Call for Interest Group Award Nominations

May 31, 2024

NEW THIS YEAR: Submit your nomination for Interest Group Awards online! In 2025, all interest group awards will be moving to NCA's online submission portal. This year, we had 17 Interest Groups elect to move their awards process online. If you do not see the name of your Interest Group below, visit the NCA Interest Group Hompage to contact the chair about the nomination submission process for your group.

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Members are invited to submit nominations for the following awards. Nominations, unless specified, must be submitted through the NCA nomination portal. Please read the applicable call for more information. The deadline for all nominations is May 31.

Award descriptions, nomination criteria, and submission information can be found by clicking on the name of the award below. All nominees will be informed of the results in September.

General questions about the award process can be sent to ncainterestgroups@natcom.org.

Nominate Now!

American Studies Division

The American Studies Division of the National Communication Association is soliciting submissions for awards in American Studies communication scholarship. Electronic submissions of the manuscript should be submitted through the NCA portal, accompanied by a cover letter articulating why the submission warrants recognition by the American Studies Division. Submissions may also include supporting materials such as additional letters of recommendation for awarding the recognition.

The following awards are open for submissions, including self-nominations.

Outstanding Article in American Studies: Recognizes an outstanding scholarly article in Communication and American Studies completed between August 1, 2022 – May 31, 2024.
Outstanding Book in American Studies: Recognizes an outstanding book in Communication and American Studies published between August 1, 2022 – May 31, 2024.
Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in American Studies: Recognizes an outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Communication and American Studies completed between August 1, 2022 – May 31, 2024.
Outstanding MA Thesis in American Studies: Recognizes an outstanding MA Thesis in Communication and American Studies completed between August 1, 2022 – May 31, 2024.

Argumentation and Forensics Division

The Argumentation and Forensics Division of the National Communication Association (NCA) invites nominations for several awards presented by the division at its annual business meeting at the NCA National Convention.

Article of the Year Award: This shall be awarded to the refereed and published research article that most substantially shaped the discipline’s conceptualization of argumentation the year prior. The article may appear in any peer-reviewed academic journal, but its content must explicitly focus on argumentation and/or forensics studies.
Book of the Year Award: This shall be awarded to a published, academic book that substantially advances the discipline’s conceptualization of argumentation and/or forensics in the year prior. Its content must explicitly focus on argumentation and/or forensics studies.
Educator of the Year Award: This shall be awarded to an individual who as exhibited a strong and consistent commitment to excellence in argumentation and/or forensics education through any combination of teaching, coaching, mentoring, supervising, and innovating in and beyond the classroom.
Top Thesis/Dissertation Award: This shall be awarded to the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation submission that most significantly advances, furthers, and/or challenges the discipline’s understanding of argumentation and/or forensics. The thesis or dissertation must have been completed and accepted in the previous year.

Submission Information:

Nominations or self-nominations are welcome and must be from a member of the NCA Argumentation and Forensics Division to be eligible for award consideration.
Nomination materials should include:

A letter of nomination that provides a brief rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominated book/article/thesis/dissertation /educator to excellence in argumentation research and/or pedagogy.
A PDF version of the peer-reviewed published article/book. If a dissertation/thesis is an electronic copy, indicate completion/acceptance by the school/university.
Author(s) names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses.

Please compile your nomination materials into a single PDF file.

Questions about the awards or submission processes should be directed to:

Heather Walters, J.D.
Chair of the NCA Argumentation and Forensics Division
Missouri State University
heatherwalters@missouristate.edu

Basic Course Division

The Basic Course Division (BCD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) seeks nominations for the several awards that will be presented at the NCA convention if there is a nominee selected by the BCD Leadership Committee.

Questions about the award or submission process should be directed to:

Dr. Jessica R. Snitko
Immediate Past Chair of the Basic Course Division
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
welchj18@erau.edu

Distinguished Article Award

The Basic Course Division (BCD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) seeks nominations for the Distinguished Article Award that will be presented at the NCA convention if there is a nominee selected by the BCD Leadership Committee. This is not an annual award.

Description

Established in 2013, the Distinguished Article Award recognizes one outstanding published scholarly article that contributes significantly to the administrative, delivery, or curricular aspects of the basic course.

To be eligible for the Distinguished Article award, the article must be:

A published article in a peer-reviewed scholarly outlet at least three years prior to consideration;
Primarily focused on theory, practices, and/or research related to the basic communication course.

Submission Information

Nominations or self-nominations are welcome and must be from a BCD member.*

Nomination packets should include:

A letter of nomination that provides a brief rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominated article to the advancement of theory and/or research in instructional communication or communication education and how it directly relates to the basic communication course. The letter should not exceed two pages;
A PDF version of the peer-reviewed published article;
Author(s) names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses of the nominated article.

Please compile your nomination letter and article into a single PDF file.

Don Yoder Distinguished Faculty Award

The Basic Course Division (BCD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) seeks nominations for the Distinguished Faculty Award that will be presented at the NCA convention if there is a nominee selected by the BCD Leadership Committee. This is not an annual award.

Description

Established in 2013, the Don Yoder Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes a current or former basic course instructor or director who has demonstrated a commitment to the basic course in any format, made significant contributions to the development of a strong basic course program through research, training or assessment, and has evidence of teaching excellence in the basic course over a prolonged period of time that transcends nationally.

The eligibility requirements for the Don Yoder Distinguished Faculty award are as follows:

Faculty member must have at least fifteen years of experience working with the basic course;
A minimum of five of those years must be administering the basic course. In certain circumstances where a department does not have a formal Basic Course Director/Coordinator, an individual may be considered if they can demonstrate a clear leadership role in the basic course at their institution; and
The 15/5-year time frame excludes graduate teaching/research assistantships associated with the basic communication course.

Submission Information

Nominations or self-nominations are welcome and must be from a BCD member(s).

Nomination packets should include:

A letter of nomination that provides a brief rationale explaining the qualities of the nominee. The letter should not exceed two pages.
Two letters of support from colleagues must accompany the letter of nomination.
Other supplemental materials that provide evidence of the candidate’s nomination. Examples include evidence of teaching excellence, Curriculum Vita, and/or letters of support from former students.
Nominated faculty’s name, institutional affiliation, and email address
The winner of this award must be a current BCD member, or if retired, previously a BCD member during her/his career.

Please compile your nomination letter and article into a single PDF file.

Program of Excellence Award

The Basic Course Division of the National Communication Association seeks nominations for the Program of Excellence Award that will be presented at the NCA convention if there is a nominee selected by the BCD Leadership Committee. This is not an annual award.

Description

Established in 2007, the purpose of this award is to recognize the distinctive excellence of basic communication course programs and to identify programs that can serve as best practice models for other programs across the United States.

The Program of Excellence Award may be awarded annually to one program in each of the following categories:

1. Predominately GTA supported (more than half of sections taught by GTAs)
2. Non-predominately GTA supported (less than half of sections taught by GTAs)

Nominated programs may focus on any introductory communication course, including public speaking, hybrid, or interpersonal; other approaches to the basic course will be considered.

Submission Information

Please use the questions on the application form to guide preparation of your portfolio nomination packet. Also include relevant faculty names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses.

The entire nomination packet should be compiled into a single PDF file.

Application Guidelines

The Program of Excellence proposal packet should include all the information requested below. Please ensure the nomination packet is clear, complete, and specific.

Directions

Use one-inch margins with 12-point type, single-spaced, and left justified. If situations arise in which you feel that exceptions must be made to this application template, please contact the chair of the review committee for authorization.

Description of the Nominated Program of Excellence (2-page length maximum)
- Provide an overall description of your program
- Please indicate if this is a predominately GTA supported program or non- predominately GTA supported
Rationale (3-page length maximum)
- How is this program distinctive?
- Why should this program be recognized as a Program of Excellence?
- How does it further NCA’s mission?
Departments, Programs, and Personnel (2-page length maximum)
- Describe personnel, campus areas of collaboration and the roles they play
- List all personnel
Goals of the Nominated Program (4-page length maximum)
- Describe the mission of the program in terms of how it meets specific goals and objectives for your academic unit, your university, etc.
Outcomes of the Nominated Program (6-page length maximum)
- How is your course/program assessed annually?
- Provide specific examples of programmatic development based on assessment results
Endorsements (10-page length maximum)
- The department chair and, if desired, other academic officers for participating programs must indicate their support of the proposed program
- These can be in the form of letters, and should not exceed 2-pages per letter

Textbook of Distinction Award

The Basic Course Division (BCD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) seeks nominations for the Textbook of Distinction Award that will be presented at the NCA convention if a candidate is selected by the BCD Leadership Committee. This is not an annual award.

Description

Established in 2013, the Textbook of Distinction Award recognizes a basic course textbook in public speaking, interpersonal, hybrid or custom content areas. Awards are given for a specific edition, not a series of editions for a textbook, and future editions are able to be submitted for consideration, but these editions must demonstrate significant revision and adaptation from the edition which received the award. Additionally, customized textbooks are eligible and considered distinct publications from the source textbook. To be eligible for the award, the textbook must be in use for at least two academic years, and if not a custom textbook, must be in use at a minimum of three institutions.

Submission Information

Nominations or self-nominations are welcome and must be from a BCD member(s).*

Nomination packets should include:

A letter of nomination that provides a brief rationale for why the textbook is deserving of the award;
Nominated faculty names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses.
Evidence of the uniqueness of the textbook’s approach to the basic communication course;
Evidence of textbook impact (e.g., adoption data, citation data, student performance data);
A copy of the book itself (a separate copy of an Instructor’s Edition if applicable and available, as well as ancillaries for instructors using the book); and
Qualities that indicate the textbook’s adaptation to the context for which it is produced.

Please compile your nomination letter and article into a single PDF file.

* Please note that the author and co-authors of the nominated textbook are not required to be BCD members.

Environmental Communication Division

The Environmental Communication Division (ECD) of the National Communication Association (NCA) invites nominations for our 2024 Awards.

Both self- and peer-nominations are encouraged for all the award categories. The list of previous award winners is available on the NCA website page for ECD: https://www.natcom.org/awards/environmental-communication-division.

All questions should be sent to ECD Immediate-Past President and Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Carlos A. Tarin (catarin@utep.edu).

Catalina de Onís Dissertation Award in Environmental Communication

Nominations are based on the following criteria:

Publication or dissertation occurred or was successfully defended and filed during the prior two years: between May 31, 2022, and May 1, 2024;
An electronic copy of the nomination (book, book chapter, article, or dissertation).
Nomination letter (Word or PDF format), which should not exceed 2 pages to explain how the nomination meets the criteria for that award, including:
Confirmation that the author(s) is a current member of the ECD
The nomination addresses significant scholarly questions about the relationship between communication (or a subfield) and the environment with the potential to influence future research in its contributions to the field
The nomination demonstrates exceptional methodological, theoretical, and/or analytical appropriate to its mode of inquiry

Note: you may include multiple signatures, but we do not expect multiple letters.

Christine L. Oravec Journal Article Award in Environmental Communication

Nominations are based on the following criteria:

Publication or dissertation occurred or was successfully defended and filed during the prior two years: between May 31, 2022, and May 1, 2024;
An electronic copy of the nomination (book, book chapter, article, or dissertation).
Nomination letter (Word or PDF format), which should not exceed 2 pages to explain how the nomination meets the criteria for that award, including:
Confirmation that the author(s) is a current member of the ECD
The nomination addresses significant scholarly questions about the relationship between communication (or a subfield) and the environment with the potential to influence future research in its contributions to the field
The nomination demonstrates exceptional methodological, theoretical, and/or analytical appropriate to its mode of inquiry

Note: you may include multiple signatures, but we do not expect multiple letters.

J. Robert Cox Award in Environmental Communication & Civic Engagement

The Cox Award is a means of recognizing the substantial environmental civic engagement achievements of members of the ECD. Such achievements could include working with various publics on environmental concerns such as leading non-profits, developing communication materials, engaging in creative artistic performances, and related activities.

Criteria used for the Cox Award include: exceptional public service to environmental issues through organizational leadership, service, and/or activism, including engagement over several years at a regional, national, and/or international scale.
Nominations should clarify how the person nominated has a record of exceptional “civic engagement” and how the candidate's work meets that definition. Additionally, the nomination should include the nominee’s CV.

Stephen P. Depoe Book Chapter Award in Environmental Communication

Nominations are based on the following criteria:

Publication or dissertation occurred or was successfully defended and filed during the prior two years: between May 31, 2022, and May 1, 2024;
An electronic copy of the nomination (book, book chapter, article, or dissertation).
Nomination letter (Word or PDF format), which should not exceed 2 pages to explain how the nomination meets the criteria for that award, including:
Confirmation that the author(s) is a current member of the ECD
The nomination addresses significant scholarly questions about the relationship between communication (or a subfield) and the environment with the potential to influence future research in its contributions to the field
The nomination demonstrates exceptional methodological, theoretical, and/or analytical appropriate to its mode of inquiry

Note: you may include multiple signatures, but we do not expect multiple letters.

Tarla Rai Peterson Book Award in Environmental Communication

Nominations are based on the following criteria:

Publication or dissertation occurred or was successfully defended and filed during the prior two years: between May 31, 2022, and May 1, 2024;
An electronic copy of the nomination (book, book chapter, article, or dissertation).
Nomination letter (Word or PDF format), which should not exceed 2 pages to explain how the nomination meets the criteria for that award, including:
Confirmation that the author(s) is a current member of the ECD
The nomination addresses significant scholarly questions about the relationship between communication (or a subfield) and the environment with the potential to influence future research in its contributions to the field
The nomination demonstrates exceptional methodological, theoretical, and/or analytical appropriate to its mode of inquiry

Note: you may include multiple signatures, but we do not expect multiple letters.

Ethnography Division

The Ethnography Division of the National Communication Association (NCA) invites nominations for the 2024 Ethnography Division Awards. All nominees must be members of the Ethnography Division both at the time of nomination and when receiving the award. In line with division bylaws and in conjunction with the approval by the membership of career-oriented awards, nominations will be accepted for the following categories:

Scholarship Award: Best Book Award

All nominations should include a cover letter or letter of support specifying the award being sought and highlighting the qualifications and/or merit of the nominated work. Self-nominations are welcome.

Scholarship Award: Best Book Chapter Award

Scholarship Award: Best Journal Article Award

Journal volumes with dates in 2022-2023

Scholarship Award: Best Special Journal Award

Journal volumes with dates in 2022-2023

Scholarship Award: Best Visual/Aural Ethnography Award

Student Award: Dissertation Award for Excellence in Ethnographic Research in a Doctoral Dissertation

Dissertation fully completed within 2022-2023

Career Award: Legacy Scholar

The Legacy Scholar Career Award is a lifetime achievement award, with the requirement that the most recent degree was attained prior 2003.

For the Career Awards, submit one letter of nomination (self-nominations are welcome), a current curriculum vitae, and up to 3 pieces of scholarship or artistry that represent the candidate’s full body of work. As a matter of fairness, please do not submit any extra materials. Winners for these awards are selected primarily based on outstanding contributions to ethnographic scholarship and artistry, although teaching and mentoring as well as service related to ethnography are also to be considered.

Although any NCA member may nominate a work, the authors of the nominated works must be registered members of the Ethnography Division at the time of nomination and at the time of receiving the award.

Please reach out to Abby Arnold-Patti with questions: abbyarnoldpatti@gmail.com

Family Communication Division

Dawn O. Braithwaite Distinguished Book Award and Article Award

Book Award

The Dawn O. Braithwaite Distinguished Book Award seeks to recognize outstanding scholarly texts that contribute significantly to the field of family communication. To be eligible for the award, a book must be either an authored or edited scholarly volume focusing on family communication whose publication date is at least five years prior to the date of the award (thus, books whose publication date is 2019 or earlier are eligible to compete for the 2024 award). The principal focus of the text must be on theory and/or research related to communication within families, communication about families, or communication between families and other entities. Undergraduate textbooks are not eligible to compete for the award.

Journal Award

The Distinguished Journal Article Award seeks to recognize outstanding scholarly journal articles that contribute significantly to the field of family communication. To be eligible for the award, an article must have been published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal at least five years prior to the date of the award (thus, articles whose publication date is 2019 or earlier are eligible to compete for the 2024 award). The principal focus of the article must be on theory and/or research related to communication within families, communication about families, or communication between families and other entities. Book chapters, book reviews, non-peer reviewed scholarly articles, and articles published in non- academic outlets are not eligible to compete for the award.

Nominations

Nominations by members of FCD (including self-nominations) are welcome. The authors or editors of nominated books and articles are not required to be members of FCD. The FCD encourages nominations of books and articles written by scholars representing people of color or other marginalized groups whose work might have been overlooked or underappreciated in the past. Nomination packets should include: A nomination letter of no more than two typed pages providing a brief rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominated piece to the advancement of family communication theory and/or research; Copies of the nominated work (electronic preferred but hard copies accepted); Any published reviews of the work.

Please direct all questions to:

Haley Horstman
University of Missouri
horstmanh@missouri.edu

Kathleen M. Galvin Family Communication Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring Award

The award is named for Kathleen M. Galvin (1943-2021) who was a founding member and leader of the field of family communication and the FCD Division at NCA. She was a ground-breaking, innovative, and caring teacher and scholar, was a mentor dedicated to undergraduate and graduate students at Northwestern University. Dr. Galvin served as a valued informal mentor to many students and young scholars across the field of family communication. Dr. Galvin developed and taught some of the earliest family communication courses and in 1982 co-authored the inaugural family communication textbook. In addition, Dr. Galvin was a disciplinary leader in instructional communication, serving on important early teaching task forces, as Director of NCA’s Educational Policies Board, and on the NCA Executive Committee.

Application Process and Materials

Award applicants will be (a) a member of the NCA Family Communication Division at the time of nomination, (b) 20 years past earning the terminal degree, and (c) teaching family communication at any college or university level institution.

Submission Materials

A letter of nomination (self-nominations are welcomed) that outlines the nominee’s career-length contributions to both family communication teaching and mentoring;
One or two letters of support from people familiar with the nominee’s family communication teaching and mentoring contributions (two pages maximum each),
The nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV);
A teaching self-reflection document authored by the award candidate that supplements the CV. This document will highlight the candidate’s teaching philosophy and a summary of teaching and mentoring contributions. The document will include a description of how the candidate has worked to increase students’ understanding of the role of communication in creating, enacting, and changing families and the diversity of family experiences. (5 pages double-spaced maximum)

Selection Criteria

The selection committee will judge a candidate’s nomination packet based on the alignment of the candidate’s teaching philosophy and sustained instructional practices that advance the goals of the award. The committee will consider evidence of an accomplished family communication teacher and mentor whose work the (a) provides breadth and depth of instructional contributions to the family communication field; (b) represents significant breadth and depth of teaching and mentoring contributions to students that maximizes the central role of communication in family development, enactment, and change; and (b) develops groundbreaking, innovative teaching practices that promote student understanding of the diversity of family experience and challenges.

Fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Kathleen M. Galvin was an early and central voice in stressing the diversity of family experiences and the central role of communication in navigating differences. Since the early days of her groundbreaking co-authored Family Communication: Cohesion and Change volume (1982), Galvin and colleagues defined families as occurring within and beyond biological and legal connections. Dr. Galvin pioneered work on what she labeled “discourse dependent families,” representing families formed outside of cultural majority norms with a greater reliance on interaction to legitimize their family form internally and externally and develop their own functional roles and expectations.

A teaching and mentoring award named after Kathleen Galvin signals the value the FCD places on diverse concepts and theories, underrepresented populations, and the resistance of ideologies that impede equity and inclusion, centering these ideals on what makes a family and the central role of communication in establishing and maintaining the breadth of family identities, expectations, and roles. With these commitments in mind, the award committee will consider the extent to which the scholar’s work addresses issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Please direct any questions to:

Kaitlin Phillips
Baylor University
Kaitlin_phillips@baylor.edu

Leslie A. Baxter Early Career Award

The Family Communication Division (FCD) seeks nominations for the Leslie A. Baxter Early Career Award. The Baxter Early Career Award seeks to recognize a scholar who has established an important role in shaping family communication research within eight years of having earned a Ph.D. degree. The scholar’s body of work must show promise that it will contribute significantly to the knowledge of family communication. The selection committee will judge a scholar’s contribution and promise based on productivity and the strength of the published work, including its theoretical or conceptual foundation, originality, methodological rigor, and impact. They will also consider the extent to which the scholar addresses issues of diversity, equity, and/or inclusion in their scholarship. The award winner will be honored at the FCD business meeting at the NCA convention.

The following materials are required for the nomination: (a) a letter of nomination (self-nominations are welcomed), no longer than two pages in length, that outlines the nominee’s scholarly contributions to family communication, (b) no more than three but no less than one letter of support from people familiar with the nominee’s contributions, (c) the nominee’s curriculum vitae, and (c) links to three representative examples from the nominee’s body of work.

The nominee must be a member of the Family Communication Division of NCA at the time of the nomination.

Please direct all questions to:

Haley Horstman
University of Missouri
horstmanh@missouri.edu

Sandra Petronio Dissertation Excellence Award

The Sandra Petronio Family Communication Dissertation Excellence Award is granted to a scholar who successfully defended a dissertation and/or graduated within the last academic year (from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023). 

The selection committee will evaluate nominations based on overall quality, paying particular attention to (a) the creativity or originality of the work, (b) the extent that the dissertation advances knowledge of family communication, and (c) the level of methodological and theoretical rigor. 

To be eligible, a dissertation must be nominated by a faculty member of the department in which the dissertation was completed. The nomination package must include a cover letter written by the dissertation advisor, contact information for the nominee, a dissertation summary (five pages maximum, not including references, tables, etc.), and the complete dissertation. 

Please direct any questions to:

Amanda Holman
Creighton University
amandaholman@creighton.edu.

Feminist and Gender Studies Division

Bonnie Ritter Book Award

The Bonnie Ritter Book Award in Feminist/Women Studies in Communication is an annual award honoring a recently published scholarly book in the field of communication that interrogates questions related to feminism, women studies, and gender. Bonnie Ritter did most of the groundwork and was the primary organizer for the group of women scholars who formed the National Communication Association Women's Caucus in 1971. The caucus’s success led, more than a decade later, to establishing NCA's Feminist and Women Studies Division (The Feminist and Gender Studies Division as of 2020) so that feminist scholarship would have a formal and recognized home within NCA. This award is testament to the courage, tenacity, and intellectual imagination of Professor Ritter and her colleagues.  

Criteria for the Bonnie Ritter Book Award 

We evaluate the nominations for the award on the basis of their quality, relevancy, commitment to social justice, use of forward-thinking feminist, woman-centered, or queer methodologies, intersectional commitments and a clear resistance to methodological practices that universalize women’s experience and/or center of whiteness. Authors working within all methodological perspectives are encouraged to apply. Submissions must be scholarly books, both monographs and edited collections are accepted. Any book published between January 2022 and May 2024 is eligible. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Outstanding Article Award

The Feminist and Gender Studies Division of NCA’s Outstanding Article Award is an annual award honoring an author or authors of an outstanding scholarly article published in the field of Communication that interrogates questions related to feminism, gender, sexuality, and/or women studies. The article should be nominated based on the originality of its contribution to the study of feminism, gender, and/or sexuality in communication and its commitment to intersectional analysis. To be eligible for this year's award, articles should have an official publication date that falls between January 2022 and May 2024. Articles published in scholarly journals or edited volumes will be considered. Nominations should include a copy of the article and a 1-2 page letter of nomination outlining the significance of the article for the study of feminism, gender, and/or sexuality in communication. Self-nominations are accepted. For consideration, all materials must be received by June 15, 2024. Nominees from previous years who were not selected previously may resubmit their nomination packets for consideration for up to three years.

Scholar-Activist Award

The Feminist and Gender Studies Division of NCA will honor a division member who has acted in communities or on their campuses to challenge, resist, or make progress in solving social injustice(s) that concerns scholars of feminism, gender, sexuality and/or women studies. We are especially interested in those nominees who address how multiple systems of oppression/exploitation interlock in their work/activism and who integrate the scholarly insights in their research and/or teaching with activist interventions. Nominations should include the nominee’s vita and a letter of nomination that narrates the significance of the scholar’s activism and how it may inform their own or other scholars’ work. For consideration, all materials must be received by June 15, 2024. Nominees from previous years who were not selected previously may resubmit their nomination packets for consideration for up to three years.

Group Communication Division

The Group Communication Division of the National Communication Association invites nominations for its annual awards.

The awards will be presented at the business meeting of the Group Communication Division at the 2024 NCA convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Submission Information:

All nomination materials for these awards should be uploaded as PDF files through the NCA National Office system.  If an e-copy of the book or monograph for the Ernest Bormann Research Award is not available, please email Matt Koschmann (koschmann@colorado.edu) to receive mailing addresses. All nominations and materials must be received by Friday, May 31st, 2024.

We greatly appreciate the labor of our 2024 Awards Committee:

Connie Yuan (3rd year)
Laura Martinez (2nd year)
Katie Kang (1st year)

Dennis Gouran Research Award

Dennis Gouran Research Award: Given to the author(s) of an outstanding article or chapter that focuses explicitly on group communication. The article or chapter can be published in a communication journal or edited book, an interdisciplinary journal or edited book, or a journal or edited book in another discipline. Self-nominations are encouraged.

A brief (150 words or less) summary that provides a rationale and explanation of the significance of the article or chapter to group communication theory, research, pedagogy, and/or other practice; and
A copy of the nominated article or chapter; and any published reviews of the nominated article or chapter.

General Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for this award, the article, chapter, or book must have a 2022-2023 copyright date;
Those submitting work for award consideration must be members of NCA’s Group Communication Division, or must join the Division prior to receiving an award.
Nominations will be evaluated by the Division’s awards committee with regard to the article, chapter, book, thesis, or dissertation advancing group communication theory, methods, pedagogy, and/or other practice (e.g., facilitation). In any given year, the awards committee shall review nominations for the award, and may forgo recognition based on the merits of the cases or the lack of nominees.

Ernest Bormann Research Award

Given to the author(s)/editor(s) of an outstanding scholarly book or monograph that focuses explicitly on group communication (textbooks are not eligible for this award). Self-nominations are encouraged.

A brief (150 words or less) summary that provides a rationale and explanation of the significance of the book or monograph to group communication theory, research, and/or practice;
Three copies of the nominated book or monograph; and
Any published reviews of the nominated book or monograph.

Laura Crowell Thesis/Dissertation Award

Laura Crowell Thesis/Dissertation Award: Given to the author of an outstanding thesis or dissertation that focuses explicitly on group communication. Nominations for this award should be submitted by a graduate advisor or committee member.

A brief (150 words or less) summary that provides a rationale and explanation of the significance of the thesis/dissertation to group communication theory, research, and/or practice; and
A 25–35-page abstract of the thesis or dissertation or a 25–35-page representative chapter of that work. Theses or dissertations must have been defended from 2022-2023.

Marshall Scott Poole Career Achievement Award

Marshall Scott Poole Career Achievement Award: Given to a scholar who has made outstanding, sustained contributions over the course of their career to the study of group communication. Because the award may be presented to individuals who are no longer active scholars (or awarded posthumously) but whose work has made exemplary contributions, the recipient need not be a current member of the Division, but there should be evidence of long-standing involvement with NCA and/or the Division.

Nominations for the Marshall Scott Poole Career Achievement Award should include: 

At least two letters of nomination from current or past NCA Group Communication Division members that address the judging criteria listed below;
The nominee’s most recent vitae; and 
Three article-length examples of scholarship that exemplify the quality of the nominee’s work.

Nominations for the Career Achievement Award will be judged on the following criteria:

Theoretical/Conceptual, Methodological, and/or Practical Impact: Describe the nominee’s corpus of work, explaining how the work has advanced the study of group communication. This statement must include evidence of the impact of the work on the field.
Awards & Other Recognition: List awards, grants, and other forms of recognition that the nominee has received for professional accomplishments that are relevant to this award.
Service: Cite offices, committees, and other examples of the nominee’s service to the Group Communication Division, NCA, and other professional associations; community groups; and organizations. When discussing service outside the Division, explain how the nominee’s involvement has advanced the interests and visibility of group communication scholarship.

During the year following the presentation of the Career Achievement Award, the Division’s program planner will organize a session at the NCA conference celebrating the work of the recipient. Those nominating the recipient, along with the recipient (when possible), will be asked to deliver presentations describing the recipient’s work.

Joann Keyton Service Award

Joann Keyton Service Award: Given to the member of the Group Communication Division that has demonstrated exemplary service to the division, NCA and the discipline. Self-nominations are encouraged.

A brief, 150 words or less, summary that provides a rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominees' contribution to the NCA Group Communication Division.
Abbreviated 5-10 page CV that details teaching, research and service activities in relation to the the study of group communication and the GCD of NCA
At least two letters of nomination from current or past NCA Group Communication Division members that demonstrate service to the division.

Health Communication Division

All awardees will be recognized at the Health Communication Division’s business meeting during the 2024 NCA convention.

For questions regarding submissions, please email Immediate Past Chair Dr. Leandra H. Hernandez, University of Utah at leandra.hernandez@utah.edu.

Distinguished Article/Chapter Award

The Distinguished Article/Chapter Award recognizes research that has made, or offers the promise of making, a significant contribution to scholarship in health communication theory, research, and/or practice. Articles/chapters become eligible for this award 5 years after the original publication date. Only articles/chapters published on or before 2019 are eligible.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) No more than 3 nomination or support letters giving a brief rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominated piece to the advancement of health communication theory, research, and/or practice; (b) An electronic copy of the article; and (c) Published reviews of the nominated work (if available). Self-nominations are welcome.

Distinguished Book Award

The Distinguished Book Award recognizes research that has made, or offers the promise of making, a significant contribution to scholarship in health communication theory, research, and/or practice. Textbooks are not eligible for the book award. Books become eligible for this award 5 years after the original publication date. Only books published on or before 2019 are eligible.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) No more than 3 nomination or support letters giving a brief rationale and explanation of the significance of the nominated piece to the advancement of health communication theory, research, and/or practice; (b) An electronic copy of the book; and (c) Published reviews of the nominated work (if available). Self-nominations are welcome.

Dale E. Brashers Distinguished Mentor Award

The Dale E. Brashers Distinguished Mentor Award recognizes significant contributions to the field of health communication through advocacy for the discipline and mentorship of its members. These contributions can take many forms, such as mentorship at the scholarly (e.g., role-modeling through exceptional scholarship, division leadership, etc.), institutional (e.g., development of health communication within a college or university), departmental (e.g., development of health communication within an academic department), and, perhaps most importantly, individual (e.g., teaching and mentorship of scholars who contribute to the broader discipline) levels.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) A rationale and explanation of the significance of nominee contributions to the field of health communication, institutions, departments, and/or individuals through the provision of exceptional mentorship; (b) The scholar’s vita; and (c) Optional letters of support for the nomination (maximum of three). Self-nominations are welcome.

Early Career Scholar Award

The Early Career Award recognizes a communication scholar who has made a substantial positive impact on health communication research, yet who is currently early in her/his career. Nominees should have a productive record of high-quality publications and show evidence of sustaining their upward scholarly trajectory. In addition, nominees’ research should be of theoretical significance to health communication, offer practical contributions, and demonstrate methodological strength.

There are three nomination criteria. The nominee must: a) have a PhD in Communication; b) have received her/his PhD within the last seven years (e.g., to receive the 2024 Early Career Award, the nominee should have earned a PhD between 2017-present); and c) be a member of NCA’s Health Communication Division the year that she/he is being nominated.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) A single, detailed letter of nomination addressing the aforementioned criteria; (b) The scholar’s vita; and (c) Five representative peer-reviewed publications. Self-nominations are welcome.

Outstanding Contributions to Promoting Equity and Inclusion Award

The Outstanding Contributions to Promoting Equity and Inclusion Award recognizes a division member who has clearly demonstrated excellence in promoting equity and inclusion in health communication. These contributions can take many forms, such as: (a) service to the discipline (e.g., promoting equity and inclusion within the Health Communication Division); (b) research (e.g., publications, conference papers, grants); (c) teaching and mentorship; (d) departmental/institutional service (e.g., promoting equity and inclusion within an academic department, college, or university); (e) outreach and impact such as public scholarship and having an impact on organizations/institutions (e.g., schools, colleges, health clinics, hospitals, non-profits), community groups, communities, health practices, and/or public policies; (f) activism and social justice work at any level.

To be eligible, the recipient must be a current member of the NCA Health Communication Division. Current Health Communication Division Executive Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DE&I) Committee members are not eligible for this award while in service to the Division.

The DE&I Committee will assess the nominees’ contributions in promoting equity and inclusion in terms of their ability to demonstrate: (a) The promotion of equitable inclusion in health communication (whether that be teaching, scholarship, practices, and/or the discipline); (b) Practices addressing marginalization by giving attention to inequities in power and participation based on one or more points of human difference; (c) Impact may include, for example: (1) Service to the discipline may include mentorship and leadership activities that enhance inclusivity and reduce barriers to equitable participation; (2) Research contributions may/should build understanding of previously underrepresented groups, revise existing theories and practices based on diverse voices, develop theories and practices that promote equity in health communication; (3) Teaching contributions should/may develop new or innovative methods for teaching issues of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in health communication, demonstrate excellence in addressing marginalization in health communication courses; this may include pedagogical publications that share such insights; (4) Outreach contributions should/may promote equitable practices of health communication, whether that be related to schools, community groups, communities, significant health practices, and/or public policies.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) a nomination letter (3 pages max) written by the nominee or a nominator that explains the significance of the nominee’s contributions to equity and inclusion; (b) the nominee's current CV; and (c) up to two supporting documents and up to three additional letters of support (from any source). Self-nominations are encouraged.

Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award

The Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award recognizes a significant and original contribution, in the form of a monograph, book, and/or program of research, to the study and application of the field of health communication.

There are five nomination criteria. The scholar’s work must have: (a) a significant and long-lasting effect on the field of health communication; (b) strong heuristic value; (c) influence over others’ work; (d) originality regarding theory, research, and/or practice; and (e) contributed to the development of health communication as a distinct field of study.

Although nominations are open to anyone who has made a significant contribution to the health communication field, preference is given to members of ICA’s and NCA’s Health Communication Divisions.

Please submit a single PDF nomination packet that includes: (a) A single, detailed letter of nomination addressing the aforementioned criteria; (b) The scholar’s vita; and (c) The single most influential or representative piece of work from the scholar. Self-nominations are welcome.

Interpersonal Communication Division

Please consider submitting nominations for the Interpersonal Communication Division awards. Winning scholars and scholarship will be celebrated at our 2024 business meeting in New Orleans. We welcome nominations from scholars across the Interpersonal Communication Division. We especially encourage nominations for research that serves marginalized identities and underrepresented populations, is authored by scholars whose work is underrepresented in interpersonal communication studies, work that makes connections beyond our division, engaged and applied scholarship, and research that draws from qualitative and/or artistic methods. The deadline for nominations for all awards is Friday, May 31, 2024.You may view the rubrics used by the award committees at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XkSXqvg24ZNr1KA3L5yWFUlQEdRacqJg/view

Send questions via email to

Dr. Jimmie Manning
Immediate Past Chair, Interpersonal Communication Division
jimmiem@unr.edu

Outstanding Thesis Award

This award honors the most outstanding MA thesis in interpersonal communication completed in the prior two-year period. To be eligible for the award given in 2024, the nominee must have successfully defended and deposited their thesis between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. At the time of the award, the author of the thesis must be a member of the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA. The selection committee will judge the thesis based upon the quality of the scholarship, including its conceptual or theoretical foundation, methodological rigor, originality and creativity, substantive contribution, and potential impact in the field. The award will be presented at the Interpersonal Communication Division’s annual business meeting at the NCA convention. The award winner will receive a plaque and a cash award.

The following materials are required for nomination: (a) a nomination letter, which may come from the advisor of the thesis, a member of the student’s committee, or a professional colleague, and must contain full contact information for the nominator including name, phone number, mailing address, and email address; (b) full contact information for the nominee and proof of completion of the thesis along with the defense date; (c) a one-page abstract of the thesis; and (d) a representative chapter, selected sections of the thesis, OR a paper distilling it, up to 30 (double-spaced) pages maximum, excluding references, tables, and figures. A nomination for this division award does not preclude the project from being nominated for awards in other divisions. Please submit via the NCA awards portal.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

This award honors the most outstanding doctoral dissertation in interpersonal communication completed in the prior two-year period. To be eligible for the award given in 2024, the nominee must have successfully defended and deposited their dissertation between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. At the time of the award, the author of the dissertation must be a member of the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA. The selection committee will judge the dissertation based upon the quality of the scholarship, including its conceptual or theoretical foundation, methodological rigor, originality and creativity, substantive contribution, and potential impact in the field. The award will be presented at the Interpersonal Communication Division’s annual business meeting at the NCA convention. The award winner will receive a plaque and a cash award.

The following materials are required for nomination: (a) a nomination letter, which may come from the advisor of the dissertation, a member of the student’s committee, or a professional colleague, and must contain full contact information for the nominator, including name, phone number, mailing address, and email address; (b) full contact information for the nominee and proof of completion of the dissertation along with the defense date; (c) a one-page abstract of the dissertation; and (d) a representative chapter, selected sections of the dissertation, OR a paper distilling it, up to 30 (double-spaced) pages maximum, excluding references, tables, and figures. A nomination for this division award does not preclude the project from being nominated for awards in other divisions or for the NCA dissertation award. Please submit the required materials to the NCA awards portal.

Early Career Award

This award honors a scholar who is still in the early part of their career yet who has already played an important role in shaping interpersonal communication research. To be eligible for this award, the scholar must be no more than eight years past receipt of the Ph.D. (that is, to be eligible for the award given in 2024, the scholar must have received the Ph.D. after January 1, 2016). The scholar’s body of work must contribute significantly to knowledge of interpersonal communication and show promise for continued contributions. This person must be a member of the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA at the time of the award.

The selection committee will judge a scholar’s contribution and promise based on productivity and the strength of the published work, including its theoretical or conceptual foundation, originality, methodological rigor, and impact. The award will be presented at the Interpersonal Communication Division’s annual business meeting at the NCA convention. The award winner will receive a plaque and a cash award. The following materials are required for the nomination: (a) only one nomination letter is required (self-nominations are strongly encouraged). Nominating letters must indicate how the scholar has contributed to interpersonal communication, including the qualities that are identified in the previous paragraph. The nomination letter must be no longer than two pages; (b) nominations must include the nominee’s vita; (c) nominations must include pdf copies of three representative examples from the nominee’s body of work. The awards committee may select up to two winners, and in the case of more than two exemplary nominees the committee has the opportunity to designate Honorable Mentions. Please submit all nomination materials via the NCA awards portal.

Franklin H. Knower Award

This award honors an outstanding article or book chapter, authored or co-authored by a member of the Interpersonal Communication Division, that has made a significant contribution to the field of interpersonal communication. It need not be published in an NCA journal (e.g., publications in other communication, psychology, or close relationships journals are eligible) and must have been published no earlier than 2019.

We accept only self-nominations from the author(s). Articles or chapters may be nominated by submitting a pdf copy of the article/chapter and a nomination letter that includes the complete citation information as well as a rationale for the nomination. The award will be presented at the Interpersonal Communication Division’s annual business meeting at the NCA convention where the award winner(s) will receive a plaque. In addition, the article and chapter will be highlighted on the biennial Miller/Knower Award Panel at the NCA convention either in the year it wins the award or in the following year. The committee may select one article and one book chapter for this award.

Gerald R. Miller Award

This award honors an outstanding book that has made a significant contribution to the field of interpersonal communication. The work nominated must have been written and/or edited by a member of the Interpersonal Communication Division and published no earlier than 2019. Authored and edited volumes are eligible for consideration, with an award being offered for each category.

We accept only self-nominations from the author(s). The awards will be presented at the Interpersonal Communication Division’s annual business meeting at the NCA convention where the award winners will receive a plaque. In addition, the books will be highlighted on the biennial Miller/Knower Award Panel at the NCA convention either in the year it wins the award or in the following year.

Books may be nominated by submitting a letter that includes complete bibliographic citation information and the ISBN number as well as a rationale for the nomination. A pdf copy of the book must also be submitted. If a pdf version is not available, please contact the immediate past chair of the division to work out a way to submit the book.

Latino/a Communication Studies Division and La Raza Caucus

The Latina/o Communication Studies Division and La Raza Caucus invites open and self-nominations for the following awards:

Submission Deadline

The submission deadline for all awards is Friday, May 31, 2024, by 11:59 pm Pacific. All nominations must be submitted via the NCA awards portal. Please contact Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Carlos Tarin (catarin@utep.edu), with any questions.

Membership Requirement

The membership requirement for all awardees is that they must be members of NCA and members of the Latina/o Communication Studies Division and La Raza Caucus at the time of nomination and award.

Córdova-Puchot Scholar of the Year Award

The Córdova-Puchot Scholar of the Year award recognizes a scholar who has achieved a high level of excellence across the four areas of teaching, research, service, and advocacy. Nominators should consider how nominees are making a space for critical research and activism that align with the mission of the Division and Caucus.

Application Requirements

A nomination letter.
An updated curriculum vitae.
Three letters of recommendation: one letter from a colleague and two letters from current students or students from past classes/institutions.

Award Nomination Criteria

The nominee demonstrates:

Scholarly productivity and holds a reputation as a strong scholar.
Engagement of issues of communication as they pertain to Latina/o communities.
Evidence of effective teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and/or graduate students (e.g., through letters).
Commitment to formal (preferable) or informal service to LCSD or LRC and/or to the broader Latina/o scholarly community.
Participation in Latina/o communities outside the university setting.
Advocacy efforts for the support of Latina/o communities, inside and/or outside of academia, beyond service roles.
Capacity of a balanced excellence across all four areas: teaching, research, service, and advocacy.

Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship Award

Application Requirements

A nomination letter
A teaching philosophy statement
Three letters of recommendation: one letter from a colleague and two letters from current students or students from past classes/institutions.

Award Nomination Criteria

The nominee demonstrates

Mastery of classroom instruction that incorporates new ideas, research, and development, ideally in relation to Latinidad.
Commitment to equity among students so as to promote cultural awareness as well as to encourage social justice sensibilities.
Currency in inclusive pedagogy that employs methods, theories, and/or topics from the Communication discipline and/or from the Latina/o Communication Studies Division and La Raza Caucus.
Evidence of impact upon mentees that develops healthy academic relationships, that stimulates intellectual curiosity, and that establishes disciplinary skillsets so as to foster new teachers, scholars, and practitioners

Outstanding Book Award

Application Requirements

A nomination letter.
A digital copy of the publication. Please email Raisa Alvarado (raisa.alvarado@csusb.edu) if you only have hard copies of the book being nominated.

Award Nomination Criteria

Book must

have a publication date from within the past three years (May 2021- May 2024).
be a single-authored or co-authored monograph or edited volume
significantly advance Latina/o/x Communication Studies research and inquiry (i.e., an area that has been understudied and/or explores new questions).
break new ground in Latina/o/x Communication Studies theories, methods, and/or praxis (i.e., creating new areas for research that have not yet been explored and/or creating future lines of inquiry).
substantively engage with matters of Latina/o/x identity and Latinidad (i.e., Avoids claims that universalize and homogenize understandings of Latinidad).
offer practical and theoretical insight into the lived experiences of Latina/o/x people and/or communities.
be written in a clear, accessible, and evocative style in relation to its intended audience.

Outstanding Book Chapter Award

Application Requirements

A nomination letter.
A digital copy of the publication.

Award Nomination Criteria

Book chapter must

have been published within the past twelve months (May 2023- May 2024).
if a print book chapter, have a print date of publication between July 2023 and July 2024 (i.e., not the date the article appears online).
if an e-book chapter, have a date of release online between July 2023 and July 2024.
significantly advance Latina/o/x Communication Studies research and inquiry (i.e., an area that has been understudied and/or explores new questions).
break new ground in Latina/o/x Communication Studies theories, methods, and/or praxis (i.e., creating new areas for research that have not yet been explored and/or creating future lines of inquiry).
substantively engage with matters of Latina/o/x identity and Latinidad (i.e., Avoids claims that universalize and homogenize understandings of Latinidad).
offer practical and theoretical insight into the lived experiences of Latina/o/x people and/or communities.
be written style is clear, accessible, and evocative in relation to its intended audience.

Outstanding Journal Article Award

Application Requirements

A nomination letter.
A digital copy of the publication.

Award Nomination Criteria

Journal article must

have been published within the past twelve months (May 2023- May 2024).
if a print article, have a print date of publication between May 2023 and May 2024 (i.e., not the date the article appears online).
if an electronic article, have a date of release online between May 2023 and May 2024.
significantly advance Latina/o/x Communication Studies research and inquiry (i.e., an area that has been understudied and/or explores new questions).
break new ground in Latina/o/x Communication Studies theories, methods, and/or praxis (i.e., creating new areas for research that have not yet been explored and/or creating future lines of inquiry).
substantively engage with matters of Latina/o/x identity and Latinidad (i.e., Avoids claims that universalize and homogenize understandings of Latinidad).
offer practical and theoretical insight into the lived experiences of Latina/o/x people and/or communities.

Mass Communication Division

NCA's Mass Communication Division Invites Nominations for 2024 Awards. The Mass Communication Division is now accepting nominations for teaching, service, and dissertation awards. Award descriptions and nominating instructions are below.

All awards will be presented at NCA's Mass Communication Division Business Meeting at the November 2024 convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. For more information about the conference, please refer to: http://www.natcom.org/convention/

Questions should be directed to the Vice Chair-Elect: Cassandra Alexopoulos: c.alexopoulos@umb.edu

Dissertation Award

The MCD Dissertation Award is designed to recognize the outstanding doctoral dissertation in the field of Mass Communication. Nominations should reflect the division's focus, which seeks to enhance understanding of the structure, content, function, interpretation, and effects of our complex media environment. To be eligible for the award, the dissertation must have been officially completed (i.e., defended and filed) between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024.

Nominations should be made by the dissertation advisor or a member of the Mass Communication Division of NCA. The nomination packet should include a nomination letter speaking to the intellectual and academic merit of the dissertation, a 500-word (maximum) abstract of the dissertation, the dissertation table of contents, and one dissertation chapter considered to be representative of the manuscript. (Complete dissertations will not be accepted.)

Consolidate the nomination letter, abstract, table of contents, and dissertation chapter in a single .pdf

Service Award

The MCD Service Award is designed to recognize excellence in service, using the term "service" in a broad sense. To be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and the MCD, must have served the NCA and MCD in a number of capacities, and must have evidence of exemplary service to several of the following: NCA, MCD, their profession, their community, their department, and/or their college/university. Self-nomination is encouraged in addition to nominations by others. The nomination packet should include the Nomination Form, a list of three references with contact information (note: names and contact information are required, reference letters are optional), and the nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV).

To be considered for the teaching or service awards, complete the following by Friday, May 31, 2024:

fill out the application form (for teaching or service)
collect all other nomination materials
consolidate the application form and all other nomination materials into a single .pdf

Teaching Award

The MCD Teaching Award is designed to recognize excellence in teaching, using the term "teacher" in a broad sense. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and the MCD, must have taught for over ten years (post-graduate), and must have evidence of outstanding teaching, which can be demonstrated through evaluations and testimonials or formal recognition for teaching excellence by the nominee’s department, unit, college/university, or other group or association. This includes, but is not limited to awards, merit evaluations, student recognition, etc. Self-nomination is encouraged in addition to nominations by others.

The nomination packet should include the Nomination Form, a list of three references with contact information (note: names and contact information are required, reference letters are optional), and the nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV).

Organizational Communication Division

The Organizational Communication Division of NCA invites nominations from Division members for several awards addressing outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service. For 2024, NCA is implementing a new awards system for all award submissions and reviews. To comply with the new system, all nominations will be due by May 31, 2024. 

The Organizational Communication Division will celebrate up to four research awards for outstanding scholarly monograph, edited volume, textbook, and journal article or book chapter. The service engagement award will honor one member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and external engagement that has resulted in significant community transformation. Finally, we will grant annual awards for outstanding teachers (at the following four levels of instruction: graduate student instructor, fixed-term faculty, tenure-track faculty and tenured faculty), as well as the award for outstanding mentorship.  

All award recipients will be announced during the Division business meeting at the 2024 NCA convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ideally, award winners should plan to attend the conference in person to receive their award. If attendance is not possible, please notify the Awards Chair in advance.  

Please first review (1) the General Eligibility Criteria for Awards and (2) General Instructions for Nomination/Self-Nomination, and then (3) the Specific Selection Criteria and Nomination Procedure of the award for which you would like to submit a nomination. Thank you for your time and your willingness to nominate a colleague or yourself for these Division Awards! 

General Eligibility Criteria for Awards: 

The Award Nominee must be an NCA member (i.e., a current member or a member during the eligibility period). If multiple nominees are involved for the award (e.g., multiple authors on a journal article or book), then at least one of the nominees must be a member of NCA. 
Self-nominations are greatly encouraged for each of the awards.
No individual can be nominated for more than TWO submissions for each of the research awards (viz., monograph, edited volume, textbook, journal article/book chapter). 
For the Outstanding Article or Book Chapter award, the nominated articles must have been published between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024. To qualify, we will refer to the print date of publication for print journals (i.e., not the date the article appears online) and the date of release online for electronic-only journals. 
For the Book awards (viz., monograph, edited volume, textbook), the nominated books must have been published between 2022 and 2024. Books nominated previously, but which did not win earlier, must be re-nominated to be considered for this year’s award.

General Instructions for Nomination or Self-Nomination: 

All nominations and self-nominations should contain a brief nominating statement, where needed, and any required supporting material.
Please note that nominating statements for only the teaching, service engagement, and mentorship awards will accompany the awards materials to the reviewers. Nominating statements for the research awards (viz. monograph, edited volume, textbook, journal article/book chapter) will not accompany the research materials to the reviewers and will thus not influence the actual awards selection.
Please review the specific instructions for nominating each award below.
All questions may be directed to the Division’s Awards Chair, Marianne LeGreco, at ncaocdawards@gmail.com or melegrec@uncg.edu.
All nominations will be submitted through NCA’s award submission system.

Outstanding Edited Volume Award

The Outstanding Edited Volume will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: 

Groundbreaking: how does it new and notable advancements both conceptually and theoretically (e.g., how does it demonstrate original and transformative ideas to make a difference in how we think about, research, teach or otherwise “do” organizational communication?) 
Scholarly Rigor: how do the chapters demonstrate scholarly rigor and exemplify the best work in the field? (e.g., if empirical, are the arguments, methods, and analysis sound and sophisticated; if theoretical, is the assessment thorough and meticulous?) 
Contribution: how does it make a social and/or practical contribution to the application and/or study of organizational communication?
Cohesion and Clarity: how do the chapters connect together to tell a cohesive story about the issue(s) under study? Also, how is the volume inclusive of, clear and accessible to diverse audiences?

Please note that the Outstanding Edited Volume Award honors both the editors and the contributing authors to the volume. If fewer than three books are nominated in a given year, the award may be held over until the following year. 

Please email the Awards Chair for a list of subcommittee member names and mailing addresses. The physical/hard copies of the books must be received by the members by June 15, 2024. If hard copies are not available, an electronic copy is equally acceptable.  

Outstanding Journal Article or Book Chapter Award

The Outstanding Journal Article or Book Chapter will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: 

Groundbreaking: how does it make new and notable advancements both conceptually and theoretically (e.g., how does it demonstrate original and transformative ideas to make a difference in how we think about, research, teach or otherwise “do” organizational communication?) 
Scholarly Rigor: how does it demonstrate scholarly rigor and exemplify the best work in the field? (e.g., if empirical, are the methods, and analysis sound and sophisticated; if theoretical, is the assessment thorough and meticulous?) 
Contribution: how does it make a social and/or practical contribution to the application and/or study of organizational communication? 
Clarity: how is it inclusive of, clear and accessible to diverse audiences?

To nominate, please submit (1) a nominating statement and (2) a PDF of the article, to the NCA award system by May 31, 2024.

Outstanding Mentorship Award

Both the outstanding teaching and mentor award winners will be invited to participate in a teaching and mentoring panel featuring their exemplary contributions at the 2024 National Communication Association Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana from November 21-24, 2024. The panel may be scheduled as early as Thursday, November 21, 2024. We encourage nominators to check with teaching and mentoring nominees to ensure they can attend the panel on the scheduled date and time.

There are specific eligibility criteria for nominees to the Outstanding Mentorship Award:  

Nominees may demonstrate excellence as a mentor in either formal or informal capacities, for either undergraduate and/or graduate students.
Nominations are encouraged among all academic ranks (which includes all levels of the professoriate, fixed-term faculty, lecturers, graduate students, and instructors).
The nomination should come from someone well acquainted with the nominee’s qualifications for the Mentorship Award (e.g., prior/current mentee, colleague who has observed the nominee’s mentorship). Self-nominations are also encouraged.

Strong nominations will speak to the qualitative and meaningful impact or influence in the lives of current/former mentees. Selection criteria for the Outstanding Mentor are based on their ability to: 

Demonstrate student-centeredness in goal setting and attainment.
Engage in advocacy for student development, equity, access, and inclusion (e.g., curriculum, accommodations, programmatic opportunities).
Cultivate a culture of inclusiveness with colleagues and students.
Offer opportunities for students to engage in research, teaching and/or field projects (e.g., faculty research/teaching, community-based projects, student-led research) 
Help students identify, access, and utilize resources and connections throughout the mentoring relationship (e.g., nominating students for awards, facilitating career development, expanding student networking, leading students in service or experiential learning, students have excelled in their academics, won awards due to research, co-authored publications, achieved occupational success)

Please note that nominees who are not awarded in any given year will have their nominations carried over into the subsequent year, for an additional two years. In any given year, the selection committee may determine to award more than one nominee. 

To nominate, please submit the following materials to the NCA awards system by May 31, 2024: (1) Statement of mentorship philosophy and evidence of practice, not exceeding 600 words, which should address the eligibility and selection criteria listed above; (2) one letter of support from a previous mentee who can speak to the criteria.

Outstanding Scholarly Monograph Award

The Outstanding Scholarly Monograph will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

Groundbreaking: how does it make new and notable advancements both conceptually and theoretically (e.g., how does it demonstrate original and transformative ideas to make a difference in how we think about, research, teach or otherwise “do” organizational communication?) 
Scholarly Rigor: how does it demonstrate scholarly rigor and exemplify the best work in the field? (e.g., if empirical, are the arguments, methods, and analysis sound and sophisticated; if theoretical, is the assessment thorough and meticulous?) 
Contribution: how does it make a social and/or practical contribution to the application and/or study of organizational communication? 
Clarity: how is it inclusive of, clear and accessible to diverse audiences?

Please note that if fewer than three books are nominated in a given year, the award may be held over until the following year.  

Outstanding Service Engagement Award

The Outstanding Service Engagement Awardee will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: 

Transformative Impact: how does the nominee exemplify outstanding teaching and external engagement that has resulted in significant community transformation? 
Engagement: how does the nominee demonstrate a commitment to one of the Division’s most valued missions, “to prepare students to participate in their communities and workplaces in a more informed way"? 
Scholarship: how does the nominee demonstrate their extended scholarship beyond the normal demands of the classroom or institutional service to participate in community renewal; and/or economic, political; or social empowerment of minoritized populations? 
Collaboration: how does the nominee demonstrate collaboration with students in ways that foster civic engagement and academic learning?

To nominate, please submit the following materials to the NCA awards system by May 31, 2024: with (1) a statement of nomination that addresses the four selection criteria noted above; and (2) No more than 5 supporting documents, such as letters of support and other evidence of community transformation. 

Outstanding Teaching Award

An award for Outstanding Teaching will be distributed to individuals in each of the following four categories: one graduate teaching assistant (instructor of record), one fixed-term teacher, one tenure-track teacher, and one tenured teacher. 

There are specific eligibility criteria to be considered for nominees to the Outstanding Teaching Award:  

Nominees must have a part-time or full-time teaching assignment at an institute of higher education at the time of nomination. 
This award carries a specific focus on undergraduate courses of organizational communication; however, graduate teaching efforts may also be submitted for consideration. 
The award was created to honor superlative teaching in classes and topic areas related to organizational communication, so that nominations pertaining to classes addressing allied subject matter (e.g., organizational behavior, business communication, professional public speaking) will also be eligible. 
The nomination should come from someone well acquainted with the nominee’s qualifications for the Teaching Award (e.g., prior/current student, colleague who has observed the nominee teach). Self-nominations are also encouraged.

Selection criteria for the Outstanding Teachers are based on their ability to:

Address the needs of a variety of students.
Show evidence of impact on students.
Incorporate depth and/or breadth of the field of organizational communication in their teaching.
Demonstrate the incorporation of diverse course design elements.
Demonstrate leadership in organizational communication pedagogy.  
Engage in a variety of content delivery and/or teaching methods/techniques.

Nominees may demonstrate these criteria in a number of ways, including  (but not limited to): success teaching a wide variety of students (e.g., adult  learners, underrepresented students); cultivating a diverse, inclusive and  equitable classroom environment; experience with high-impact educational  practices (e.g., learning communities, writing-intensive classes, common  scholarly experiences, experiential/community-engaged learning); applied  focus along with critical inquiry; diffusion of organizational communication  pedagogy through, for instance, publications about teaching, leading  workshops, and mentoring novice teachers; evidence of incorporating  diverse curricular content (e.g., multimedia content, variety of subject matter)  or teaching delivery formats (e.g., in-person, online, hybrid, flipped courses);  creative course design; and any additional materials that demonstrate their holistic excellence in teaching organizational communication. 

To nominate, please submit the following materials to the NCA awards system by May 31, 2024: (1) a letter of nomination, not exceeding 850 words, which should address the eligibility and selection criteria listed above; (2) one Course Syllabus (nominees may provide a brief explanation of the course for which they  are submitting a syllabus); (3) one Assignment Description along with a rubric or  other evaluation mechanism (if available), (4) a current CV from the nominee.

Outstanding Textbook Award

There are specific eligibility criteria to be considered for the Outstanding Textbook Award. These include:  

The book’s primary audience should be students, instead of researchers and practitioners, with the bulk of sales coming from undergraduate college courses; 
The book should contain conventional distinguishing features of textbooks, such as discussion questions, classroom activities, learning objectives, keywords and definitions, or case studies;  
The book’s purpose is not to present groundbreaking work that contains new research/information, but to provide overviews and syntheses of previously published theory, research, and strategies for use of such theory/research.

Additionally, the book may be designed around special topics or issues, such as organizational communication and ethics in the classroom. Textbook nominations may include first editions or revisions, provided the work has not received the division's book award previously. Once you are satisfied that the nominated book meets the above eligibility criteria, please note the following award selection criteria and the nomination procedure.

Selection criteria for the Outstanding Textbook Award are:  

Synthesis: how does it provide syntheses of organizational communication theory and research in ways that facilitate students' understandings and analyses of work and other organizational experiences? For example, does it make a difference in how we use organizational communication theory and research to work through everyday organizational issues? 
Originality: how does it demonstrate (1) original frameworks for theory and research presentation, and (2) exemplify the best work of the field? 
Practicality: how does it make a social and/or practical contribution to the application of organizational communication? 
Scholarly Rigor: how does it evidence scholarly rigor? For example, is the assessment and analysis of research and theory thorough and meticulous?  
Accessibility: how does it strive to be clear and accessible to a diverse body of students? 
Utility: how is it amenable (i.e., useful, helpful, efficacious) to/in actual classroom implementation? 
Supplements (if available): how do its supplementary features facilitate the learning process (e.g., formatting, explicit and highlighted definitions of key terms, learning objectives, discussion questions, classroom activities, case studies and spotlights on scholars, workbooks, or websites). Please note that the selection subcommittee will consider the relevance of supplementary features even when they are not directly constructed by the author.  
Diversity: how does it include and address the diversity of people, organizations and organizing practices around the world? This could include attention to, for example, visual and linguistic representation, and citing/using diverse epistemologies.

Please note that If fewer than three books are nominated in a given year, the award may be held over until the following year. 

To nominate, please (1) submit a nominating statement to the NCA award system by May 31, 2024, and (2) ask the book publisher to mail physical/hard copies of the book to the Awards Chair and each of the awards selection subcommittee members.

Please email the Awards Chair for a list of subcommittee member names and mailing addresses. The physical/hard copies of the books must be received by the members by June 15, 2024. If hard copies are not available, an electronic copy is equally acceptable.

Thank you for celebrating the work of our Organizational Communication Division members. Again, please remember that all nominations will be routed through NCA’s awards system. Please direct all questions to the Awards Chair, Marianne LeGreco, at ncaocdawards@gmail.com or melegrec@uncg.edu. We look forward to seeing you this year back in New Orleans!!

Performance Studies Division

Leslie Irene Coger Award for Distinguished Performance

The Leslie Irene Coger Award recognizes outstanding careers in performance. Nominees may be directors, producers, teachers, or performers and must be members of NCA. The award, in exceptional cases, may be given to performers of a single or a smaller body of performance. 

The recipient will be recognized at the awards ceremony during the NCA Annual Convention and will receive a plaque and a monetary award of $500.  
Nominations must be submitted by someone well acquainted with the scholarship/body of work. Self-nominations are also encouraged. Nominees must be current members of NCA. 

The nomination must include the following materials:

A nomination letter recommending the person for the award, limited to two pages and providing a detailed rationale for why the person should receive the award.
The nominee’s curriculum vitae.
Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the nominee’s qualifications. Letters must be submitted separately by the recommenders through the nomination portal.

Lila A. Heston Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Interpretation and Performance Studies

The award recognizes NCA members who have published research and creative scholarship in interpretation and performance studies. The scholarship recognized by the award is broadly defined to include the spectrum of scholarship expressed through Text and Performance Quarterly (TPQ). While TPQ is to serve as a model for defining the scope of the award, the scholarship recognized by the award may be published in any NCA journal, a major research or literary journal of another association or organization, in book or monograph form, or media other than a print, such as, but not limited to, live performance, film, videotape, photography, audiotape, and radio. The award is given to authors of scholarship published during the previous three-year period. The date of copyright of the published material will serve as the date of publication. 

The recipient will be recognized at the awards ceremony during the NCA Annual Convention and will receive a plaque and monetary award of $500.   

Nominations must be submitted by someone well acquainted with the scholarship. Self-nominations are also encouraged. Nominees must be current members of NCA. 

The nomination must include the following materials:

A nomination letter specifying the scholarship (e.g., publisher or journal name, publication date).
A detailed rationale for why the scholarship should receive the award.
Three copies or examples of the scholarship (when possible).

Public Relations Divison

PRIDE Award

NCA PRD invites you to nominate books and articles for the NCA Public Relations Division’s annual PRIDE awards.

Nominations are welcome for outstanding journal article, outstanding book or monograph, and outstanding contribution to public relations education. Any member of the NCA Public Relations Division may submit nominations or self-nominations. All submissions should have a clear focus on public relations.

The awards will be presented at the annual convention of the National Communication Association NCA conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the PRD Business Meeting.
Previous award winners’ articles and books have proven to be some of the most important works in the field. The PRIDE awards date back to at least 1989 and are designed to recognize achievement in public relations research and education.
 
Award decisions are made by a panel of five judges that include the immediate past chair of the division (Chelsea Woods), who also chairs the committee, and four other members nominated and elected by the division (this year’s committee: Chuqing Dong, Imran Mazid, Christopher McCollough, and Gayle Pohl).  

The committee automatically reviews all articles from the previous year published in Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research, and Public Relations Journal but accepts nominations and considers public relations articles published in other journals. The committee’s primary focus is on works from NCA Public Relations Division members.

We look forward to your participation and reading the great scholarship our PRD members produce!

The 2024 Pride Committee Members,

Chelsea Woods, Virginia Tech
Chuqing Dong, Michigan State University
Imran Mazid, Grand Valley State University
Chris McCollough, Jacksonville State University
Gayle Pohl, University of Northern Iowa

The PRIDE Awards cover articles or books that were published during the time period from August 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. Only published articles may be considered; articles that are still “in press,” etc., should not be submitted for consideration until they are actually published.

To nominate or self-nominate an article, please upload a copy of the article being nominated (for journals other than those mentioned above) to NCA’s Open Water platform. Please include a short note in support of the article and explain why it should be considered.

To nominate or self-nominate a book, please submit your nomination to NCA’s Open Water platform. Provide a short note in support of the book and explain why it should be considered. In addition, please contact the author(s) and ask him/her/them to contact their publisher and arrange to have copies sent to the PRIDE committee members or send them yourself. Paper copies are preferred. Books are not returned. Please contact Chelsea Woods (clwoods@vt.edu) to obtain the mailing addresses of the committee members. 

To nominate or self-nominate outstanding contributions to public relations education, please submit the nomination via NCA’s Open Water platform. This category of the PRIDE award may be used to recognize an influential text or to recognize lifetime achievement in public relations education. For texts, please provide a description of the text and its contributions to public relations education and arrange for copies of the text to be sent to the PRIDE committee. For individuals, please provide a description of why the individual is worthy of the PRIDE lifetime achievement award.

Student Section

Please consider submitting nominations for the Student Section awards, which will be celebrated at our 2024 business meeting in New Orleans. We are particularly excited to announce a new award that will recognize graduate student contributions to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access through research, teaching, and community engagement. Please consider nominating for the inaugural student section IDEA award! We welcome nominations from student scholars across NCA and encourage nominations for student scholars who identify with marginalized identities and underrepresented populations, draws from scholarship and teaching by researchers in these groups, as well as that which makes connections beyond our section. We encourage self-nominations, peer nominations, and faculty nominations. Current officers of the Student Section may not be nominated for an award. Nominees must be current students at time of nomination. Criteria for each award is outlined below. Awards will be selected by the Award Committee, chaired by the Past Chair of the Student Section, based on the criteria below and supporting documents provided.

Graduate Student Teaching Award

The Graduate Student Teaching Award recognizes outstanding graduate instructors at all levels of post-secondary education. This award celebrates the accomplishments of excellent graduate student instruction and recognizes that teaching Communication Studies is a foundational step in one’s graduate career. The Award Committee will select the winner based on proof of teaching innovation, creativity, originality, rigor, and impact. To be considered, nomination materials should include:  

Eligibility

Teaching assistants, recitation/lab/section instructors, instructors of record, and graduate students at all levels (MA, Ph.D., EdD, etc.).
Must have held student or candidate status in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supporting Documents

Full contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address.
CV/Resume
Teaching Philosophy (1000 words max)
Record/Proof of Teaching Excellence (including but not limited to evaluations, certifications, sample teaching documents, etc.)
Two nomination letters (one from a student [peer or undergrad] and one from a faculty/staff). Letters must contain full contact information for the nominators including name, phone number, and email address.
Any other supporting documents that would show evidence of teaching excellence

Graduate Student Research Award

The Graduate Student Research Award recognizes outstanding graduate student research. This award celebrates the accomplishments of excellent graduate student research and recognizes that Communication Studies focused research is a foundational step in one’s graduate career. The Award Committee will select the winner based on innovative or creative research, methodological rigor, authorship, and cohesive research agendas. To be considered, nomination materials should include:  

Eligibility

Graduate students at all levels (MA, PhD, EdD, etc.).
Must have held student or candidate status in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supporting Documents

Full contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address.
CV/Resume
Research Statement (1000 words max)
Sample of Research (published preferred, but unpublished/in the process of is accepted)
Two nomination letters (one from a peer/student and one from a faculty/staff). Letters must contain full contact information for the nominators including name, phone number, and email address.
Any other supporting documents that would show evidence of research excellence

Graduate Student Service Award

The Graduate Student Service Award recognizes outstanding and dedicated graduate student service to national, regional, state, or local communities within and outside of the discipline. This award celebrates the service of graduate students at all levels of service, and recognizes the work done by students on committees, panels, boards, etc.. This award also celebrates the fortitude, application, and outreach of graduate students, which is foundational to sharing the knowledge from our discipline to the world. The Award Committee will select the winner based on service contributions by the student, populations reached, and innovative or creative applications of knowledge. To be considered, nomination materials should include:  

Eligibility: 

Graduate students at all levels (MA, PhD, EdD, etc.).
Must have held student or candidate status in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supporting Documents:

Full contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address.
CV/Resume
Statement of Service Work (1000 words max)
Two nomination letters (one from a peer/student and one from a faculty/staff). Letters must contain full contact information for the nominators including name, phone number, and email address.
Any other supporting documents that would show evidence of research excellence

Graduate Student Mentorship Award

The Graduate Student Research Award recognizes outstanding graduate student mentors for the socialization, mentorship, and comradery provided to other graduate student peers. This award celebrates the compassion, insight, and leadership of graduate students who act as mentors for younger/new graduate students or undergraduate students. The Award Committee will select the winner based on willingness to share knowledge, skills, and expertise, a clear interest in mentoring others, ability to provide guidance and constructive feedback, and ability to foster supportive climates/environments for graduate students. To be considered, nomination materials should include:  

Eligibility: 

Graduate students at all levels (MA, PhD, EdD, etc.).
Must have held student or candidate status in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supporting Documents:

Full contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address.
At least three nomination letters (two from a peer/undergraduate student who is a mentee, and one from a faculty/staff who has witnessed mentorship). Letters must contain full contact information for the nominators including name, phone number, and email address.
Any other supporting documents that would show evidence of mentorship excellence

Graduate Student Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award

The National Communication Association defines diversity as a fair and just commitment to equity, access, and inclusion for all persons. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Award recognizes outstanding graduate student engagement with inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in their research, teaching, and/or service endeavors. This work may reflect the application of communication theories, pedagogy, or direct action to create positive community change. The Award Committee will select the winner based on their demonstrated impact, creativity, and dedication to promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.

Eligibility:

Graduate students of all levels (MA, PhD, EdD, etc.).
Must have held student or candidate status in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supporting Documents:

Full contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address.
CV/Resume
Diversity Statement (1000 words max)
Two nomination letters (one from a peer/student and one from a faculty/staff). Letters must contain full contact information for the nominators including name, phone number, and email address.
Any other supporting documents that demonstrate commitment to diversity efforts.

Don't see the Interest Group you're looking for on this page? Visit the Interest Group Homepage to contact the chair of your desired interest group and inquire about their awards process.