GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER AWARD

Deadline: 1/31/27

The Sociology, Social Work, and Social Welfare Division (SSWSW) is pleased to announce its 2027 Graduate Student Paper Contest. This award is designed to foster critical scholarship that advances sociological, social work and social welfare perspectives on social problems, inequality, welfare and well-being, social policy, service systems, and social change. The Division welcomes submissions that examine questions of theory, empirics, methodology, policy, and practice as they relate to sociology, social work and social welfare in local, national, transnational, and global contexts.

Paper topics may include, but are not limited to: poverty and economic inequality; welfare policy and the social safety net; social work practice and professionalization; child welfare and family services; aging and long-term care; disability justice; health, mental health, and behavioral health services; housing, homelessness, and community development; criminal-legal systems and re-entry; immigration, migration, and social service provision; race, class, gender, sexuality, and intersectionality in social welfare systems; environmental justice and social welfare; care work and caregiving; mutual aid and community-based responses to crisis; nonprofit organizations and human service delivery; social movements, advocacy, and policy change; neoliberalism, privatization, and austerity; social work education; trauma-informed practice; reproductive justice; youth, families, and schools; labor and workforce issues in social work and human services; comparative social welfare regimes; and critical approaches to evidence-based practice, program evaluation, and social policy.

About papers to be submitted:

  • Joint papers accepted, but all contributing authors must be graduate students at the time of submission for the award.
  • The recipient will receive a complimentary student membership in SSSP ($46), and a conference registration ($108) to attend the 2027 SSSP Annual Meeting,
  • The runner-up shall receive honorable mention from the awards committee.
  • Award winner will be expected to present their papers at the 2027 SSSP Annual Meeting.

Submitting the paper:

  • Papers must be submitted with a cover letter indicating that the submission is for consideration for the 2027 Sociology, Social Work, and Social Welfare Division Graduate Student Paper Competition. Please send the paper electronically in a format compatible with MS Word.
  •  Papers should be double-spaced and should not exceed 8,000 words, including references.
  • Authors should ensure that they receive an acknowledgement of receipt of their submission.
  • Submissions must be uploaded to the Call for Papers online submission system for the SSSP Annual Meeting
  • In addition to submitting to the online system, authors should also send the papers via email to the co-chair of the Sociology, Social Work and Social Welfare Division: Padmore Adusei Amoah (pamoah@LN.edu.hk) by January 31, 2027, to be considered.

Other eligibility requirements:

  • Students must be currently enrolled at the time of application.
  • To be eligible for awards, papers must be submitted through the Annual Meeting Call for Papers process. This is to make sure that the winning papers are included in the program.
  • Papers that have been published or accepted for publication before submission are not eligible.
  • Papers previously presented at SSSP or presented or accepted for presentation at other professional meetings, are not eligible unless substantially revised with new data, findings or theoretical contributions.
  • Faculty may not co-author papers and papers must be student authored or student co-authored.
  • Former winners of this award are not eligible to compete again.
  • Students may enter their paper in only one competition division.
  • Applicants should review the approved policy statements for the annual meeting.
  • All Student Paper Competition submissions are due January 31, 2027.