Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards
The Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards were so named in honor of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, the Co-Founder and Co-Editor of JFSR, on the occasion of her 70th birthday (April 2008). Elisabeth’s contributions to fostering critical feminist scholarship and building solidarity for change run deep and wide. By naming these awards given to promising feminist scholars after Elisabeth, we recognize both the historical impact of her work, as well as the many ways that her acumen and energy continue to enrich, inspire, and advance feminist studies in religion.
The Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza New Scholars Awards signal our awareness of the need to encourage and give recognition to the emerging voices of new scholars, whose research and insights will shape the future of feminist studies in religion.
The awards are given by JFSR using a tiered structure. The first-place winner receives $1,000.00, the second-place winner receives $500.00, and the third-place winner receives $250.00.
Participation in the New Scholars Award competition requires an advanced academic degree and authors cannot have taught at the college or university level for more than four years postgraduation at the time of submission. Previous award winners are not eligible in subsequent years. Submissions will first enter the standard anonymous review process. Once an article is accepted for publication, it will be considered for the New Scholars Award. Submissions will be judged by a panel to determine the winners. To participate in this award, authors should include a cover letter stating his or her intention to participate in the award. The winning manuscripts will appear in JFSR.
To indicate that you would like to participate in this contest, simply email the Submissions Editor ([email protected]) after submitting your manuscript online and indicate that you meet the guidelines and would like your manuscript to be considered for the award. Winning manuscripts will appear in the JFSR.
See our Submissions page for further submission details.
Any questions? Please contact the submissions editor via email at [email protected].
N.B. Poetry submissions are not eligible for the New Scholar Awards.
Katie Geneva Cannon Award
The Rev. Dr. Katie G. Cannon award honors her legacy as a pathbreaking womanist
scholar in religion and as a founding member of the Journal’s editorial board. As part of the
Journal’s continuing efforts to combat anti-Black racism, this award encourages and gives
recognition to Womanist scholarship and activism and seeks to facilitate conversation on anti-
Black racism and white supremacy as these play out in feminist studies in religion. Submissions
for the award can reflect the full range of Dr. Cannon’s interests including any of the featured
areas of the Journal such as critical and constructive essays, Living It Out activist essays, In a
Different Voice poetry and art, or Short Takes on politics in the classroom and beyond (for more
on each feature see https://www.fsrinc.org/features/).
The award honors the legacy of Dr. Cannon, born on January 3, 1950 in Kannapolis, NC.
Dr. Cannon accomplished many firsts–in 1974 she was the first Black woman to be ordained in
the Presbyterian denomination and in 1983 she was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in
Ethics from Union Theological Seminary-NYC. Cannon was a deeply committed teacher,
activist, inveterate doodler, artist, and a scholar who changed the field of Christian Ethics. She
had a profound influence on womanist, feminist, and mujerista scholarship in religion. Cannon
was active in international collaborations through the World Council of Churches, with the
Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, and theologians working on other such global
efforts. Her monographs include Katie’s Canon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black
Community, Black Womanist Ethics, Teaching Preaching: Isaac Rufus Clark and Black Sacred
Rhetoric in addition to edited volumes, chapters, and articles. Cannon founded Squaring the
Womanist Circle, a womanist leadership initiative at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA where she taught for over fifteen years. She was a member of the JFSR editorial board from
its beginnings until her death in 2018.
Submissions will be awarded and published annually in the Winter/Spring issue of JFSR.