The Eleanor Tufts Award

The annual Eleanor Tufts Award recognizes an outstanding English-language publication in the area of Spanish or Portuguese art history. Formerly known as the Distinguished Publication Award and awarded since 1987, it was renamed in 1992 to honor Professor Eleanor Tufts after her death the previous year.

2025 award

The Award Committee of the Society for Iberian Global Art (SIGA) invites nominations for the Eleanor Tufts Award for a distinguished book in English on the history of art and architecture in Iberia.

Additional criteria

  • The subject of the book must be some aspect of the history of art and architecture in Iberia. A publication treating a broader subject will be eligible for the award only if an aspect of Iberian art and architectural history is its primary concern.
  • The book must have appeared during the two calendar years preceding the award year. Thus, publications that appeared in 2022 and 2023 are eligible for the 2024 award.
  • The book must be in the English language. (An English translation of a work that first appeared in another language is eligible for consideration.)
  • Preference is given to single-authored books, including catalogues raisonnés, but major publications in the form of group studies may be included. Publication of documents or inventories, unless specifically in the context of an exhibition, are also eligible.
  • Exhibition catalogues are no longer eligible for the Tufts Award. Exhibition catalogue authors are instead invited to submit their catalogues for consideration for SIGA’S Jonathan Brown Award.
  • In evaluating eligible works, the Award Committee will seek to identify the publication that best manifests originality of conception, thoroughness of research, rigor of argument, brilliance of insight, significance of findings, and clarity of expression.

Deadline

The deadline for receipt of books will be announced in fall 2024.

Submissions

The books should be sent directly to the committee members; please direct questions, including requests for the names and mailing addresses of committee members, to [email protected].

Decision

The committee’s decision will be announced at the SIGA business meeting during the College Art Association Annual Conference.

Notes
Authors must be active members of SIGA for consideration; please visit our membership page for details on joining or renewing your SIGA membership. Authors may not submit the same material for more than one award category; for example, if an essay from an exhibition catalogue is submitted for the Gridley McKim-Smith Award, the catalogue itself may not be submitted for the Jonathan Brown Award or vice versa. It is the responsibility of the author to determine which category best fits the submission.