PHF BOOK AWARDS
In honor of Professor Ehsan Yarshater and in furtherance of his dedication to the promotion of scholarly research, the Persian Heritage Foundation has initiated and funds a series of awards to recognize publications of outstanding merit and significance in the field of Iranian Studies. The awards are made in association with major academic organizations, which are primarily responsible for administering the awards and selecting the recipients. These awards include:
The Latifeh Yarshater Book Award. This award was instituted by the Persian Heritage Foundation to honor the memory of Latifeh Alvieh Yarshater and her lifelong dedication to the improvement of Iranian women’s human rights. The purpose of the award is to encourage scholarship in Iranian Studies (AIS) focused on the condition of women in Persian speaking societies and to promote women’s rights in these societies. It is administered in partnership with the Association for Iranian Studies and announced at its biennial conferences. More information on eligibility requirements and a list of recipients since 2014 may be found here.
The Saidi-Sirjani Award. This award was established in 1995 to honor the memory of Ali-Akbar Saidi-Sirjani (1931-1994), the noted Iranian historian, literary critic, and author. Works qualifying for the prize will consist of original studies or syntheses in any field of Iranian Studies, critical editions of significant texts in Iranian Studies, or translations from an Iranian language, accompanied by scholarly annotations and extensive research. However, works on the pre-Islamic periods, works of fiction and poetry, and edited collections are excluded. The Award is primarily intended to be given to monographs published in English by a recognized publishing house. The award is administered in partnership with the Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) and announced at its biennial conferences. More information and a list of recipients can be found here.
The Persian Heritage Ehsan Yarshater Award for Pre-Islamic Iran. The purpose of this award is to advance scholarship on Ancient Iranian Civilization and its related fields. To qualify for the award, works must be of monograph length by an academic or other appropriate publishing house; preferably in English, French, German or Italian; and represent either (a) original studies or syntheses in the field of pre-Islamic Iran, (b) critical editions of significant texts from pre-Islamic Iran, or (c) translations from a pre-Islamic Iranian language with scholarly annotations and references. The award is made at the quadrennial meetings of the Societas Iranological Europaea (SIE). The inaugural award was presented at the 2023 SIE conference in Leiden. Information on the award and recipients may be found here.
The Persian Heritage Foundation Award for Art History and Architecture of Iran and the Persianate World. The purpose of this award is to advance scholarship on the art and architecture of Iran and the broader Persianate world in the Islamic period. Eligible works should be either original studies/syntheses or critical editions of significant texts related to the history of art and architecture in this period and area. It is primarily intended for works in major European languages. The awards are administered by the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (ASPS) and announced at its biennial meetings. The inaugural awards were made at the ASPS conference in Tashkent in 2025. More information on this award may be found here.
