Policy Resolutions on the Illicit Papyrus Trade
Click here for ASP-AIP Papyrus Trade Resolution, which was approved by ASP Membership in January 2021, and by the AIP Membership at the 2022 Congress. That resolution stands in addition to the 2007 ASP resolution condemning illegal trade in papyrus.
Panels & Seminars
Meetings
Annual Panel at the Society for Classical Studies
Each year, the American Society of Papyrologists holds its Annual Meeting in early January in conjunction with the Joint Annual Meeting of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) and the Archaeological Institute of America.
As part of the Annual Meeting, the ASP sponsors a panel of between three and five papers on a wide range of subjects within the field of papyrology. Submissions are welcome from all interested parties; membership in the ASP is not required, although it is strongly encouraged. However, since the ASP Annual Meeting is a part of the official SCS program, speakers must be members in good standing of the SCS. Also, speakers are held to the SCS’s single appearance policy, i.e. individuals can appear only once on the SCS program.
If you wish to submit a paper for the next Annual Meeting, a short abstract (500 words) should be sent to
Mike Sampson (Manitoba) at Mike.Sampson@umanitoba.ca
by February 15.
Abstracts are refereed anonymously, and decisions made by the end of March. Each paper may use audio-visual equipment if necessary (this should be indicated on the abstract). Reminders of the deadline for abstracts will be in the SCS Newsletter in October, will be posted on the PAPY list, and will appear on this page under News & Events.
Annual Panel at the Society for Biblical Literature
The Papyrology and Early Christian Backgrounds Group explores how the ancient papyri illumine the world of early Christianity and will appeal to scholars interested in palaeographic, linguistic, and textual questions, as well as those who specialize in the social and cultural history of early Christianity. Questions and abstract submissions for the next panel should be directed to AnneMarie Luijendijk (Princeton) or Brent Nongbri (Norwegian School of Theology).
Biennial Summer Institutes in Papyrology
Since 2003, the American Society of Papyrologists has helped organize routine intensive summer programs in papyrology, on what we hope will now be a regular biennial program. For more information on the summer institutes, visit our Summer Institute page.
Triennial International Congress of Papyrology
The 30th International Congress of Papyrology was held in July 2022 in Paris. The 31st Congress will take place from July 28 to August 2, 2025 at the University of Cologne.
Triennial North American Papyrology Seminar
North American Papyrology Seminars (NAPS) take place off-schedule from the triennial International Congress.
NAPS III was held at the University of Manitoba, Canada, in May/June 2024.
News & Events
What’s New
Call for Papers – SCS Panel 2026 – due Feb. 15, 2025
Culture and Society in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Egypt
Organized by C. Michael Sampson (University of Manitoba)
The American Society of Papyrologists invites proposals for papers for its panel “Culture and Society in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Egypt” at the 2026 meeting of the Society for Classical Studies in San Francisco (7–10 January). Although the scope of papyrological studies is wide, submissions for this panel must meet at least one of the following criteria:
(a) they must deploy evidence for ancient literary cultures that is preserved on papyri, ostraka, or wooden tablets (in Greek, Latin, Coptic, demotic Egyptian, Arabic, or other pertinent languages);
(b) they must investigate aspects of the histories or cultures of Egypt from the Hellenistic to the early Islamic period.
Submissions from graduate students and faculty at all levels are welcome.
Please send abstracts that follow the guidelines for individual abstracts (see the SCS Guidelines for Authors of Abstracts) by email, as a Word of PDF email attachment, to C. Michael Sampson (University of Manitoba) at mike.sampson@umanitoba.ca by February 15, 2025.
Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words (excluding bibliography) and suitable for a 20- minute presentation. Please ensure that the abstracts are anonymized, to permit a process of double-blind review.
Decisions will be communicated to the authors of abstracts by mid-April. Please note that authors submitting abstracts must be SCS members in good standing at the time of registration for the 2026 meeting.
Call for Applications – 2026 Summer Institute in Papyrology at the University of Manitoba – due August 15, 2025
The American Society of Papyrologists is sponsoring a summer institute in papyrology for advanced graduate students and junior faculty in ancient studies (classics, history, religious studies, Egyptology, archaeology, and related disciplines), to be held at the University of Manitoba June 29–July 31 2026. The institute will focus on Greek papyri from the first century CE to the sixth century CE, working with original materials on loan from the University of Michigan collection.
Click here for detailed information and the application form.
ASP Book Prize – Nominations due Sept. 15, 2025
At the 2025 Annual Membership Meeting, the ASP announced that the Board of Directors have established the ASP Book Prize, an annual award for the best monograph or edition published in the previous three years by an ASP member. Look on this page, under Awards (below), for information regarding process, eligibility, and timeline.
Bylaws & Policies
Organization
Bylaws of the Society
In January 2022, the Membership voted to incorporate the Society, and therewith to adopt new Bylaws.
Click here for the full text of the Bylaws.
The original ASP “Constitution” and its revisions can be found at the History tab.
Articles of Incorporation
The ASP was founded in 1961, and approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1964. In 2022, the ASP was incorporated.
Professional Ethics Statement
In January 2022, the Membership adopted a new Professional Ethics Statement.
Click here for full text of the Ethics Statement.
The Ethics Committee, which advises and assists the Board on questions regarding professional ethics, is one of the standing committees for the Society. Consult the governance tab for current appointments.
Prizes & Subventions
Awards
ASP Book Prize
The ASP Book Prize
About the Award and Eligibility
The ASP Book Prize is an annual award that recognizes an outstanding monograph or edition published in the previous three years by an ASP member. It carries an honorarium of $1,500.
The award is selected by a committee of three members and is presented at the Society’s annual meeting. Books published in the three calendar years preceding the year of award – in print and/or in electronic format – are eligible for consideration. Thus, the inaugural award (2026) will consider books published in 2023, 2024, and 2025. To be considered eligible, candidates must have been ASP members in good standing during the years under consideration. The work chosen to receive the award will not have appeared in substantially the same form in an earlier publication, and it will either make substantive use of evidence preserved on papyri, ostraca, or tablets, or will comprise an edition or editions of texts preserved on such media.
Nomination Instructions
Letters of nomination, which may be submitted by anyone (including publishers and the author), are due by September 15, 2025. Letters should be sent to asp@papyrology.org. Nominators should also arrange for the publisher to provide copies of the work for the committee members, either in electronic or print form. Please note that books sent without a substantive nomination letter will not be considered.
FAQ
• Can anyone really make a nomination? With the sole exception of the ASP monographs editor, any organization or individual, including presses and authors, can nominate books. We accept nominations from ASP members and non-members. The award committee discourages publishers that are nominating their books from making more than five nominations per press.
• Where should publishers send books? For print copies, to the committee members directly. Please ask for instructions by emailing asp@papyrology.org. Digital copies of nominated works can be transmitted electronically, with the nomination.
• How do I know if an author is eligible? If you know an author, you can ask this person whether they were an active member. You can also contact the ASP Secretary-Treasurer for an eligibility check (asp@papyrology.org). The ASP verifies the membership status of all nominees.
• Who should I contact with questions? Inquiries about the nomination instructions and eligibility criteria should be directed to the ASP Secretary-Treasurer (asp@papyrology.org).
ASP Travel Subventions
n 2024 the American Society of Papyrologists established a new program to make available a limited budget to support, on a competitive basis, travel for papyrological training (such as the Summer Institutes in Papyrology) or research in papyrology (such as travel to collections). The competition is open to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and untenured faculty, including contingent faculty. Applicants must be members in good standing of the ASP. Preference is given to students and faculty in North American institutions. The maximum amount of each award is $2,000.
The application should consist of:
- One-page single-spaced typed narrative description of the training or research to be undertaken and the funding amount requested.
- Current curriculum vitae.
- One letter of recommendation from someone who can address the importance of the training in / research in papyrology for furthering your current research questions and projects.
- A budget that includes a list of any other sources of funding applied for with amounts requested.
The application should be sent to asp@papyrology.org, with the subject heading “Application for ASP Travel Award”. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
A brief report about the project and its impact will be due within three months of receiving the award.