About the S. I. Hayakawa Book Prize
First given in 2009, the Institute of General Semantics awards the S. I. Hayakawa Book Prize to the most outstanding work published in the past five years on topics of direct relevance to the discipline of general semantics. The prize includes a cash award of $1,000.
About S. I. Hayakawa
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (1906–1992) — popularly known as “S. I.” and familiarly known as “Don” — was the author of the best-selling general semantics text Language in Thought and Action, the founder of the International Society of General Semantics, and the first editor of ETC: A Review of General Semantics.
Dr. Hayakawa was also a college president, a United States senator from California, and an expert on traditional jazz.
Nominations
Competition for the annual Hayakawa Book Prize is open to any book published in the past five years on topics and themes of direct relevance to the discipline of general semantics, including:
| To nominate a book, send a letter of nomination and three copies of the book by August 31st of the nomination year to: Martin H. Levinson For more information on the Hayakawa Book Prize, contact IGS. |
Past Recipients
2020s
 | 2021 - Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Foreverby John H. McWhorter (Avery, 2021) Presentation Video |
 | 2020 - The Beauty of Detours: A Batesonian Philosophy of Technologyby Yoni Van Den Eede (SUNY Press, 2019)Presentation & Acceptance Videos |
2010s
 | 2019 - How Do You Know?: A Guide to Clear Thinking About Wall Street, Investing, and Lifeby Christopher Mayer (Bonner & Partners, 2018) Presentation & Acceptance Videos |
 | 2018 - Reading Alfred Korzybski through Inter-Theoretic Explorationsby TRS Sharma (Pencraft International, 2018) Acceptance Speech Presentation & Acceptance Videos |
 | 2017 - The Kingdom of Speechby Tom Wolfe (Little, Brown and Company, 2016) Presentation & Acceptance Videos |
 | 2016 - General Semantics: A Critical CompanionEdited by Deepa Mishra (Pencraft International, 2014) Presentation Video |
 | 2015 - Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Otherby Sherry Turkle (Basic Books, 2012) Presentation Video
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 | 2014 - The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural Historyby Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Hold and Co., 2014) Presentation Video
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 | 2013 - In Thought and Action: The Enigmatic Life of S. I. Hayakawaby Gerald and Janice Haslam (Bison Books, 2011) Presentation & Acceptance Video
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 | 2012 - Uncapping Family Wisdom: Recognizing, Treating, and Reconciling Transgenerational Dysfunctionby Sandra Pate (Phillip Monroe Publishing, 2011) Presentation Video
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 | 2011 - Korzybski: A Biographyby Bruce I. Kodish (Pasadena, CA: Extensional Publishing, 2011) Presentation Video Acceptance Video |
 | 2010 - Graymanshipby Bob Eddy (Lake Mary, FL: GIST Publishing Co., 2010) |
2000s
 | 2009 - The Hidden Side of Babel: Unveiling Cognition, Intelligence and Senseby Laura Bertone (Buenos Aries: Evolución, 2006) |