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The Alfred Einstein Award honors each year a musicological article of exceptional merit by an early-career scholar. “Early career” is defined as no more than twelve years beyond completion of the PhD degree.
The award is named in honor of German-American musicologist and music editor, Alfred Einstein (1880-1952), who is best known for editing the first major revision of the Köchel catalogue of the works of Mozart in 1936.
Nominations
To be eligible for the Alfred Einstein Award, nominations must meet the following criteria. Eligible works:
- Must be authored by a member of the AMS or a citizen/permanent resident of Canada or the United States
- Must have been authored by a scholar who is no more than twelve years beyond completion of a PhD*
- Must have been published during the preceding calendar year (referring to the copyright year as found in the front matter of the published work)
- Must be published in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish
Nominations must be received via the AMS award nomination form by 11:59 p.m. ET on the submission deadline. Self-nominations are welcome, as well as nominations from colleagues and publishers. Nominators are asked to provide a digital review copy of the work, if available.
A committee of three scholars will choose a single award recipient from all eligible candidates. Award winners will receive a monetary prize, a certificate, and recognition at the annual meeting of the Society. An individual may receive the award only once, but winning the Einstein Award will not preclude an author from also winning the H. Colin Slim Award at a later stage of their career. An article may receive only one AMS award.
*For “early career” eligibility appeals, see the “Frequently Asked Questions” below.
Frequently Asked Questions
All early-career AMS members are eligible to receive the Alfred Einstein Award. If you are not yet a member of the AMS, we invite you to join here.
Eligibility for the Alfred Einstein Award is determined by the copyright date found on the imprint of a nominated publication. For instance, the 2025 Alfred Einstein Award award considers works published in 2024.
Self-nomination is encouraged! To nominate your own work for consideration, follow the procedures on the AMS award nominations form.
If you are an author whose career trajectory does not technically fit the stated eligibility criteria for “early career,” you may request that your article be considered if you can otherwise show that you are still in the early stages of your music research or teaching career. Such requests are kept confidential and, if approved, will authorize you to nominate your work for the Einstein Award. Eligibility appeals are generally granted to those whose publication does not fall within the twelve-year post terminal degree window because of delays caused by career switching, ill health, pregnancy, or other personal circumstances.
Past Recipients
View past recipients of the Alfred Einstein Award.
Nominees
View current nominees for the Alfred Einstein Award.
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