T. Kimball Brooker Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting
Join us for an info-session!
Please join us to learn more about the Prize. We are hosting an in-person session on Friday, November 8, at 11:00am in the Rosenthal Seminar Room. We will also be hosting a Zoom session on Wednesday, November 13, at 7:00pm. You can join the Zoom by clicking here.
We are now accepting submissions for the 2025 T. Kimball Brooker Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize. Apply here!
The University of Chicago Library is pleased to sponsor the T. Kimball Brooker Prize for undergraduate book collecting. Mr. Brooker (PhD'96) established the Prize to foster a love of the book and to encourage book collecting among undergraduates.
Eligibility
We welcome all second and fourth-year students at the University of Chicago to apply.
Criteria
Collections may focus on a topic, the work of one or more authors, or physical features such as illustrations and bindings. In addition to books, collections of musical scores and printed maps may be entered into the prize competition. Contestants should pay particular attention to materiality and other attributes that make their collections noteworthy. Consider questions such as: Why this edition or copy? What did it take that was out of the ordinary to assemble books on this subject?
Students are not expected to have collections that are large, valuable in monetary terms, or complete. Rather, the competition emphasizes thoughtfulness and intent in building a collection around the collector's interests.
Past winners have collections focused on subjects that range from religion in ancient Egypt to feminist zines, from cover art to Latin American poetry. Learn more about past Prize Winners here!
Prizes Awarded
- $1,000 to up to two second-year students
- $2,000 to up to two fourth-year students
Submission
Review and complete the Brooker Prize Application. Your application must be accompanied by an abstract describing your collection and its theme; a short essay (maximum of 2 single-spaced pages); and a bibliography of books in your collection.
Exhibit
Winners will be asked to contribute a small selection (three to six works) from their collections to be included in the Brooker Prize display in Regenstein Library during the spring quarter.
Re-submission
Collections not selected for the 2nd-year prize are eligible for re-submission in your 4th-year. In such cases, you should specify in your essay how your collection has grown and developed.
Additional information
Contact us at brookerinformation@lib.uchicago.edu with questions about the competition or application requirements.
Congratulations to the 2024 T. Kimball Brooker Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize Winners!
Elliot Lin, a 4th-year student for their collection, “Racing Through a Moment in Time.” Elliot’s collection on motorsports shone among a strong pool of submissions, as it captures the zeitgeist and reflects that knowledge of specific moments in the history of motor racing through the content and materials from which the books are made. Elliot told the panel that sports writing is often dismissed, and yet it contains literary and material qualities as worthwhile as those of other genres, a point well made by this winning collection.
Natalie Jenkins, a 4th-year student for her collection, “Land Art in the Expanded Field.” Natalie’s collection of critical works on the Land Art movement stood out among a strong pool of submissions for its extensiveness and disciplined focus. Natlie shared with the panel how her collection has “grown like a spiderweb,” and she said that she appreciates many of the books in her collection as works of art in and of themselves. Well said!
Andrea Ruiz, a 2nd-year student for “The Cuba Collection,” which focuses on Cuba’s 1959 revolution and its leaders. Andrea’s collection caught the attention of the panelists among a strong pool of submissions for its consideration of the complexities and contradictions of revolutionary leaders such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. The panel was impressed by Andrea’s collection of Seven Stories Press books and appreciated how she drew our attention to the ways in which these books’ designs evoke the mid-century revolutionary aesthetic. An unusual and thought-provoking collection!