IAMCR invites submissions from graduate students and early-career scholars for the Herbert I. Schiller Memorial Award, to be presented at IAMCR's 2026 conference. The award honours the legacy of Herbert I. Schiller, a founding figure in the political economy of communication and a relentless critic of concentrated media power and cultural domination. Schiller helped make IAMCR a welcoming and vital space for critical debate, served as a founder of the Political Economy Section, and as a vice president of the Association.
Schiller’s scholarship centred on how media, communication technologies, and cultural industries are shaped by and shape political, economic and power structures. He analysed corporate influence over public space and institutions, the global expansion of western (especially U.S.) media and cultural power, and the ways media systems construct and circulate dominant meanings and “packaged consciousness.” He was also concerned with resistance to these forces and the need for public policy and active critique to ensure more equitable communication systems.
Herbert Schiller also inspired critical inquiry and encouraged young scholars to ask bold questions. This award seeks to reflect that legacy by supporting work that pushes critical boundaries, opens new questions, and contributes meaningfully to academic and public debates within and beyond communication research.
Up to three awarded papers will be acknowledged with a USD 750 grant.
Prize Criteria
A paper which combines scholarly excellence with a commitment to developing and extending the critical, innovative, and engaged spirit that characterised Herbert Schiller's own contribution to communications analysis.
Eligibility
- Open to graduate students and early career scholars
- Papers must have been accepted for presentation at IAMCR 2026 by one of IAMCR's sections or working groups. See the calls for proposals of IAMCR's thematic sections and working groups
- Papers should have a maximum of 7,000 words (abstract and references will not count towards the paper limit)
- Work must not have be published or firmly committed elsewhere
- Applicants must be current IAMCR members for the year 2026 (individual or institutional).
- IAMCR 2026 will offer several awards recognising outstanding academic work submitted to the conference. A paper may be submitted to only one of the following: the Herbert I. Schiller Award, the Decolonising the Digital Award, the Reformulation of Media Production in a Global Context of Automation Award, or the Urban Communication Award.
Procedure
- An abstract of the paper must be submitted to any IAMCR section or working group in response to the 2026 calls for papers.
- The full paper must be received by 31 March 2026.
- Only papers with abstracts accepted for presentation at IAMCR 2026 may be considered for the award.
- Each of the three awards comprises a cash prize of USD 750.
- The Award Selection Committee will select up to three papers, but can decide to award fewer or none. Decisions of the Award Selection Committee will be final.
- Award-winning papers will be considered for publication in the journal Interactions.
- If an award is made, the author(s) will be notified by 28 April.
Deadlines
There are two deadlines to keep in mind:
- 3 February at 23h59 UTC is the deadline to submit an abstract of the paper to any IAMCR section or working group.
- 31 March at 23h59 UTC is the deadline to submit the final paper via an online form that will be made available here.
Herbert Schiller Award 2026 Selection Committee
Chair: Tanner Mirrlees (Ontario Tech University, Canada)
Members: TBC