Studying the interaction of words and music is central to understanding the relationship between art, the self, and society. Scholarly investigation of the myriad possible interrelations remains an indispensable tool in this pursuit.

We are pleased to announce our second biennial Scholarly Papers Competition, 2008, for outstanding papers on a theme related to the interrelationship between words and music.

• The competition is open to any interested author, academically affiliated or independent.
• There is no application fee for the competition.
• The deadline for submission is March 1, 2008.
• Results will be announced at the beginning of June 2008.

• Papers must be submitted in hard copy. They should be double-spaced and not exceed 7,500 words in length. Additional musical examples, charts, and other pertinent graphic illustrations are permissible.
• The paper’s title and the name of its author should be provided on a separate title page. To maintain anonymity for the judges, the author's name should not appear in the text itself.
• Only one submission per person will be accepted.
• The paper must be accompanied by a statement confirming that it has not been previously published, nor accepted for future publication elsewhere.
• Previous oral presentation does not disqualify a paper.
• Papers will be judged particularly for significant advances in research and conclusions that shed new light on topics related but not limited to the following:

  African-American Studies • Ballad • Ballet • Broadway Musicals • Cantata • Chanson • Chant • Drama • Ethnomusicology • Film Music • Folk Song • Gender Studies • Historiography of Word-Music Relations • Hymnody • Incidental Music • Lied • Liturgical drama • Madrigal • Mass • Masque • Melodrama • Minnesang • Motet • Morphology of Language • Music and Literature • Music and Narrative • Musical Theater • Opera • Operetta • Oratorio • Performance Art • Poetry • Popular Song • Program Music • Recitation • Semiotics • Speech and Syntax • Song • Tone Poem • Texts in Translation

In addition, winners will be invited to read a 20-30-minute version of the paper at one of Lyrica’s scholarly papers sessions during the 2008-2009 academic year. Travel stipends are currently under development.

With the authors' consent, the winning papers will be referred to the Editorial Board of Ars Lyrica for consideration.