GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER AWARD

Deadline: 1/31/26

The Sociology, Social Work, and Social Welfare Division (SSWSW) announces its 2026 (master’s or doctoral) Graduate Student Paper Competition. Paper topics can focus on various aspects of sociological, social welfare or social work research. Quantitative and qualitative analyses, applied research, and theoretical papers are all acceptable.

There are several requirements for a paper to be eligible for submission:

1. The paper may not already be published or accepted for publication or conference presentation.
2. The paper must be student authored. This means the paper may be authored by either one student or multiple graduate students but cannot be co-authored by a faculty member or non-student.
3. Papers may not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (including all notes, references, tables, and graphs) and must include a brief abstract.
4. Students may only submit their paper to one Division.

If selected for the award, the author(s) will receive: a $200 cash award; a one-year SSSP student membership; waiver of 2026 conference registration fees (if applicable); and an electronic certificate of recognition, and recognition at the SSSP Awards Ceremony.

To be considered for the award please submit the following:

1. a copy of the paper in English;
2. a cover letter specifying that the paper is being submitted for consideration in the 2026 Sociology, Social Work and Social Welfare Division Graduate Student Paper Competition; and
3. a short letter from each author’s advisor in English certifying their status as a current student and including some brief comments about their research.

All materials must be submitted electronically by January 31, 2026, to: 1) the Annual Meeting Call for Papers on the SSSP 2026 Conference website and (2) SSWSW Graduate Student Paper Award Committee Chair Dr. William Cabin at wcabin@umich.edu.