ICI is seeking original manuscripts that systematically investigate any aspect of culture, history, and politics pertaining to the African Diaspora and its local particular manifestations in different parts of the world. Contest participants will be judged in four rounds, beginning with the initial submission of the prospectus and book outline.

Round 1
Executive Director Hortense Spillers will evaluate the prospectus and outline to make sure that the submissions are:

1. From an applicant holding a Ph.D. degree who is currently seeking tenure
2. On the general topic of the global African Diaspora
3. Focused on a clearly defined and specific aspect of the subject

Round 2
Each complete manuscript will be sent to two members of the Board of Reviewers who are knowledgeable in the relevant field. They will read through the manuscripts and rate them based on:

1. Topic relevance and significance
2. Presentation and communication (organization, clarity, style and format)
3. Scholarly competence as well as innovative thinking

Round 3
Manuscripts and reviews from the Board of Reviewers will be sent to members of the Executive Board, who will each look at two or three manuscripts and rank them based on:

1. Scholarly competence
2. Theoretical innovation
3. Publishable writing quality

Round 4
Executive Director Hortense Spillers will look at the top manuscripts from each of the members of the Executive Board, and pick the top two winners— the Anna Julia Cooper Prize in the Humanities and the Ida B. Wells Prize in the Social Sciences—using the same criteria as the Executive Board. The other top manuscripts chosen by the board will be Honorable Mentions, and authors of those manuscripts may be asked to come and present at the October conference along with the two winners.