Announcing New China Books Prize

January 9, 2025; New York — The digital magazine China Books Review, published by Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations and The Wire China, is pleased to announce the Baifang Schell China Books Prize, a prestigious new annual award that will celebrate exceptional book-length works on or from China and the greater Sinophone world, published in English.

Winners will be awarded in two categories, each accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize:

Outstanding Nonfiction Book on China
Outstanding Translated Chinese Literature — shared between author and translator(s)

The awards seek to recognize and promote excellence in books that deepen understanding of the complexities of China and the greater Sinophone world, through original reporting, incisive analysis, compelling narrative and literary merit.

A distinguished panel of five impartial judges for each category — composed of prominent China scholars, authors, and literary experts — will select the winners from a list of eligible books published in the previous calendar year. Submissions will be accepted from publishers, with a longlist compiled from nominations by scholars, writers, and experts in the field.

The shortlists and winners of the first Baifang Schell China Books Prize, considering books published in 2024, will be announced later this year. The inaugural awards ceremony will take place at Asia Society New York.

The juries are:

Nonfiction Prize
Andrew Nathan (chair)
Yangyang Cheng
Barbara Demick
Isabel Hilton
Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Translated Literature Prize
Eric Abrahamsen (chair)
Xiaolu Guo
Nicky Harman
Ha Jin
Perry Link

The prize is named in honor of Liu Baifang Schell, who passed in 2021 after spending her life working to advance U.S.-China relations.

Find out more about the prize, application guidelines, and jury here.

Media inquiries, or publishers submitting titles for consideration, should direct inquiries to [email protected].