2026 cycle for the Pauline Alderman Awards for outstanding scholarship on women in music.

1. An outstanding book-length monograph about women in music, including biography, history, analysis, and critical interpretation, in any academic format (e.g., book, dissertation, or thesis);

2. An outstanding journal article or essay treating an aspect of women in music; and

3. An outstanding bibliographic study, research tool, or reference work about women in music.

Any individual or organization with current membership of IAWM may submit works for consideration along with a letter of nomination. If the membership is not current at time of submission, the work will be disqualified. Only the person submitting the nomination must have current membership. To join IAWM or renew your membership, please see the IAWM website here: https://iawm.org/join-iawm.

Closing date for submissions: November 15, 2026

The letter of nomination must state the title of the work, name of nominating IAWM member or organization, contact information for the author(s), and a full bibliographic citation in Chicago style including the title and publication data of the work nominated. The work need not be in English. Letters of nomination should be emailed to awards@iawm.org with « IAWM Pauline Alderman Awards Nomination » in the subject line. Please submit the work in PDF where possible, but other electronic forms are accepted. Works may be submitted by including the URL to the online publication and any necessary access credentials in the letter of nomination. All submissions must be received no later than November 15, 2026.

Works will be evaluated for originality, quality and significance of research, clarity of writing, persuasiveness, and utility as a model for future scholarship.

The Pauline Alderman Awards were founded in 1985 by the International Congress on Women in Music to honor the memory of pioneering musicologist Dr. Pauline Alderman (1893–1983), founder and chair of the Music History Department of the University of Southern California. Recipients of the Pauline Alderman Awards include some of the most distinguished scholars writing about women and music. For further information, see: https://iawm.org/pauline-alderman-awards

For questions, contact Chair Jennifer Lamont at jenniferclamont@gmail.com

The official press release and announcement are attached. Thank you in advance for helping to disseminate the information through your own networks, and encouraging your network to apply. For information on IAWM’s activities, see https://iawm.org/.

Sincerely,