About this Prize
The Rhodes Prize is awarded to an exceptional monograph about Irish literature. The winning book will be characterized by its depth of research, originality of argument, clear and elegant writing, and potential contribution to the field of Irish Studies. In addition, the jury will consider how submissions capture the diversity of Irish writing and scholarship.
A founding member in 1960 of what was then the American Committee for Irish Studies, Robert E. Rhodes served on the ACIS executive committee for many years and as ACIS president from 1986-88. When the book prize in literature was established in his name by Maureen Murphy in 1999, Rhodes began the practice of buying the books of every prize winner and writing a congratulatory note to each recipient.
Born in Cortland, New York, in 1927, he served with the U.S. Army in the Philippines and graduated from Cortland State Teachers College. He went on to earn his MA in 1955 and his PhD in 1964 in English at the University of Michigan. Returning to New York, he taught literature from 1958 to 1988 at the State University of New York at Cortland. Rhodes was the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SUNY Cortland Distinguished Alumnus Award. He retired from SUNY Cortland as Professor Emeritus of Anglo-Irish Literature, and remained active on campus until shortly before his death on September 24, 2016. Grateful students established the Robert Rhodes ‘53 Scholarship at SUNY Cortland in his honor.
Prize Committee
Chair: Cóilín Parsons
Eligibility and Submission Instructions
Books submitted for this prize must have a publication date matching the year of the award (2026). Single-author and co-authored books (by no more than two authors) will be considered. Edited collections, fiction, poetry, and anthologies of literature are not eligible. Submissions must be in English or Irish. Works originally published in another language and translated into English or Irish will be considered.
No book may compete for more than one of the four disciplinary prizes (Donnelly, Durkan, McCaffrey, Rhodes), but an author’s first scholarly monograph may be submitted to the Donald Murphy prize committee in addition to one of the four disciplinary committees. An Irish-language book may be submitted for a maximum of two of the following awards: the Duais Leabhar Taighde na Bliana (Irish Language Prize), a disciplinary prize, and the Donald Murphy prize if applicable. Committee chairs may choose to reassign entered works to a more appropriate prize if necessary.
The prize includes a cash award of $500 USD. The award money will be split in the case of co-authored texts.
Books may be submitted for consideration by anyone (author, publisher, or other party). All nominations must be submitted through the online form below.
Authors of nominated books are responsible for sending copies of the book to the committee members, whether directly or through their publisher. The addresses of the committee members will be provided to authors when their book is nominated. Hard copies are strongly preferred, but e-copies (such as PDFs) will be accepted if necessary to meet the deadline (especially if your book is scheduled for publication in November or December). Authors are particularly reminded that, whether they mail books themselves or ask their publishers to do so, responsibility rests with the author to ensure that the postmark deadline of January 1, 2027, is observed. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.
For more information, contact the chair of the ACIS awards committee, ACIS vice president Sarah Townsend ([email protected]).