The Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Best Dissertation Prize
Department of Religious Studies
University of California, Davis
Deadline: Friday, May 17, 2024

The Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis is now accepting submissions for the bi-annual dissertation prize in Jain Studies. The prize uses the generous gift of Mrs. Mohini Jain to celebrate the depth and vibrancy of scholarship on Jainism across the world. The prize comes with a $1500 cash prize, a citation, and an invitation to deliver a talk based on the dissertation at UC Davis. This invited lecture will take place in person (circumstances permitting) during the 2024-2025 academic year, and we will cover the costs of travel and local hospitality.

To be eligible, a dissertation must be written in English and engage in a substantive way with the field of Jain Studies. We encourage submissions from around the world and from scholars in any disciplinary field. Dissertations that bring Jainism into conversations with other religious traditions and practices are also welcome. Only dissertations completed and submitted (or defended) in the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 academic years are eligible.

Applicants who submit a dissertation for consideration for the dissertation prize may not also submit a graduate essay for The Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Best Graduate Essay Prize. Anyone submitting to both prizes will be automatically disqualified from consideration.

The winner will be announced in August 2024.

Submit the following information in a single PDF in the order listed below to rstprizes@ucdavis.edu by midnight, Friday, May 17, 2024. Please put the following in the email’s subject line: Submission for Mohini Jain Dissertation Prize. We will not accept late submissions. Email confirmations will be sent within two weeks of receipt of the submission.

1.    A formal, signed, brief nomination letter on official letterhead, from the graduate student’s main advisor/dissertation director. The letter must state the date that the dissertation was completed, submitted, and accepted by the student’s committee.

2.    The complete dissertation—this includes appendices and bibliography.

3.    A short CV (2 pages, listing the student’s educational background and employment history if applicable).

The Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Best Graduate Essay Prize
Department of Religious Studies
University of California, Davis
Deadline: Friday, May 17, 2024

The Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Davis is now accepting submissions for the bi-annual prize for the best graduate essay in Jain Studies. The prize uses the generous gift of Mrs. Mohini Jain to celebrate the depth and vibrancy of scholarship on Jainism across the world. The prize comes with a $750 cash prize and a citation.

To be eligible, the graduate essay must be written in English on any topic relating to Jainism and/or within the field of Jain Studies. Only essays written by graduate students currently enrolled in a graduate program (MA or PhD) and submitted in a regular graduate course during the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 academic years are eligible. We encourage submissions from around the world and from graduate students in any disciplinary field and at any stage in their graduate careers. Graduate essays that bring Jainism into conversations with other religious traditions and practices are also welcome.

The submitted essay may not be longer than 30 double-spaced pages in a standard 12-point font with 1-inch margins. It is expected that the graduate essay will be properly formatted according to an accepted academic citation method (MLA, Chicago, APA).

Each applicant may only submit one essay. Students who submit more than one essay will not be considered for the prize.

Applicants who submit a graduate essay for consideration for the best graduate essay prize may not also submit a dissertation to be considered for The Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Best Dissertation Prize. Anyone submitting to both prizes will be automatically disqualified from consideration.

The winner will be announced in August 2024.

Submit the following information in a single PDF in the order listed below to rstprizes@ucdavis.edu by midnight, Friday, May 17, 2024. Please put the following in the email’s subject line: Submission for Mohini Jain Graduate Essay Prize. We will not accept late submissions. Email confirmations will be sent within two weeks of receipt of the submission.

1.    A brief, signed, formal letter on official letterhead from the student’s program stating their full name, their graduate program (Discipline and University), whether they are enrolled in an MA or PhD program, and their progress towards the degree. This letter may be written by the student’s advisor or the program’s graduate advisor.

2.    A signed, formal letter on official letterhead from the instructor in whose course the essay was written. The letter must include the information about the course and the term in which the essay was submitted and accepted.  

3.    The essay, no longer than 30 double-spaced pages, in a standard 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. The essay should be properly formatted, carry complete citations, and include a Works Cited page.

4.       A short 1-page CV (12-point standard font, 1-inch margins)