Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Award

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Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Award Guidelines

I. Committee Protocol

In addition to the Chair and/or Co-Chair, the committee will consist of a minimum of 8 (eight) additional members. Eligible reviewers include CSA members, past award winners, and Caribbean Studies scholars in the field from the Caribbean and overseas. 

The GKSL Committee will place special emphasis on reviewer recruitment from within the Caribbean. Reviewers from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are also welcomed.

At least two Spanish-speaking and two French-speaking reviewers will be recruited.

Reviewers will be asked to read a minimum of four (4) books and a maximum of ten (10) books, depending on the number of submissions for that year.

All books will be provided in electronic format to committee members.

An evaluation form with the Awards Committee Evaluation Criteria will also be provided for note-taking.

The committee will read submissions over the course of three months: March, April, and May. The committee will meet at least twice during the three-month period: in March, after submissions for books have closed, and in May, to discuss the selection of the Award winners.

Along with The GKSL Book Award Winner, the committee may select a 1^st runner up prize; 2^nd runner up and honorable mentions (a maximum of 2 books).  

Committee members will be asked on an individual basis to write a paragraph-long award citation for each of the winning and honorable mention selections.

Who to Contact:

Interested persons should email the Co-Chair of the Committee.

• Contact: Dr. Candia Mitchell Hall
• Email: program.chair@caribbeanstudiesassociation.org
• Deadline for email: 20 February 2026

II. Submission Protocol

Books must be submitted by reputable scholarly presses in electronic copy, in accessible PDF format, to the chair of the committee. Submit to Dr. Candia Mitchell Hall, program.chair@caribbeanstudiesassociation.org.

Books may be in any of the following CSA-approved languages: English, Spanish, or French.

Books must have been published in the twelve (12) months from January to December preceding the Award year. Past submissions will not be assessed by the Committee.

The deadline for submission is on or before February 20th of the annual CSA Conference. Award winners will be selected by May 31, and informed before the CSA Conference award ceremony.

Electronic copies will be turned over to the CSA Archives after review, but will be unavailable for public consumption unless permission has previously been granted by the publisher.

Among the criteria that will be weighed by the panel of judges are: the theoretical contribution to our understanding of historical and/or contemporary issues within a discipline of the broader field of Caribbean Studies, innovation, creativity, the methodological rigor of the work, e.g., the use of primary source or archival/historical data, suggestions for new avenues of research and thinking about the Caribbean, and contributions to the general scholarly areas of the Caribbean Humanities or Social Sciences. Books that are solely translations, without new critical scholarly interventions, will not be considered.

III. Review Rubric

Each book under consideration must be evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers.

Reviewers will rate submitted books in each category below. These criteria will also be noted on the GKSL Award Committee Evaluation Criteria form.

1. Theoretical considerations:Provides a theoretical contribution to our understanding of historical and/or contemporary issues within a broader Caribbean and Diaspora Studies fields/disciplinary fields. (15 points)
2. Innovation:Contributes an understanding of something new about the Caribbean, advances thinking about the Caribbean, or contributes to research on current, pressing issues in the Caribbean. (15 points)
3. Field Scholarship:Contributions to the general scholarly areas of the Caribbean Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Media Studies. (15 points)
4. Style and Accessibility:Content and writing style are accessible and engaging to readers across disciplines. (10 points)
5. Voice and Structure:Distinctive authorial or editorial voice connecting each section to the broader argument. (10 points)
6. Argumentation: Clear argument and logical argumentative organization within and across sections. (10 points)
7. Methodological Considerations: Uses important primary sources or archival/historical data; shows methodological innovativeness and interdisciplinarity. Contributes to the development of Caribbean critical and cultural studies theory. (5 points)
8. Philosophical Considerations: Contributes to a deep philosophical understanding of phenomena in the Caribbean. (5 points)
9. Diversity:Aligns with CSA’s multidisciplinary and multicultural framework by celebrating and exploring the various identities, voices, perspectives, and contexts represented across the Caribbean. (5 points)
10. Representation:Discusses underrepresented or neglected areas of research in Caribbean Studies. (5 points)
11. Creativity, evocativeness, connection (5 points)