diff --git a/ethers-core/src/abi/codec.rs b/ethers-core/src/abi/codec.rs
index a953eef0..45b0ad2d 100644
--- a/ethers-core/src/abi/codec.rs
+++ b/ethers-core/src/abi/codec.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ impl_abi_codec!(
     i128
 );
 
+impl<'a> AbiEncode for &'a str {
+    fn encode(self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        self.to_string().encode()
+    }
+}
+
 impl<T: TokenizableItem + Clone, const N: usize> AbiEncode for [T; N] {
     fn encode(self) -> Vec<u8> {
         let token = self.into_token();
@@ -266,4 +272,11 @@ mod tests {
         let tuple: Vec<(Address, u8, Vec<[u8; 4]>)> = vec![(Address::random(), 0, nested)];
         assert_codec(tuple);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn str_encoding() {
+        let value = "str value";
+        let encoded = value.encode();
+        assert_eq!(value, String::decode(encoded).unwrap());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/ethers-core/src/abi/mod.rs b/ethers-core/src/abi/mod.rs
index da12946b..bf31b833 100644
--- a/ethers-core/src/abi/mod.rs
+++ b/ethers-core/src/abi/mod.rs
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ impl_abi_type!(
     Address => Address,
     bool => Bool,
     String => String,
+    str => String,
     H256 => FixedBytes(32),
     H512 => FixedBytes(64),
     U64 => Uint(64),
@@ -180,6 +181,14 @@ impl_abi_type!(
     I256 => Int(256)
 );
 
+impl<'a> AbiType for &'a str {
+    fn param_type() -> ParamType {
+        ParamType::String
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> AbiArrayType for &'a str {}
+
 macro_rules! impl_abi_type_tuple {
     ($num: expr, $( $ty: ident),+) => {
         impl<$($ty, )+> AbiType for ($($ty,)+) where
@@ -310,6 +319,9 @@ mod tests {
             ParamType::FixedArray(Box::new(ParamType::Uint(16)), 32),
             <[u16; 32]>::param_type()
         );
+
+        assert_eq!(ParamType::String, str::param_type());
+        assert_eq!(ParamType::String, <&str>::param_type());
     }
 
     #[test]