Dale W. Brown Book Award
The Dale W. Brown Book Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies is given annually to an outstanding book in Anabaptist or Pietist studies. The 2024 recipient of the award is Mennonite Farmers: A Global History of Place and Sustainability (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021) by Royden Loewen. Loewen will deliver a lecture about the book at the Young Center during the Spring 2025 semester.
Background
In 2004, the Young Center established an annual award for outstanding book in Anabaptist and Pietist studies. The award honors the significant contribution of long-time Brethren scholar Dale W. Brown (1926-2021) to Brethren and Pietist studies. Friends of Dale Brown and his wife, Lois, generously contributed funds to establish an endowment supporting the award.
The purpose of the award is to stimulate research in Anabaptist and Pietist studies, honor scholars who have made original and significant contributions to the field, promote important books in Anabaptist and Pietist studies, and bring authors to campus to interact with students, faculty, and friends of the Young Center.
The award winner is announced at the Young Center banquet in the spring. The author receives a citation and an invitation to present a public lecture at the Young Center during the following year. The award covers all costs related to the lecture and provides an honorarium to the author.
Eligibility Criteria
- Books must be published in English within the past three years.
- Books may be in any academic discipline, but must address a historical or contemporary subject in Anabaptist or Pietist studies.
Nomination Procedure
- Works may be nominated by publishers, editors, authors, institutions, and colleagues.
- A short letter of nomination and one copy of the book should be sent to Steve Nolt, Young Center director, by December 15. Books will not be returned to the nominators.
Review Process and Selection Criteria
- The judges consist of the director of the Young Center, or his designee, and two independent scholars.
- The director selects three finalist books, which the judges read to determine the award winner.
- Nominated books will be judged by their (1) originality and creativity, (2) quality of scholarship, (3) organization and clarity of writing, (4) significance and importance of the topic, and (5) enduring contribution to Anabaptist and Pietist studies.
- The decision of the judges is final.
- The Young Center reserves the right not to make an award if no nominated work is of sufficient quality
Questions
Questions and requests for additional information should be addressed to the Young Center director.
Contact Information
Steve Nolt, Director
Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies
Elizabethtown College
1 Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
Phone: 717-361-1470
Fax: 717-361-1443
Email: nolts@etown.edu