.

Judges will be looking for books that offer important contributions to research on Latin America while also enriching the general public's understanding of Latin America. The winning book will reflect the standards of originality, high-quality research and clear writing to which WOLA aspires in its own publications. Both scholarly and popular books are welcome. In the case of two or more authors, the prize money will be distributed equally among them. The deadline for entries is June 1, 2010.

There is no entry form. Publishers, authors or readers may send nominations to:

Book Award
Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009

The notice or letter should contain a short description of the book and publishing details; no supporting materials or reviews are necessary. Nominators may also send one copy of the book, although this is not required for nomination. For books due to be published in 2010 but after the entry deadline, nominators may send a pre-publication copy, indicating the publication date. Judges are drawn from WOLA's staff and its academic advisory board, Duke University, and the academic community at large.

The winner of the WOLA-Duke Book Award will be announced in the fall of 2010. He or she will be invited to give a reading later at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Previous Award Recipients:
2009 - Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, The Dictator's Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet
2008 - Francisco Goldman, The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?