ALES AWARDS CALL 2021

1. INVITATION 
The Latin American Association of Writing Studies in Higher Education and Professional Contexts (ALES) is pleased to invite its members to participate in the first version of the ALES Awards 2021 in the category of Outstanding Book. This prize will be awarded to a book that constitutes a significant contribution to the studies of writing and that has been published within the last two years (2019-2020) in Latin America. 
 
Since its foundation, ALES has sought to stimulate theoretically informed and methodologically sustained regional scientific production through conferences, webinars, online resources, among others. To deepen this commitment, the association inaugurated this first version of the ALES Awards, in order to acknowledge the academic contributions of our community members and to promote high quality research in Latin America.
 
We invite our members to participate in this new initiative by nominating a book that, given its academic quality, deserves wide dissemination and recognition in the research community. 
 
2. OBJECTIVES 
 
●       To promote theoretical and methodological developments in the discipline from an eclectic, decolonial and Latin American perspective that is critically connected with transnational contributions.
●       To offer an opportunity for participation and for the dissemination of ALES members’  academic work.
●       To recognize relevant academic works in any of the subfields of Latin American writing studies.
●       To promote Latin American high quality academic publications in the field of writing studies. 
 
3. REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY
●       Any ALES member can nominate up to three books. One or more of the authors of each nominated book must be an ALES member. Self-nominations will be accepted. 
●       Books published in Spanish, Portuguese or English in Latin America within the last two years (2019 and 2020) will be received. Any book published before 2019 or during 2021 will not be considered for the award.
●       Books reporting theoretical, empirical, or applied studies; handbooks; and edited collections will be considered for the award. Monographic journal volumes are not eligible for the award.
●       Nominated books must address one or more topics within the field of writing studies, including but not limited to: academic writing, academic genres, applied linguistics, writing in the disciplines, writing processes, representations of writing, writing beliefs, writer’s experiences, teaching and learning of writing, writing centers and programs.
●       Books authored by one or more members of the ALES Steering Committee will not be considered.
  
4. APPLICATION PROCESS 
 
Applicants will have to complete an online form including:    
●       A formal letter indicating why the nominated book constitutes a significant contribution to the field of writing studies (maximum 1,000 words). The evaluation criteria shown in section 6 of this document should be taken into account. The letter must be addressed to the ALES Awards Committee and must include the signature of the member who is nominating the book.    
●       A link to the book or a pdf attached. In the case of books that are not open access, a pre-print version will be accepted.
 
* For every single book nominated, applicants must fill out one form and submit an individual letter.

5. EVALUATION PROCESS   
The evaluation of the nominated books will be carried out through a transparent process based on public criteria and will be develop with the collaboration of a highly qualified  committee, as it is described below: 
●       The ALES Award Committee Board, composed by members of the ALES Steering Committee, will select the members of the Evaluation Committee. The Evaluation Committee will consist of an international board of academics who are also members of the scientific committee of the III ALES Conference.
●       To distribute the books for evaluation, the ALES Award Committee Board will select a member of the Evaluation Committee whose area of expertise in writing studies is in line with the topic of the book.
●       Before distributing the books for evaluation, potential evaluators will be asked if there is any conflict of interest with the authors of the nominated books. If there is any conflict of interest, another evaluator will be sought.
●       The books will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee during July and August. 
●       Each member of the Evaluation Committee will apply a rubric with the criteria presented in item 6 of this call and will respond to a question of overall assessment.
●       The books with the maximum score according to the rubric will be reviewed within a discussion session between the Evaluation Committee and the ALES Award Committee Board. In this session, the awarded book will be defined based on the following criteria: overall written evaluation, number of nominations per book, letters of nomination, and the expert judgment of evaluators.    
●       The awarded book will be announced at the III ALES Conference in November 2021. 
  
6. EVALUATION CRITERIA 
The book will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 
 Scientific quality 
The book makes a theoretical or empirical contribution, which is rigorously based on theory and relevant literature in the area. It must reflect a deep understanding of the main theoretical conceptualizations linked to the subject of interest; it must take into account recent findings in the field; and, in the case of empirical studies, it must report a replicable methodology identifying in detail instruments, sampling procedures, data analysis procedures, among others.  
Contribution to knowledge 
The book makes a significant and original contribution to the field of writing studies in higher education and professional contexts in Latin America. It is a book which opens new research areas which have been underexplored or completely neglected in the previous literature. It pushes boundaries of previous research, theory or teaching and learning approaches, and could impact on the very configuration of the field and future research on it.  
Thematic relevance within ALES  
The book approaches some of the representative topics within the tradition of Latin American writing studies. It approaches some of the long-term interest topics in the field and it makes critical connections with previous Latin American and transnational research. 
Epistemological relevance within ALES  
It provides theoretical, methodological or applied works in the discipline from an eclectic, decolonial and Latin American perspective that is both critically linked to the developments of other regions and clearly sensitive to the contexts in which writing and teaching takes place. 
Organization and writing 
The book’s organization (in chapters, sections and subsections) and the clarity of its writing makes it a well-articulated and purposeful unit of meaning.  

7. RECOGNITIONS TO THE AWARDED BOOK 
 The awarded      book will be recognized in a     ceremony during      the III      ALES Conference, to be held between 11th and 13th November 2021. The awarded book will receive the following recognitions: 
●       A      certificate from ALES, signed by the president and vice president of ALES. 
●       The promotion of the book in the social networks and communication channels of ALES. 
●       A webinar about the book, sponsored by ALES, where      the most relevant contributions of the winning book      will be discussed. 
 
8. KEY DATES
 Opening of the call: 8th June 2021 
Closing of the deadline for submitting applications:  8th July 2021 
Judging process: 15th July to 30th August
Award ceremony: 11th to 13th November 2021 
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8. APPLY HERE
 Once this call has been reviewed, you can enter your application in this form.