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fr 2026 Emerging Scholars Competition
Enter the 2026 Emerging Scholars Competition in Disability Studies for the chance to win a publishing contract with Gold Open Access.
2026 Peter Lang Emerging Scholars Competition in Disability Studies
Peter Lang Publishing is delighted to announce the 2026 Peter Lang Emerging Scholars Competition in Disability Studies.
We invite emerging scholars in Disability Studies to submit proposals for single-author books to be evaluated by a distinguished editorial board. We welcome proposals from scholars working in Disability Studies across the humanities and social sciences.
How to Submit Your Proposal
Please submit your proposal to editorial@peterlang.com by 31 January 2026. Your proposal should consist of (in separate Microsoft Word documents):
An abstract (including chapter synopses)
A sample chapter (5,000 to 10,000 words in length)
A CV
A statement describing how you qualify as an emerging scholar
Guidelines
Projects in English, French, Spanish or German are welcome. Authors should have been awarded a PhD or EdD in the last five years or be due to be awarded one of these degrees in 2026. Proposals under review elsewhere should not be submitted.
The winner(s) will be offered a publishing contract including Gold Open Access. Winning book(s) will be made available for free digital download. Planned manuscripts should be from 60,000 to 100,000 words in length and prepared in accordance with the style guidelines provided.
Timeline
Decisions will be made by 30 April 2026 and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter.
Subject Areas
We invite proposals from across the humanities and social sciences, but we have a particular interest in these subject areas:
Education
History
Literatures and Languages (English, French, Spanish, German)
Media and Cultural Studies (for consideration in Disability, Media, Culture)
Additional Information
For more information, please contact editorial@peterlang.com.
Find the 2025 winners here.
History
The Peter Lang Emerging Scholars Competition (previously known as the Young Scholars Competition) is an annual competition for early career researchers in selected fields. It has been held every year since 2011, in fields such as Queer Studies, Black Studies, Irish Studies, Women’s Writing, Education, French Studies, and more.
In each competition, book proposals for monographs are invited from emerging scholars to be evaluated by a distinguished editorial board. Winners receive a contract for a fully funded book and the title of winner. Runners-up and other participants may also have opportunities to publish.
We’re proud to have a community of over 30 winners of the competition over the years, and we’re pleased to feature some of our winning books. Please watch the interviews with three winners of our 2019 French Studies competition – Polly Galis, Mathew Rickard, and Natalie Berkman – to learn what winning the competition has meant to them.