Annual Mount Athos Book Prize

MAFA is pleased to announce the inauguration of an Annual Mount Athos Book Prize. This prize, to be judged by a distinguished panel of scholars unaffiliated with MAFA, is meant to honor the best scholarly work on Mt. Athos or a topic related to the Holy Mountain and its rich historical, ethnocultural, literary, theological, architectural and iconographic traditions.

The winning author or authors will receive an award of $500, and the Foundation will publicize the award and the winning book on the MAFA website, in its newsletter, and in a press release. In the case that no eligible books are put forth for consideration, the prize will be deferred until the following year. Publishers and authors are invited to submit entries for eligible titles published during the current year to MAFA to Bookprize@MountAthosFoundation.org by 28 February of the year following publication.

In the event that more than five titles are submitted, MAFA will at its discretion establish a short list of no more than five titles. Book publishers will be expected to send three physical copies of the book (one for each member of the 3-person panel of judges) and (if available) a digital copy. The physical copies are required in order for the judges to evaluate the production quality of the book.

Eligibility

Entrance into competition for the MAFA book prize is free and open to authors and publishers from all countries. It is envisioned that books will be published in English (or in English translation of originally foreign-language titles). Books published by any of the following are ineligible:

• members of the MAFA board of directors
• members of the executive committee of MAFA’s sister organization, Friends of Mount Athos
• donors and patrons of either of these organizations.

Criteria for Judging

The panel of Judges will evaluate each submission on the basis of:

• scholarly integrity and documentation
• originality of the argument and presentation
• effectiveness of presentation
• production quality of the book, and
• contribution to enhanced understanding of the Holy Mountain and its historical, literary, theological, architectural and/or iconographic traditions.

Questions may be addressed to the MAFA Bookprize.