Book Prize

WINNING TITLES IN 2011 (for books published in 2010)

As in all previous years, the judges decided that the award itself should be split. They decided that prizes of £5,000 should be awarded to each of the following authors (in alphabetical order):

Witnesses to a World Crisis: Historians and Histories of the Middle East in the Seventh Century by James Howard-Johnston (Oxford University Press) deals with the Middle East and the Mediterranean at the time of the emergence of Islam using sources in six languages. The reviewer says this is a ‘magisterial book’ that is ‘beautifully written and clearly structured,’ adding that it ‘delves thoroughly and carefully into the minefield of complex sources about the rise of Islam and the world of late antiquity, with fascinating insights especially into the Sasanian background.’ These qualities will undoubtedly make the book the ‘key reference work on this subject for years to come.’

Mamluk History through Architecture, Monuments, Culture and Politics in Medieval Egypt and Syria by Nasser Rabbat (IB Tauris) ‘catapults a familiar subject into new realms of enquiry, and that is a stellar achievement’ considering the stature of scholars on Mamluk architecture who have preceded the author. The reviewer notes that this is the ‘first serious attempt to use medieval sources to explain medieval Mamluk architecture.’ The reviewer then continues: ‘All in all, this volume represents a quantum leap in current understanding of one of the early bodies of medieval Islamic architecture. It is deeply erudite, but Rabbat wears his learning lightly.’

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Administration of The British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize has recently moved from BRISMES to Cambridge.  

The Prize was founded thanks to an endowment of the Abdullah Mubarak Charitable Foundation. In each of the years since the prize commenced, it has attracted around 50 nominations from some 15 publishers and the overall standard of entries has been extremely high. The prize is awarded for the best scholarly work on the Middle East each year. Normally the chronological remit of the prize will be from the rise of Islam until the present day, but outstanding scholarly entries from the pre-Islamic era may also be considered.
The deadline for entries for this year's prize is 31st January 2012.

To submit entries, please return the entry form no later than 31st January 2012, together with SEVEN copies of each title submitted to the address below:

BKFS Prize The Cottage Bakery Kell's Lane Low Fell Tyne & Wear NE9 5HX

General Information

A prize or prizes will be awarded each year to the value of up to £10,000 for the best scholarly work in English on the Middle East which has been published in its first edition in the United Kingdom. We are now accepting submissions for books published during the calendar year 2011 and listed in Whitaker's Books in Print. Particular consideration will ge given to books of sound scholarship which enhance understanding of the Middle East among a wider readership in the English speaking world. Translations of work published in other modern languages are not eligible.

The judges welcome entries on any aspect of Middle East studies. Normally the chronological remit of the prize will be from the rise of Islam until the present day, but outstanding scholarly entries from the pre-Islamic era may also be considered.

The award of the prize is the sole responsibility of the judges, whose decision is final. If the judges so decide, the prize may be divided.

The criteria on which the judges' decision will be based will be:

(i) Originality
(ii) Clarity and Accessibility
(iii) Importance to the field

Collections of articles by several authors published in a single volume will not be considered.

Entries will be welcomed from the following fields:

(i) Language and literature
(ii) Islamic Studies
(iii) Sociology, anthropology, history, politics, geography, economics and international relations
(iv) Islamic art and archaeology

Please use this link to submit your entry:

Book Prize Entry Form

The British Kuwait Friendship Society judges are:

[liste|Professor Yasir Suleiman
University of Cambridge (Chairman),
Sir Roger Tomkys
Former Chairman, Arab British Chamber of Commerce
Professor Carole Hillenbrand
Professor of Islamic History, University of Edinburgh
Shaikh Mubarak al-Abdullah al-Mubarak Al Sabah
(on behalf of the Abdullah Mubarak Charitable Foundation)
Professor Charles Tripp, SOAS
Alastair Newton, Nomura International plc