Marianne Roland Michel Foundation - Marianne Roland Michel Award

Marianne Roland Michel Award

You will receive 1,500 EUR paid to you personally, plus 12,500 euros, which will be transferred directly to the publisher as soon as your book is published. This amounts to a total of 14,000 euros to support the publication of a research book on art history. The prize is awarded for a single original manuscript; it is therefore a publication prize and not a living or travel grant. The Comité Français d’Histoire de l’Art (CFHA) awards it every two years in memory of the art historian Marianne Roland Michel.

Who can apply

• What you submit: A finished manuscript ready for publication. If it is a doctoral thesis, you must first revise it into a fully-fledged book.
• Topic: Your work must focus on the art of the 18 century, i.e. roughly from 1680 to 1820. Examples of this include French artists of the 18. century, the Rocaille style (Rococo), graphic art, still life, landscape painting, artists’ travels, and the collecting and trading of art.
• Original research: The book must offer new ways of thinking and must not be limited to compiling documents such as a catalogue or archive sources.
• Language: Written in French or English. A manuscript in another language may also be considered if the intention is to translate it into French and publish it. The same applies to a significant book published within the last 15 years, the French translation of which would fill a gap.
• Who you are: Open to researchers of all nationalities and at any stage of their career. There are no requirements regarding qualifications, age or affiliation with an institution.
• Attempts: You may submit the same manuscript no more than twice.

How to apply

Please send a digital copy of your manuscript and your CV to the President of the CFHA by 22 June. A five-member jury, at least two of whose members are from outside France, will read each submission and select the winner.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize has very narrow criteria. Only completed, original art-historical manuscripts on the 18th century are eligible, meaning the field is small and specialised. If your book clearly fits these themes and is ready for publication, you have a genuine chance of winning. Nevertheless, the bar is set high. Only one manuscript will be awarded the prize, and should none convince the jury, the prize will be deferred rather than awarded automatically.