Apply — David Ruggles Prize

Application guidelines and eligibility

Entry is open to anyone aged 35 and under, anywhere in the world. (We kindly ask applicants to submit in English, which will ensure the fairest possible assessment by the jury.) This year’s deadline to enter is June 9, 2024. Note that we take an expansive view of the word book. This needn’t be a collection of traditional hard- and softcovers (which are certainly fine). When it comes to your book collection, we’ll defer to your appreciation of what makes a book. Comic books and graphic novels, zines, contemporary book art, handwritten manuscripts—all are welcome.

To enter, simply submit your responses to the questions below. If you prefer to send your responses as a PDF, email it to info@rugglesprize.org. Photos are not required, but they are encouraged and may enhance your application. You can send any photos to info@rugglesprize.org. Remember that you must own all of the items in your collection. If someone else started your collection—if you inherited one, for example—be sure to explain its origins and tell us how you made it your own.

Finally, the monetary value of your collection doesn’t matter one bit. Whether it cost you last month’s rent, or whether you scavenged everything from the trash, our judges will consider the degree to which your collection achieves what you intend it to do.

Past applicants who did not receive a prize are encouraged to apply again. Before simply resubmitting your previous application, keep in mind that the judges will be looking for evidence of growth. Past prize winners may apply with a different collection three years after winning.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Would you like us to review your application before you submit? Just send your responses to info@rugglesprize.org. Please provide plenty of notice, as our judges are busy people with pretty absorbing day jobs.

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email

I identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC)

Yes

No

Give us the bird’s-eye view of your collection. What’s the focus? How did it begin? How big is it? How do you select items for it?

Why does this collection matter to you? Does it document a particular issue or theme that really engages you? Why might it matter to others? Do the items together tell a story that a single item couldn’t? Is the whole somehow greater than the sum of its parts?

How do you see the future of your collection, and your own future as a collector?

Provide an annotated list of at least 10 items that demonstrate the scope and focus of your collection.

Provide basic bibliographic details when they’re identifiable—author, title, and publication information—but also brief commentary for each item, explaining how it fits into your collection, or how it represents your collection in an especially telling way. These annotations needn’t be more than a single sentence.