HSS Awards 2025 Guidelines for Submissions

1. BACKGROUND

The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) is proud to announce the 10th Annual Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Book, Creative Collection, and Digital Contribution Awards. These awards are made every year to honour the significant contributions of scholars to knowledge production and intellectual endeavours in South Africa. The awards honour outstanding, innovative, and socially responsive scholarship, creative as well as digital contributions that enhance and advance fields in the Humanities and Social Sciences. They recognise and celebrate members of the broader Humanities and Social Sciences community, in conversation with other fields of study, who are undertaking the necessary work of creating post-apartheid and post-colonial forms of scholarship, creative production, and digital humanities outputs. The awards highlight the profound societal impact of HSS and its capacity to shape our world.

They provide an opportunity to cast a celebratory limelight on those intellectual-creative workers whose work often goes unnoticed both in the academy and society at large. These include the tenacious authors and playwrights, the risk-taking poets and artists; and curators and publishers who ensure that we can all view and enjoy the final products of their work. The awards acknowledge and promote exceptional scholarly contributions in HSS.

In conclusion, the NIHSS 10th HSS Annual Book, Creative Collection, and Digital Contribution Awards aim to bring to life the ideas outlined in the Humanities Charter. These awards will enhance recognition for books and creative works, reposition these scholarly contributions as valuable to the public, and foster greater appreciation for their role in promoting sustainable social cohesion and reimagining the humanities and social sciences.

2. ELIBILITY AND SUBMISSION

The HSS Book, Creative Collections, and Digital Contributions Awards Call for Submissions is open from 10 October 2024 with a submission deadline of 11 November 2024, 16:00 SAST. The Call will be circulated to printed press, academic institutions, publishers and university departments in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It is open to the following South African based academics and artists:

  • Universities and independent publishers based in South Africa.
  • Academics based or associated with South African universities, located in the broader Humanities and Social Science in conversation with other fields.
  • Curators and artists of various forms of creative work, based in South African universities and/or independent artists linked to South African universities.
  • Submissions to more than one category is acceptable.
  • Submissions in any of the official South African languages will be accepted.
  • Books must be published by South African based or associated publishers.
  • Peer reviewed books that were published between November 2023 and October 2024 are eligible.
  • Creative Collections that were produced between November 2022 and October 2024.
  • The call is open to digital humanities contributions that were produced between November 2022 to October 2024.

2.1 ADDITIONALLY:

  • It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that judges have access to the content of all the links/URLs(of the creative/digital submission) etc. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification.
  • Applicants must ensure their submission is in the correct and suitable category.
  • It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that their submission/s aligns with the guidelines of the Call. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification.
  • Late applications will not be accepted.
  • Communication will be limited to shortlisted submissions/applicants. Should you not hear from us by 10 March 2025, please consider that your submission was not shortlisted.
  • It is the publisher/applicant's responsibility to ensure the correct contact details are provided in the application.
  • It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the submission title is accurate.
  • It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that four physical copies of their submissions are delivered to the NIHSS.
  •  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the submission delivered to the NIHSS clearly states the reference code and title of the submission.

2.2 NOTE AND DESCRIPTION FOR EMERGING AUTHOR/CURATOR/ARTIST REFERS:

Being an emerging author/curator/artist refers to someone who is at the early stages of their career and is starting to gain recognition for their work. While there is no strict definition of what constitutes an emerging author/artist/curator, they are generally considered to be individuals/or groups who have not yet achieved widespread acclaim or success in the literary world.

Emerging authors/artists/curators are often in the process of honing their craft, developing their voices, and building a body of work. They may have had some of their work published in literary magazines, online platforms, or small presses, but they are still working towards establishing themselves as professional authors/curators/artists.

These individuals may also be actively seeking opportunities to further their careers, such as participating in workshops, attending literary events, submitting their work to contests and literary journals, and networking with other industry professionals.

Overall, being an emerging author/artist/curator is a stage of growth and development in an individual’s career, where they are working towards establishing themselves as a recognised and respected voice in the literary world.

The final decision for the winner in the emerging author/ artist/ curator category remains that of the NIHSS, as the custodian of the HSS Awards.

3. AWARD CATEGORIES

The awards will include multiple award categories. A minimum of nineteen- (19) Awards will be allocated falling within the following categories:

Books:

  1. Non-Fiction category includes four (4) sub-categories:
  1. Best Non-Fiction Monograph
  2. Best Non-Fiction Edited Volume
  3. Best Non-Fiction Biography
  4. Best emerging author in Non-Fiction
  1. Fiction category includes six (6) sub-categories:
  1. Best Fiction Single Authored Volume
  2. Best Fiction Edited Volume
  3. Best Fiction Novel
  4. Best Fiction Short Stories
  5. Best Poetry
  6. Best emerging author in the Fiction category

Creative and Digital Contributions:

  1. Creative Collection category includes six (6) sub-categories:
  1. Best Public Performance (art festival, choreography, dance, theatre, puppetry)
  2. Best Musical Composition/Arrangement
  3. Best Visual Art (painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, installation art, video art, sound art, mixed media to performance art, curatorial projects, art books)
  4. Best Visual Biography
  5. Best Exhibition
  6. Best emerging artist/curator in the Creative Collections
  1. Digital Humanities category includes three (3) sub-categories:
  1. Best DH Visualization or Infographic
  2. Best DH Project for Community Engagement
  3. Best emerging artist/curator in the Digital Humanities

4. GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

a. BOOK AWARDS

  • Peer reviewed books that were published between November 2023 and October 2024 are eligible.
  • Four (4) physical copies of the book must be mailed or delivered to NIHSS physical address. Upon submission, these will become the property of the Institute.
  • Publishers and individuals will need to submit the following details online: personal and submission details of the author(s); motivation and any other supporting documents (i.e., peer review/ book review, etc).
  • Applicants are required to submit a maximum of one submission within a category. Please note that the same submission cannot be resubmitted across other categories.

b. CREATIVE COLLECTIONS

  • Creative Collections that were produced between November 2022 and October 2024 will be accepted for consideration.
  • Four (4) physical copies of exhibition catalogues and/or CDs of musical compositions/arrangements must be mailed or delivered to NIHSS physical address. Upon submission, these will become the property of the Institute.
  • All submissions for Public Performance must be performative or conceived as artistic performance in nature.
  • Performance must be scheduled and advertised public performances (available programme, posters, flyers, invitation cards of public performance to be included in submission). Musical score must show a high level of originality (CD’s to be included in submission). Exhibitions of work must be in reputable galleries or museums (visuals of artwork to be included in submission).
  • Musical submissions must be full albums.
  • Film/Play submissions must be full DVD.
  • For visual arts submissions, while an entire catalogue or exhibition might be part of the selections, there should be at least up to six (6) images that are used to exemplify the motivation for consideration.
  • With dance, theatre/choreography, there needs to be a full video and pictorial documentation six (6) images, that must be submitted with the application.
  • Publishers and individuals will need to submit the following details online: personal and submission details of artist(s)/contributor(s); motivation and any other supporting documents (i.e., peer review, etc).
  • Applicants are required to submit a maximum of one submission within a category. Please note that the same submission cannot be resubmitted across other categories.

c. DIGITAL HUMANITIES CONTRIBUTIONS

  • The call is open to digital humanities contributions that were produced between November 2022 to October 2024.
  • Four (4) CDs of digital content must be mailed or delivered to NIHSS physical address. Upon submission, these will become the property of the Institute.
  • Submissions should include a URL link of the digital content.
  • Only contributions which have been created by members of the broader HSS community in conversation with other fields of study, used to develop and enhance HSS work, will be considered.
  • Publishers and individuals will need to submit the following details online: personal and submission details of the artist(s)/contributor(s); motivation and any other supporting documents (i.e., peer review, etc).
  • Applicants are required to submit a maximum of one submission within a category. Please note that the same submission cannot be resubmitted across other categories.

5. ADJUDICATION PROCESS

The selection awarded will involve a rigorous and transparent process. A panel of judges will adjudicate all submissions. The criteria used will include advancing and contribution to the broader Humanities and Social Sciences in South Africa; quality of content; originality, design, and social relevance.

6. AWARD CEREMONY

The annual awards ceremony will be hosted in an event that will celebrate the achievements of the awardees and also showcase the significance of their contributions in HSS.

7. VALUE OF AWARDS

Each award will be valued at 90 000.00 (Ninety Thousand Rands only).

8. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS WINNERS

Award winners will be announced at an annual awards ceremony in South Africa in March 2025.

9. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 11 November 2024, 16:00 SAST

Application forms can be accessed at: https://gms.nihss.ac.za. Hard copies must be delivered at:

National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS)
HSS Book, Creative and Digital Collection Awards
2nd Floor, 24 St. Andrews Road
Parktown, Johannesburg 2193

All queries to be directed to: awards@nihss.ac.za