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The Paul A. Pisk Prize is awarded annually to a graduate music student for a scholarly paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society. Any paper presentation by a graduate student that is accepted for inclusion in the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society is eligible for the Pisk Prize. The Pisk Prize Committee evaluates the submissions as papers read at the Annual Meeting rather than as articles to be published. Notes, bibliography, and any other scholarly apparatus, though not forbidden, will not be a prime consideration of the evaluation. For this reason, principal intellectual debts should be acknowledged in the body of the paper.
This prize is named for the Austrian-born composer and musicologist, Paul Amadeus Pisk (1893-1990). Pisk earned his doctorate in musicology from Vienna University in 1916 and taught musicology in Austria until emigrating to the United States in 1936. After emigrating, Pisk taught at the University of Redlands, the University of Texas at Austin, and Washington University in St. Louis. An expert on music theory and composition, he composed a wide range of musical works, including operatic works, ballets, ballads, and works for piano and chorus. His music was first aired on the BBC in 1930 and his students included Leopold Spinner, Samuel Adler, Gary Lee Nelson, and Thomas F. Hulbert.
Application
To be eligible for the Pisk Prize, submissions must meet the following criteria. Eligible submissions:
- Must have been accepted and presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society held during the award year
- Must have been delivered by a presenter who was a graduate student at the time they submitted their Annual Meeting Proposal (15 February)
- Must include either documented proof of student status or contact information for an authorized person who can affirm the nominee’s student status.
- May include papers presented as part of an AMS Study Group/Committee-sponsored session
Nominations must be received via the AMS Award Nomination form by 11:59PM ET on the submission deadline. Self-nominations are welcome, as well as nominations from colleagues and advisors. Nominations should include the text of the paper. Nominations may also include other materials used in the presentation such as visual materials and audio/video examples. The timing for each example may be indicated in the body of the paper. Institutional affiliations must be removed from all materials for the purpose of this application.
A committee of scholars will choose a single award recipient from among all eligible candidates. The winner receives a monetary prize and a certificate. An individual may receive the Pisk Prize only once. A single work of scholarship may receive only one AMS award.
Frequently Asked Questions
Verification of student status may be provided either by 1) uploading proof of enrollment from the institution’s registrar or 2) providing contact information for an authorized person within the nominee’s university department —such as the chair, academic advisor, or director of graduate studies — who will be asked to affirm the nominee’s student status.
The text of the paper should be submitted as a PDF (double-spaced, in 12-point font, with 1-inch margins, using endnotes, not footnotes). Visual materials such as powerpoint presentations, and images should be submitted PDF format. Audio files should be submitted in MP3, WAV, or M4A format. Video files should be submitted in MP4 or MOV format.
Nominations are considered eligible so long as they were enrolled as a graduate student as of 15 February of the award year. If they received their degree between 15 February and their presentation date at the Annual Meeting, they are still considered eligible. If they received their degree prior to 15 February of the award year, they are considered ineligible.
Past Recipients
View past recipients of the Paul A. Pisk Prize.
Awards & Honors
The Paul A. Pisk Prize is just one of a number of awards, honors and prizes conferred each year by the AMS and its many affiliates. Visit our Awards & Honors page to learn more.
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