CFP: ISSR 2025 Book Prize on Science and Religion

The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to announce that the 2025 ISSR Book Prize on Science and Religion is now accepting nominations for its sixth year. Last year’s prize process was another challenging but rewarding one, as many excellent books were nominated, and we anticipate that this year will be another great one.  

The Book Prize aims to make those outside the mainstream ‘science and religion’ community, as well as those within it, aware of the best new books on the topic so that people realize what a wide range of outstanding books are being written on science and religion by very diverse authors. The Prize is open to books on a range of different sciences and books taking diverse approaches to religion and spirituality, but to win a prize, books need to engage in a serious and sustained way with both science and religion. We will seek to reward books that make a major contribution to the field, especially if they have the potential to take the field into new directions. 

We expect one of the three books to be suitable for a general audience (‘the public’), an academic audience, and a professional audience (e.g., ministers/pastors, or school teachers). The prizes will be announced publicly at an ISSR reception at the annual American Academy of Religions (AAR) meeting in November. 

ISSR now invites nominations for the 2025 prizes. The title(s) and author(s) of nominated books should be sent to the ISSR Executive Assistant, Anthony K Nairn. To be eligible this year, books can only be published in 2023 or 2024. Edited books and books written by more than two authors will not be eligible. Books may be written in any language. Self-nominations are welcome.

If self-nominated or by the publisher, please include the digital copy of the book(s) as a PDF attachment in the same email. It is also important to note that hard copies will be needed should the book advance, so please prepare to have hard copies sent to the ISSR Prize Committee (an email will be sent when copies are required). Please send your nominations no later than 01 March and prepare to have hard copies mailed no later than 15 April.