DEADLINE: July 1, 2026

The Harold K. Schneider Prize Competition is a student paper competition established by the Society for Economic Anthropology (SEA) to honor its first president and to encourage new scholars in the field of economic anthropology. Harold Schneider, Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University, was known for both his path breaking research and his dedication as a teacher. Each year, the SEA invites undergraduate, Masters, and PhD students to submit papers on any aspect of economic anthropology or economic archaeology. Papers should contain a central thesis or argument, should be neither wholly descriptive nor wholly theoretical but, ideally, both and should be edited for clarity.

Manuscripts should be in English only and be no longer than 8,000 words, including endnotes and references, and in American Anthropologist style. Undergraduate and MA students are eligible for work completed in the academic year preceding the prize (eg. 2025-2026) even if they have graduated. The winners in the undergraduate, Masters, and PhD categories will each receive a cash prize, a certificate of achievement, and a year’s membership in the SEA. The graduate winner will also be invited to make a presentation at the annual spring meeting of the SEA.

Please submit electronic submissions only. The electronic submission must be sent in Microsoft Word format. Use your last name as the document name followed by your category (example: “Mauss_undergraduate.docx”, “Strathern_masters.docx”, “Tsing_phd.docx”). Please do not include your name anywhere within the text of the document, but provide all contact addresses (mail and E-mail) on the title page. If the paper includes multiple .gif or .jpg images, please include them within the text as well in a separate document labeled with your name (example: “mauss_images.doc”).

All student submissions must be accompanied by a supporting note from a faculty sponsor, which should be submitted via e-mail. Please indicate whether you are applying in the undergraduate, Masters, or PhD category. 

Undergraduate award winners receive $150; Masters award winners receive $200, and PhD award winners receive $300. Submissions, faculty support notes, and questions can be sent to Caroline E. Schuster at caroline.schuster@anu.edu.au.