From Public Anthropology:

the University of California Press in association with the Center for a Public Anthropology will begin sponsoring in 2008 two annual competitions focused on drawing anthropologists to address major public problems and broad audiences. Both competitions will award book contracts at an early stage in the research/writing process in order to influence a manuscript’s subject and style. The hope is that authors, knowing they have a book contract in hand, will prove willing to speak about major public concerns in ways that non-academics find valuable.

One competition will focus on mid-career professionals. …. The second competition focuses on graduate students preparing to conduct fieldwork.

Follow the link for more information.