The ASA Board expressed support for creating a prize for editing primary texts relating to Africa at its meeting of November 1990. The Board approved the award following presentation of a report on processes for selecting potential winners, and it was presented for the first time in 1993.

Eligible for consideration are editions of primary source materials dealing with the history, literature, and other aspects of the cultures of Africa, whether in African or European languages, whether from oral or written traditions, and whether the text is published for the first time or in a new edition.  Evaluation for the Paul Hair Text Prize is based on the importance of the text, the presentation of the text and the critical apparatus, and the utility of the work as a whole for scholars and teachers of Africa. Works edited by a single individual or jointly edited by more than one author are eligible for consideration. Anthologies with separate contributions by different authors, children's books, and straightforward texts are not eligible. The minimum length is 10,000 words, excluding the apparatus.

The Paul Hair Prize Committee consists of three scholars identified by the Board.

To nominate a text, send three copies of the publication to:

The Paul Hair Prize Committee
C/O Dmitri van den Bersselaar
The School of History
The University of Liverpool
9 Abercromby Square
Liverpool L69 7WZ
U.K.

Questions about the prize, or about the eligibility of a text you consider nominating, should be directed to Dmitri van den Bersselaar at dvdb@liv.ac.uk, or at the address above.

Pending future funding, 2007 constituted the last year of the award cycle.