The Pāṇini award was established to encourage and honour achievements in the field of documenting the world’s linguistic diversity through the writing of reference grammars. To be eligible, a grammar must provide a systematic, accessible, comprehensive, original, insightful and typologically well-informed account of the workings of the language being described, generously exemplified with natural data. Though the normal expectation is that it would deal with a hitherto little-described language, outstanding grammars of better-known languages or dialects thereof may also be considered if they achieve major breakthroughs in a comprehensive understanding of the language. While the Pāṇini Award targets grammars passed as doctoral dissertations, the Von der Gabelentz Award targets published grammars.

Current Award Submissions:

Submissions for the 5th Pāṇini Award are due February 29, 2024, for a dissertation accepted by a university between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. Please see ALT Newsletter 63 for more information and submission instructions.

Award Recipients: 2019, 2015, 2011, 2007

4th: 2019

Nadine Grimm (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
2015. A Grammar of Gyeli

Highly Commended Grammars

Yunfan Lai (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, France)
2017. Grammaire du Khroskyabs de Wobzi

Sally Nicholas (The University of Auckland, New Zealand)
2016. A Grammar of the Southern Cook Islands Maori

Short listed finalists

Hilde Gunnink (University of Ghent, Belgium)
2018. A Grammar of Fwe: A Bantu Language of Zambia and Namibia

Yankee Modi (Universität Bern, Switzerland)
2017. The Milang Language: Grammar and Texts

Jaime German Peña (University of Oregon, USA)
2015. A Grammar of Wampis

3rd: 2015

Linda Konnerth (University of Oregon)
A Grammar of Karbi, University of Oregon, 2014.

Honourable Mentions

Michael Ahland (University of Oregon), USA
2012. A grammar of northen Mao

Dineke Shokkin (James Cook University, Australia)
2014. A grammar of Paluai: the language of Balluan Island, Papua New Guinea

Benjamin Touati (Paris IV-Sorbonne, France)
2014. Description du sakao, langue océanique du Nord-est Santo, Vanuatu. (A description of Sakao, an Oceanic language of Northeast Santo, Vanuatu)

Roberto Zariquiey Biondi, (La Trobe University, Australia)
2011.  A grammar of Kashibo-Kakataibo

2nd: 2011

Antoinette Schapper (Leiden University, The Netherlands)
Bunaq. A Papuan Language of Central Timor, Australian National University, 2009

&

Mark Post (James Cook University, Australia)
A Grammar of Galo, La Trobe University, 2007.

Honourable Mentions

Kofi Yakpo
A grammar of Pichi (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 2009)

Seino van Breugel
A grammar of Atong (La Trobe University, Australia, 2008)

René Lacroix
Description du dialecte laze d’Arhavi (caucasique du sud, Turquie). Grammaire et textes (Université Lyon-2, France, 2009)

Rosa Vallejos Yopán
A grammar of Kokama-Kokamilla (University of Oregon, USA, 2010)

Claudia Wegener
A grammar of Savosavo, a Papuan language of the Solomon islands (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 2008)

1st: 2007

Patience Epps (University of Texas, USA)
A Grammar of Hup (University of Virginia, 2005)