Submission Criteria and Guidelines

The International Council for Traditional Music Book Prize is awarded annually for an exceptional single-authored or co-authored monograph. Edited volumes are not eligible. The book should represent outstanding scholarship and make a significant contribution to the ICTM’s mission: “To promote research, documentation, safeguarding, and sustainability of music, dance, and related performing arts, taking into account the diversity of cultural practices, past and present, and scholarly traditions worldwide.”

Criteria: Books must be published in English within the previous two calendar years. Authors (or at least one of the co-authors) must be current ICTM members. Only one book by the same author (or co-author) will be considered in a given year, and no book will be considered more than once. Members of the Prize Committee or Subcommittee may not submit a book for which they are the author or a co-author. 

Submission Process: Submissions / nominations must be received by 1 March, accompanied by a brief statement (not more than 200 words) explaining why the book is worthy of being awarded the Prize. The statement must be submitted in PDF format to prizes-books@ictmusic.org. There are two options for submitting the book: (1) submit it in PDF format to the same address, or (2) mail hard copies to all members of the Book Prize Subcommittee (please contact the Prize Committee Chair at brian.diettrich@vuw.ac.nz for mailing addresses).

Administration: The Prize Committee, in consultation with the Executive Board, will appoint a Subcommittee to evaluate the submissions. The winner of the previous year's Prize will be invited to join the next year's Subcommittee.

Award: The winner will receive a certificate and a two-year ICTM membership or an equivalent travel subsidy to attend an ICTM event. Prize winners will be announced at the World Conference or in the summer of a non-conference year.

Read the announcement of the 2020 ICTM prize winners here.