Rodel Institute Announces New Book Award to Honor Outstanding Works on Democracy and American Politics

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rodel Institute is pleased to announce the creation of the Edwards Book Award, an annual prize recognizing books that make an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of democracy and American politics. The prize will carry an honorarium of $10,000.

The award is named in honor of former Congressman Mickey Edwards, who has inspired generations of American public servants and students as a Member of Congress, faculty member at Harvard, Princeton, and American Universities, author of highly respected books on the American political process, and founding Executive Director of the Rodel Fellowship, the nation's premier bipartisan leadership development program for elected leaders.

Rodel Institute President and CEO John Kroger commented: "Our goal for this award is to draw greater attention to new books that help us deepen our understanding of democracy. With threats to democracy increasing across the globe, recognizing books addressing how democracies thrive is more important than ever."

Mickey Edwards remarked: "I am deeply honored, and I want to thank all Rodel Fellows. I hope this new prize will help us highlight important work by scholars researching this vital topic."

Since its founding in 2005, the Rodel Fellowship has helped nearly 400 state and local elected officials reach their full potential as public servants. Through a series of seminars, Rodel Fellows read and discuss classic texts dealing with ethical values, democratic principles, and wise and effective leadership. Past fellows include five sitting governors, three U.S. Senators, three members of the current cabinet, and the Vice President.

Books must be nonfiction and published in 2022. Selections from the winning book will be taught in Rodel seminars. The nomination deadline is January 31, 2023 at 11:59pm ET. For more information, please visit https://www.rodelinstitute.org/programs/edwards-book-prize/.

The Rodel Institute seeks to strengthen democracy and public leadership in the U.S. A nonpartisan center for leadership and intellectual growth, we help America's most promising leaders deepen their commitment to democracy and the rule of law and work together to address some of our nation's most important challenges. The Institute's programs convene diverse leaders from across the country and the political and legal spectrum in an effort to find common ground, build enduring relationships, and encourage the understanding and cooperation needed to move our nation forward. For more information, visit www.rodelinstitute.org.

SOURCE Rodel Institute