The Committee on Honors and Awards of the Modern Language Association is pleased to invite authors to compete for the eighteenth annual William Sanders Scarborough Prize. A distinguished man of letters and former university president, William Sanders Scarborough was the first African American member of the Modern Language Association. He exemplified the life of the mind combined with community service. Established in 2001, the prize is awarded annually for an outstanding scholarly study of black American literature or culture published the previous year. Books that are primarily translations will not be considered. The prize, which consists of a cash award and a certificate, will be presented to the winning author at the association's annual convention in January 2020.