Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award | Guidelines
To encourage and support original research and study of LGBTQ religious history, LGBTQ-RAN offers an annual award for papers, the Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award. Initiated in 2005, this award honors outstanding scholarship in LGBTQ religious history from among an array of academic papers submitted. The Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award is the only award offered in this academic arena.
Submission Guidelines
The LGBTQ Religious Archives Network invites submissions for its annual Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award. To be eligible, papers must be in English, doubled-spaced, and between 15 and 35 pages in length; must demonstrate original research using generally accepted historical methods; and must focus on a topic relevant to the study of LGBTQ religious history. One submission per author will be accepted in any given year. Papers that have been previously submitted for the award may not be resubmitted in a later year. Both unpublished and published papers are eligible, provided the latter have been published since January 1, 2024.
Papers are welcome from all scholars in the field, including established and junior scholars, independent scholars (those without academic affiliation), and graduate and undergraduate students. All papers will be evaluated according to the same criteria, but if the number of student submissions is sufficient, the jury may consider awarding a separate Student Award for that year’s competition.
The Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Award uses a blind review process. In preparing your manuscript, do not include any information that could reveal your identity or that of your co-authors. The title section and the page headers/footers of your paper should not contain any author names or affiliations. In the body of your submission, please try to eliminate all direct references to your own previous work. Your assistance is important in order to maintain a fair, unbiased reviewing process.
Your submission should include an abstract of your paper.
Complete this electronic submissions form and attach the file with your paper. Submissions must be sent electronically by December 1, 2025. Documents can be submitted in .pdf, .doc, .rtf, or .wpd formats.
The winning paper will receive a $1,000 prize.
Jury Members
Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown is a retired United Methodist clergy in the Pacific Northwest Conference and is adjunct professor at The School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle University teaching church history.
Dr. Gillian Frank specializes in the histories of sexuality and religion in the 20th Century United States and is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Virginia.
Dr. Johari Jabir is a musician and scholar who is assistant professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago,