The Juan E. Méndez Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America honors the leadership and legacy of Juan E. Méndez, a champion of justice who has devoted his life to the defense of human rights.
Méndez is the former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and current Professor of Human Rights Law at American University. The award recognizes an outstanding book of non-fiction, including graphic works, published in English on human rights, democracy and social justice in contemporary Latin America. Méndez’s papers are housed at Duke University Libraries’ Human Rights Archive, one of the largest collections of human rights materials at any American university. The papers document Méndez’s work as the UN Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, as well as his work with the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
The award is given in conjunction with the Human Rights Archive at Duke’s Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Eligibility
Scholarly and popular books, including non-fiction graphic works, are eligible, either edited or authored. To be eligible, books must meet the following criteria:
- An original, non-fiction book related to issues of human rights, the rule of law, social and/or economic justice, and democracy, as they are broadly understood, in contemporary Latin America. Books should pertain to events that took place in roughly the past 50 years.
- Published in the English language by a commercial, university, or non-profit publishing concern. Books written originally in other languages and translated into English are eligible. Self-published books are not eligible.
- Published in the two years before the date of the award, including the year of the award. In other words, books published in 2024 and 2025 are eligible for the prize awarded in 2026. Books published prior to 2023 are not eligible. Advanced copies and/or PDFs of books that are scheduled to be published after the submission deadline will be accepted.
Submission Guidelines
The deadline for 2026 award entries is November 30, 2025.
- There is no entry form. Publishers, authors or readers may send one copy of the book (mailing address below) and a nominating email to Duke Human Rights Center at rights@duke.edu. In the email, please use the subject line Méndez Book Award.
- The email should contain a short description of the book and publishing details; no supporting materials or reviews are necessary.
- Copies should be mailed to:
Méndez Book Award
Duke Human Rights Center @ the Franklin Humanities Institute
114 S. Buchanan Blvd.
Durham, NC 27708 - If books are short-listed, we will request copies for all judges.
- For books due to be published in 2025 but after the entry deadline, nominators may send a pre-publication copy or PDF copy, indicating the publication date.
Judges are drawn from Duke University as well as journalists, scholars, writers and others who have worked in human rights in Latin America.
2026 Juan E. Méndez Book Award Winner
Haley Cohen Gilliland is the winner of the 2026 Juan E. Méndez Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America.
Her book, A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children, documents how the Argentine Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo set out to find their grandchildren, abducted by the military junta in the 1970s and 80s. With determination and creativity, the abuelas marched, confronted the authorities, allied with local and international human rights groups, and pioneered the use of genetic testing to find their loved ones. This is despite the intense grief of losing their adult children, "disappeared" by the security forces.