About
The Music in American Culture Award honors each year two books of exceptional merit that both illuminate some important aspect of the music of the United States and place that music in a rich cultural context. The goal of this award is to recognize the best writing on music in American culture, regardless of the source or intended audience of that writing. Accordingly, work by a broad range of authors—including performing musicians, journalists, music critics, as well as academic scholars—will be considered. Financial support for the Music in American Culture Award was initially provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation, and is sustained through the generous contributions of many individual donors.



Nominations
To be eligible for the Music in American Culture Award, nominations must meet the following criteria. Eligible works:
- Must be authored by a citizen/permanent resident of the United States or Canada
- 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 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 two award recipients 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 Music in American Culture Award only once. A single work of scholarship may receive only one AMS award.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada are eligible to receive the Music in American Culture Award.
Eligibility for the Music in American Culture Award is determined by the copyright date found on the imprint of a nominated publication. “Previous year” is defined as the calendar year preceding the award year. Publications in progress are not eligible for the Music in American Culture Award.
Self-nomination is encouraged! To nominate your own work for consideration, follow the procedures on the AMS Award Nominations form.
Past Recipients
View past recipients of the Music in American Culture Award.
Current Nominees
View current nominees for the Music in American Culture Award.
Get Involved