In response to the call published by ESCL, twenty-seven edited volumes were submitted for the ESCL Excellence Award for Collaborative Research 2026. After reviewing the submissions, the ESCL Excellence Award Selection Committee has shortlisted three volumes:

o Alina Bako, Mihaela-Genţiana Stănișor, eds. Géographies insolites. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană, 2025.
o Anca Parvulescu, Alex Goldiș, Levente T. Szabó, eds. Acta Comparationis—An Alternative Genealogy of World Comparatism. Transilvania 4–5 (2025).
o Hany Rashwan, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Nasrin Askari, eds. Arabic, Persian, and Turkic Poetics: Towards a Post-Eurocentric Literary Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.

We congratulate the editors of the shortlisted volumes and thank the other applicants for their commitment and scholarly work. The standard of submissions was very high and competition was strong. The winner will be announced and the prize awarded at the ESCL Congress in Leeds (24–28 August 2026). The editors of the shortlisted volumes will be invited to Leeds for a final discussion and the award ceremony.

The ESCL Excellence Award Selection Committee

Riccardo Antonangeli, Rome
Francesco de Cristofaro, Naples
Marijan Dović, Ljubljana (Chair)
Antonella Ippolito, Potsdam
Rosa Mucignat, London

April 1, 2026