Graduate Student Paper Prize – 2025 Guidelines
The Graduate Student Prize of the Society for Christian Scholarship in Music is awarded annually to a graduate student for a scholarly paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society. Any individual or panel paper by a graduate student whose abstract is accepted by the program committee, who is a member of SCSM when the prize application is submitted, and who delivers the paper at the annual meeting is eligible for the prize (lecture-recital programs are not eligible for this prize). The prize recipient will be recognized with a citation at the annual meeting, be featured in the SCSM Newsletter, and receive a $250 award.
Application guidelines
Applicants should submit the following materials:
1. The complete text of the paper as it will be delivered. Please adhere to these guidelines:
· The text should be double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins in MS Word or PDF format, and should not exceed 2,500 words (excluding any footnotes, if used).
· If applicable, please include any visual materials (i.e. a handout, or PowerPoint images). These can be included in the text file, or sent as a separate PDF, with callouts as needed within the text. Please do not send audio/video materials, but do indicate audio/video examples with callouts in the body of the paper, and include the timing for each audio example.
· The paper should be carefully timed to stay within the 25-minute presentation limit. Please note that the time needed to play any audio/video examples should be counted as part of the 25-minute limit, and the word count adjusted accordingly.
2. A statement from the student’s academic advisor affirming that the applicant held graduate-student status on the proposal submission deadline of November 1, 2024. The advisor should email this brief confirmation statement directly to the Chair of the Graduate Student Paper Prize Committee, Dr. Cathy Elias (Cathy.Elias@gmail.com), by March 3, 2025.
The Graduate Student Paper Prize Committee evaluates the submissions as papers to be read at the annual meeting rather than as articles to be published. While scholarly apparatus such as notes and bibliography may be included, they are not required and will not be a prime consideration of the evaluation. For this reason, principal intellectual debts should be acknowledged in the body of the paper.
All materials must be submitted electronically by 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 3, 2025 (10 days prior to the annual meeting), and directed to the Chair of the Graduate Student Prize Committee, Dr. Cathy Elias (Cathy.Elias@gmail.com). In the subject heading, please write SCSM graduate student prize. The application deadline is final, and no extensions will be granted. Early applications are encouraged.