THE MEENAKSHI MUKHERJEE MEMORIAL (MMM) PRIZE
🏆 Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize
The Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize was instituted in 2011 in memory of the second Chairperson of the IACLALS, Prof. Meenakshi Mukherjee (1993–2005).
She taught English Literature and Critical Theory at several institutions in Patna, Pune, Delhi, and at the University of Hyderabad. Her longest tenure was at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
She was also a visiting professor at:
- 📍 University of Texas at Austin
- 📍 University of Chicago
- 📍 University of California, Berkeley
- 📍 Macquarie University, Sydney
- 📍 University of Canberra
- 📍 Flinders University, Adelaide
🎖️ Originally: ₹5,000 + Certificate (when instituted)
🤝 In case of joint awardees: Prize money and airfare are shared equally among authors.
📋 MMM Prize Guidelines & Submission Rules
- 📄 A research article in a journal or a chapter in a published book may be submitted. Both online and print formats are acceptable. Whole books are not eligible.
- 📑 The candidate must include the title page, contents page, and complete publication details (for online journals).
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🖥️ Each paper must be submitted with:
- ✔️ A scan of the parent print publication
- ✔️ PDF & Word files of the article
- ✔️ A self-declaration that both files are identical and plagiarism-free
- 🧾 Candidates must be IACLALS members both at the time of publication and when submitting their entry.
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👥 For co-authored papers, all authors must:
- 🔸 Submit a joint signed application
- 🔸 Be members at the time of publication and at the time of award
- 🔸 Share prize money and airfare equally
- 💡 The submission must offer an original or fresh contribution — theoretical, textual, or interpretive.
- 🔍 IACLALS will conduct an independent plagiarism check before forwarding submissions for review.
- ✍️ The minimum word limit is 3500 words (excluding citations).
- 📬 Each member can submit only one nomination. The covering mail must clearly state IACLALS membership status. No entry fee.
- ⏳ Past awardees can reapply only after a 3-year gap from their last award year.
🏅 Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Makarand R. Paranjape |
| 2013 | Meena T. Pillai |
| 2014 | Somdatta Mandal |
| 2015 | Nilanjana Mukherjee |
| 2016 | Nishat Haider |
| 2017 | Shailendra Kumar Singh |
| 2018 | Fatima Rizvi |
| 2019 | Avishek Parui |
| 2020 | Ritwick Bhattacharjee |
| 2021 | Sagar Taranga Mandal |
| 2022 | Sreenath V S |
| 2023 | Meghal Karki |
| 2024 | Ved Prakash |
| 2025 | A.K. Muneer |
ANNOUNCEMENT 2024
Press Release – 22nd December 2023
IACLALS is delighted to announce that the prestigious Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize (MMM Prize) 2024 has been awarded to Ved Prakash for his article ‘Examining the Domain of Caste, Gender and Sexuality Through Select films of Jayan K. Cherian’, published in The Routledge Companion to Caste and Cinema in India (edited by Joshil K Abraham and Judith Misrahi Barak, 2023).
The prize was keenly contested among eight eligible contenders, all of whom submitted articles of high merit.
AK Muneer secured second place for his article ‘Towards a Vernacular Globalectics: “Minor” illustrations from South India’, published in South Asian Review (Routledge), December 2022, scoring 233. Last year too, Muneer was a close contender. We sincerely wish him continued success.
The third place went to Shaweta Nanda for ‘Re-membering the Mammy in Betye Saar’s Works’, published in Beyond the Black Atlantic, Its Visual Arts, Vol 2, No 2, 2023 (ed. Christoph Singler & Philippa Sissis). Shaweta scored 232.
👏 Heartiest congratulations to all participants for their exceptional work, which made evaluation a tough task for the jury!
The distinguished jury comprised:
- Prof. Sanjukta Dasgupta – Former Professor, University of Calcutta; academic, critic, poet, and editor.
- Prof. Janet Wilson – Emerita Professor, University of Northampton; expert in fundamentalism, refugee narratives, and globalization.
- Prof. E. V. Ramakrishnan – Bilingual writer, poet, critic, and Sahitya Akademi Awardee.
The jury process was moderated by Prof. Swati Pal, Vice Chair, IACLALS.
The MMM Prize is awarded for the best paper published by an IACLALS member during the previous two years. It includes:
- 📄 A citation certificate
- 💰 A cheque for Rs. 10,000
ANNOUNCEMENT 2023
Press Release – 20th April 2023
IACLALS is delighted to announce that the prestigious Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize (MMM Prize) 2023 has been awarded to Meghal Karki for her article ‘The Changing Cityscape of Delhi: A Study of the Protest Art and the Site at Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh’, published in Educational Theory and Philosophy (Routledge: Taylor & Francis), on 17th May 2022. Meghal scored a total of 229 out of 300.
Meghal is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the School of Letters, Ambedkar University. She has earlier completed her B.A. from Delhi University and M.A. from Jamia Millia Islamia.
The prize was keenly contested among twenty eligible contenders.
Coming in a close second was A. K. Muneer for his article ‘Towards a Vernacular Globalectics: “Minor” Illustrations from South India’, published in South Asian Review (Routledge), December 2022. He scored 221.
The third place went to Vaibhav Iype Parel for ‘Framing Selves: Home, Gender, and Politics in the Poetry of Imtiaz Dharker’ published in Ariel: A Review of International English Literature (Vol. 53, No. 4), who scored 220.
👏 Heartiest congratulations to all participants for their outstanding contributions and making the jury’s task challenging!
The distinguished jury comprised:
- Prof. Fakrul Alam – Formerly at the University of Dhaka; academic, critic, and editor.
- Prof. Rajiva Verma – Former Professor, University of Delhi; renowned Shakespearean critic.
- Prof. Meena T. Pillai – University of Kerala; former Fulbright professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The jury process was moderated by Prof. Swati Pal, Vice Chair, IACLALS.
The MMM Prize is awarded for the best paper published by an IACLALS member during the previous two years. It includes:
- 📄 A citation certificate
- 💰 A cheque for Rs. 10,000
Prof. M. Asaduddin
Chair, IACLALS
ANNOUNCEMENT 2022
Press Release – Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize
IACLALS is delighted to announce that the prestigious Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize (MMM Prize) 2022 has been awarded to Sreenath V. S. for his article ‘What to do with the Past? Sanskrit Literary Theories in the Post Colonial Space’, published in Journal of Indian Philosophy (Springer, 2021).
The prize was keenly contested among seventeen eligible contenders. While Sreenath led by a significant margin, there was a very narrow margin between the next top scorers:
- Natasa Thoudam for her article ‘Divisive Politics of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Three Stories from Manipur in India’s North East’, published in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies (Taylor & Francis Online, 2021).
- Sutapa Dutta for ‘Packing a Punch at the Bengali Babu’, published in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Routledge (2021).
- Shailendra Singh for ‘Premchand’s Shifting Portrayals of Womanhood in Colonial North India: Between Conformity and Resistance’, published in Contributions to Indian Sociology, Sage Publications (2020).
👏 Congratulations to all of them for their excellent scholarship and contributions!
Despite the ongoing pandemic, IACLALS received a large number of entries, out of which 17 were shortlisted as eligible for the contest.
The distinguished jury comprised:
- Prof. Robert J. C. Young – Julius Silver Professor of English and Comparative Literature, New York University.
- Prof. Rajeswari Sunder Rajan – Global Distinguished Professor of English, New York University.
- Prof. Rukmini Bhaya Nair – Professor Emerita, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, IIT Delhi.
The IACLALS Executive extends heartfelt thanks to the jury for their thorough evaluations. The prize process was moderated by Prof. Swati Pal, Vice Chair, IACLALS.
The MMM Prize is awarded for the best paper published by an IACLALS member during the previous two years. It includes:
- 📄 A citation certificate
- 💰 A cheque for Rs. 10,000
Prof. M. Asaduddin
Chair, IACLALS
Dr. M. Asaduddin, Professor of English, JMI, New Delhi – 110025
Chair, Indian Association of Commonwealth Literature & Language Studies (IACLALS)
Advisor to the Vice Chancellor | Dean, Faculty of Humanities & Languages
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Rutgers University, USA
Awardee: Crossword Book, Sahitya Akademi, Katha, A.K. Ramanujan
ANNOUNCEMENT 2021
Press Release – Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize
IACLALS is thrilled to announce that the Meenakshi Mukherjee Memorial Prize (MMM Prize) 2021 has been awarded to Sagar Taranga Mandal from the University of Kalyani for his article ‘Pulsing Cities and Seething Interstices: Poetics of Mediation in Graphic Science Fiction’, published in the book New Forms of Space and Spatiality in Science Fiction (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019).
The prize was intensely contested. The runner-up, Nishat Haider, scored just 2 marks less than the winner. The third position went to Shaweta Nanda, followed closely by a tie for fourth place between Anubhav Pradhan and Srinjoyee Dutta, separated by only 1 mark. 👏 Congratulations to all of them!
In 2020–21, despite the pandemic, IACLALS received a high number of submissions, of which sixteen entries were deemed eligible.
The distinguished jury comprised:
- Prof. Malashri Lal – Professor, University of Delhi
- Prof. Suman Gupta – Professor, Open University (U.K.)
- Prof. Sukrita Paul Kumar – Professor, University of Delhi
The IACLALS Executive thanks the esteemed jury for their careful and thorough evaluations. The prize process was moderated by Prof. Swati Pal, Vice Chair, IACLALS.
The MMM Prize is awarded for the best paper published by an IACLALS member during the previous two years. It includes:
- 📄 A citation certificate
- 💰 A cheque for Rs. 10,000
Prof. M. Asaduddin
Chair, IACLALS
Dr. M. Asaduddin, Professor of English, JMI, New Delhi – 110025
Chair, Indian Association of Commonwealth Literature & Language Studies (IACLALS)
Advisor to the Vice Chancellor | Dean, Faculty of Humanities & Languages
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Rutgers University, USA
Awardee: Crossword Book, Sahitya Akademi, Katha, A.K. Ramanujan