Our Award Programs
We administer several award programs each year that recognize extraordinary contributions to the academic study of religion and the public understanding of religion.
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Recognition Type
Submission Status
AAR Book Awards
Awards recognize new scholarly publications that make significant contributions to the study of religion.
AAR Journalism Awards
Recognizes excellence in in-depth reporting on religion across two categories: Best In-Depth Newswriting and Best In-Depth Multimedia Journalism.
AAR Religion and the Arts Book Award
Recognizes new scholarly publications that make significant contributions to the study of religion and the arts.
AAR Best First Book in Religious Studies
Competition for the AAR Best First Book in Religious Studies.
AAR Award for Best Work in Textual or Historical Studies
Award the best book-length work (from any period) that engages materials through textual or historical analysis, including manuscripts, and archival sources.
AAR Award for Best Work in the Study of Practices, Communities, or Lived Contexts
Award recognizes the best book-length work (from any period) that examines religion as conceptualized, enacted, or experienced within specific social, cultural, or political settings. Such works may integrate sociological, ethnographic or other field-based inquiry with interpretation and critical reflection grounded in lived realities.
AAR Award for Best Work in Applied, Public, or Pedagogical Approaches
Award recognizes the best book-length or comparable work that translates religious studies scholarship into applied, pedagogical, or public forms. This includes textbooks, anthologies on particular issues, or trade books that make religious studies insights accessible and relevant to broader or non-specialist audiences.