Awards offered for IAMCR 2026

Applications are now open for the IAMCR 2026 awards and travel grants.

IAMCR offers a number of awards recognising outstanding academic work presented at the conference, as well as travel grants to support the participation of scholars based in low- and middle-income countries.

If you have a paper accepted for presentation at IAMCR 2026, explore the opportunities below and follow the links for full details on eligibility requirements and application procedures:

Travel grants

Up to 18 Travel Grants each with a maximum value of USD 2,000 will be made available to early-career scholars and IAMCR office holders, who are members of IAMCR, reside in low and middle income countries and have papers accepted for presentation at the conference.

Learn more and apply for a travel grant

Deadline

Travel Grants – Apply by 20 March 2026 at 23:59 UTC.

Paper Awards

IAMCR 2026 will offer four types of awards recognising outstanding papers accepted for presentation at the conference.

Eligible authors may submit their full paper for consideration for one of the following awards:

The Urban Communication Award, offered in collaboration with the Urban Communication Foundation (UCF), will be offered to up to three outstanding papers that develop and explore innovative approaches to urban communication.

The Decolonising the Digital Award, now in its second year, will be offered to outstanding papers that contribute to our understanding of the new global dynamics of digital politics, cultures, and infrastructures, with the aim of identifying modes of control and resistance, and ultimately, challenging digital colonialism.

New in 2026, the Reformulation of Media Production in a Global Context of Automation Award will recognise outstanding academic work that advances our understanding of how automation reshapes media production practices worldwide.

The Award in Memory of Herbert Schiller will be granted to graduate students and early-career scholars for work that 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.


Important
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. Papers submitted to more than one of the above awards will be disqualified from consideration for all awards.