Prizes

There are six prizes available for submitted papers for each annual meeting: (1) the best submission by a junior scholar; (2) the best submission by a graduate student; (3) the best submission in feminist philosophy, (4) the best submission considering anti-blackness, Africana and Indigenous diasporas, colonialism, post-colonialism, settler-colonialism; (5) the best submission addressing disability, ableism, research in philosophy of disability, and/or research in critical disability studies; and (6) the best submission on LGBTQ issues in philosophy. Each prize-winner will be awarded $500, and will be recognized on the SPEP program and at the SPEP Business Meeting. Winners of the Junior Scholar and Graduate Student Awards are eligible for the other prizes, but no individual can win more than one of the Young, Wynter, Toombs, or Lee prizes.

Authors who wish to be considered for the prize should self-designate their papers for consideration when submitting them to SPEP.  Each of the award-winning submissions will be selected through an anonymous review process. Winners for all prizes will be notified by June 15 of each year. You can find the details for each prize below. Authors are advised to carefully read eligibility criteria (e.g., regarding the identity and rank of authors) before indicating that they wish to have their paper considered for a prize.

  • Best Submission by a Junior Scholar. To be eligible for the SPEP Junior Scholar Award, you must have earned a PhD in the last five years. In addition to the $500 prize, the winner will be granted a travel and hotel allowance. The runner-up for the award will be featured on the program as the SPEP Junior Scholar Award Honorable Mention. An individual may win this prize only once.
  • Best Submission by a Graduate Student. All currently enrolled graduate students are eligible for the SPEP Graduate Student Award. In addition to the $500 prize, the winner will be granted a travel and hotel allowance. The runner-up for the award will be featured on the program as the SPEP Graduate Student Award Honorable Mention. An individual may win this prize only once.
  • The Iris Marion Young Prize for the Best Paper in Feminist Philosophy, awarded by the Committee on the Status of Women. You must declare your desire to be considered for this prize on the cover sheet that accompanies your submission.
  • The Sylvia Wynter Prize for the Best Paper considering anti-blackness, Africana and Indigenous diasporas, colonialism, post-colonialism, settler-colonialism by a Black, Indigenous, and/or person of color junior scholar (that is, a pre-tenure scholar or graduate student) awarded by the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. You must declare your desire to be considered for this prize on the cover sheet that accompanies your submission.
  • The S. Kay Toombs Prize for the Best Paper addressing disability, ableism, research in philosophy of disability, and/or research in critical disability studies by a junior scholar (that is, a scholar who has earned a PhD in the five years prior to the submission date) or graduate student awarded by the Committee on Accessibility, Disability, and Inclusion. You must declare your desire to be considered for this prize on the cover sheet that accompanies your submission. The author of the prize-winning paper will also be invited to submit their paper to the Journal of Philosophy of Disability.
  • The Kyoo “Q” Lee Prize for Best Paper on LGBTQ Issues in Philosophy  by a junior scholar, graduate student, or independent scholar/researcher that 1) engages LGBTQ philosophy, addressing issues of gender, sexuality, queer theory, and/or trans philosophy (especially papers engaging LGBTQ issues in conversation with questions of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, disability, culture, class, migration, religion, and/or age) and/or 2) is submitted by a self-identified LGBTQ philosopher. Priority will be given to scholars who work across genres (broadly construed) in innovative ways. You must declare your desire to be considered for this prize on the cover sheet that accompanies your submission. The winner will be chosen by the LGBTQ Advocacy Committee through anonymous review, and will be invited to be formally recognized at the annual LGBTQ Advocacy Committee Session on the main SPEP program.