The George and Anna Eliot Ticknor
Collecting Prize

Each year, the Ticknor Society awards a $1000 George and Anna Eliot Ticknor Book and Book Culture Collecting Prize to encourage and recognize those who have been inspired to create a book collection of their own. The award is given in the spirit of the scholarship of George Ticknor and his daughter, Anna Eliot, who were scholars, teachers, and avid book collectors. The winner will also be invited to speak about their collection to the Ticknor Society, and will be offered a complimentary one-year Ticknor Society membership. The winner will be offered the opportunity for their submission to be posted on the Ticknor Society’s website.

 

To be considered for the Ticknor Book and Book Culture Collecting Prize, collections must be compiled, curated, and owned by the contestant. An eligible collection may include books, manuscripts, and ephemera. Collections will not be judged on their size or market value, but on their originality and creativity. The collector must be a current resident of one of the six New England states.

 

To apply, please complete an essay of up to 1500 words describing the inspiration behind the creation of the collection, as well as its history, current status, and future direction. Also, please include images of items in the collection and a bibliography of the collection. The bibliographic list should contain no less than 12 items and up to 20 items citing: the author, title, place, publisher and date of publication, type of binding, condition, annotations on the importance of individual pieces, and why they are in your collection.

 

The essay and bibliography must be a pdf or Word document; the images can be placed within a pdf or Word file or they can be separate jpeg files. To enter the prize competition, please complete this form and include the files to upload when you submit the form.

 

We will begin accepting entries after March 1 of each year, and the deadline for applications is April 15. The winner will be notified on June 30, and the prize awarded at the annual Boston Antiquarian Book Fair in the fall of each year. Those who did not win are encouraged to reapply with the same or a different submission the following year.

 

If you have any questions, please email us at ticknoraward@gmail.com.

 

Current and Past Winners of the Collecting Prize:

2021: Erika Hapke Knowles, “A Pleasant Painting, Isn’t It?” – New Milford, Connecticut as Artist’s Muse”

You can see Erika’s winning entry HERE.

2020: Maida Tilchen, “In Celebration of New Mexico Books and Book People”

You can see Maida’s winning entry HERE.

2019: Robert Grandchamp, “Collecting a Regiment”

You can see Robert’s winning entry HERE.

Submit Your Entry Here