PUBLICATION PRIZES

Don D. and Catherine S. Fowler Prize

$1,000 Biennial Book Publication Prize, Presented by The University of Utah Press

The Don D. and Catherine S. Fowler Prize will be awarded to the best book-length, single-author manuscript in anthropology submitted to the Press. All submitted manuscripts must demonstrate the best substantive research and quality writing. Successful entries will focus on the human experience in North America. Submissions in archaeology, ethnography, ethnobiology, ethnohistory, ethnolinguistics, biological anthropology, and paleoecology as it pertains to human behavior are especially welcome. The winning author will receive a publication contract with The University of Utah Press that includes a cash prize of $1,000.

2025 Fowler Prize Judges

Don and Catherine Fowler, James O’Connell, and Kelley Hays-Gilpin

2025 Prize Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be in English include all tables and figures. Digital placeholders of figures are acceptable for initial consideration. Include a digital version of all parts of the manuscript, figures, and tables.
• Manuscript length is limited to a maximum of 800 pages, although shorter is preferred.
• Manuscripts must be received by January 30, 2025, and the appropriate acquisitions editor notified via email. Early submissions are encouraged.
• Manuscripts that do not win the Fowler Prize may also be considered for book publication.
• Portions of submitted manuscripts may have appeared in journals or anthologies, but previously published monographs will not be considered.
• The competition is open to all authors except current students, faculty, and staff of The University of Utah. Current and former employees of The University of Utah Press are not eligible for the prize.
• All digital submissions should include a cover letter indicating that this is a submission for the Fowler Prize, the complete manuscript including all illustrations and supplementary materials, and a copy of your most recent C.V.

After completion of the Press’s usual peer-review process, the editorial board–Don and Catherine Fowler, James O’Connell, and Kelley Hays-Gilpin–will determine the winning submission. Awardees will be contacted directly, and the results of the competition will be posted on the Press website no later than October 2025. Please do not call the Press or members of the board to check on the status of your submission. The decision of the editorial board is final.

The Press will publish the winning manuscript, and the winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize. The Prize will be awarded every other year; however, the Press reserves the right to make no award in any given year.

The Press is currently only accepting submissions electronically. Please email Justin Bracken, for further instructions: Justin.Bracken@utah.edu

Previous Winners:

2021: On Desert Shores: Archaeology and History of The Western Midriff Island in the Gulf of California by Thomas Bowen

2019: Sally in Three Worlds: An Indian Captive in the House of Brigham Young by Virginia Kerns

2018: The Crimson Cowboys: The Remarkable Odyssey of the 1931 Claflin-Emerson Expedition by Jerry D. Spangler and James M. Aton

2017:  From Colonization to Domestication: Population, Environment, and the Origins of Agriculture in Eastern North America  by D. Shane Miller

2014:  Sending the Spirits Home: The Archaeology of Hohokam Mortuary Practices  by Glen Rice

2012: Religion on the Rocks: Hohokam Rock Art, Ritual Practice, and Social Transformation by Aaron M. Wright

2010: Winds from the North: Tewa Origins and Historical Anthropology by Scott Ortman

2009: Foragers and Farmers of the Northern Kayenta Region: Excavations along the Navajo Mountain Road by Phil R. Geib