AAHHE Books of the Year Awards

The Call for Nominations is now closed. The 2026 AAHHE Books of the Year Awards Call for Nominations will open in April 2025.

The AAHHE Books of the Year Awards are a celebration of Hispanic culture, history and research excellence and are presented to Latinx/a/o authors to celebrate and recognize their contributions to higher education. AAHHE acknowledges and honors the power of the written word to share the Hispanic experience and celebrates the Hispanic culture, history and research excellence. The AAHHE Books of the Year Awards recipients' accomplishments are at the highest levels of literature and scholarship.  The AAHHE Books of the Year Awards are presented at the annual AAHHE national conference. No other higher education organization provides these significant awards.

AAHHE celebrates authors in its Senior Scholar, Mid-Career, Early Career and Edited Volumes categories.

Edited Volumes Category – recognizes an edited volume that makes a contribution to Latinx and Education research and scholarship. The quality of the volume should reflect the highest standards of writing, research and excellence appropriate to the topic(s) addressed. The issues considered should be timely and relevant to Latinx and Education research and scholarship. The volume must have demonstrated evidence that it advances the research field of Latinx and Education. The volume should have been published within two years of the deadline, and may not have been previously submitted for this award.

Senior Scholar Category – recognizes a book by a senior scholar whose career shows a high level of productivity and excellence and whose career has advanced more than 20 years after receiving a doctoral degree. The award goes to a work that speaks to contemporary or historical issues in the field of Latinx and education with relevance beyond our discipline and beyond the academy. The book should have been published within two years of the deadline, and may not have been previously submitted for this award.

Mid-Career Category – recognizes a book by a mid-career scholar who’s been recently tenured or who has been in academic or leadership role for 6 to 12 years. The criteria to be considered by the selection committee are the impact of the candidate’s work, where quality reflects the highest standards of writing, research, and excellence and impact is demonstrated through evidence that the work has advanced the research field of Latinx and education. The book should have been published within two years of the deadline, and may not have been previously submitted for this award.

Early Career Category – recognizes a book by an early career scholar whose initial career shows promising levels of productivity and excellence. This productivity will also be reflected in the quality and impact of the recipient’s book. The winning candidate should have received a doctoral degree no more than seven years before the deadline. The criteria to be considered by the selection committee are the impact of the candidate’s work, where quality reflects the highest standards of writing, research, and excellence and impact is demonstrated through evidence that the work has advanced the research field of Latinx and education. The book should have been published within two years of the deadline, and may not have been previously submitted for this award.

The 2025 award nominations are open to literary works:  

• By Latinx/a/o writers and scholars who published a book or collection of essays between 2022 – 2024.
• That address the imperatives of advancing the educational equity and the talent of the Latinx population with respect to the population of the United States.
• With the potential to have a significant impact on improving the higher education status of Latinx.
• Special consideration will be given to beginning writers and scholars.

Reprints, translations, or updated editions of previously published books are ineligible. The AAHHE Awards Selection Committee will be responsible to screen submissions for eligibility. 

Revised August 22, 2024.