Call for nominations for 2024
The Visual Communication Studies Division is currently accepting nominations and self-nominations for the divisional Top Dissertation Award. This award recognizes exceptional doctoral research in the field that enhances our understanding of visual communication, provides new insights, and is grounded in visual theory and methodology. Nominations are open to a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, topics, and forms of visual communication.
To be eligible for consideration, candidates must be a member of the VCS Division, and their dissertations must have been defended within the three calendar years preceding the award year (2021, 2022, 2023 for the 2024 award). The award winner will be recognized at the VCS Division’s business meeting during the annual ICA conference.
Please note that according to ICA policy, submitters can only choose one division/interest group to which they submit their dissertation for a division/interest group dissertation award.
Nomination procedure
The nomination packet should be submitted via email to Shahira S Fahmy, the Vice-Chair of the ICA Visual Communication Studies Division, at shahira.fahmy@aucegypt.edu no later than March 1, 2024. Please use the subject line “VCS Top Dissertation Award”. All application materials must be in English.
Nomination materials:
Submissions that don’t comply with the guidelines will be disqualified.
All nominators must submit one PDF containing all of the following:
- A cover letter with the name, affiliation, and contact information of the nominee, as well as the name(s) of their advisor(s) and the date of the dissertation defense.
- A manuscript that serves as an integrated summary of the dissertation, not exceeding 30 pages of text (double-spaced, one-inch margins on all sides), and 50 pages in total (including references, tables, appendix, etc.). The summary paper should describe the rationale of the study, the theoretical framework, research questions, relevant literature, methods, key findings, main conclusions, and the original contribution to the field of visual communication studies. If the doctoral research was conducted as part of a larger team-based project, the candidate should acknowledge this and specify their individual role(s) in the process.
- The manuscript can be specifically written for the award submission or a compilation of appropriate sections from the dissertation. The summary paper should include a separate title page with only the title and a 150-word abstract.
- Two supporting letters from faculty mentors. One of these letters must be a nomination from the dissertation advisor, including a statement that articulates the contribution of the work to the field and its suitability for the award.
Evaluation procedure
The award committee, coordinated by the Vice-Chair of the VCS Division, will review all nomination materials submitted for the award. Each submission will be evaluated based on criteria such as the strength of the argument or evidence presented, theoretical and methodological rigor, level of innovation, and relevance and overall contribution to the field of visual communication studies.
If you have any questions regarding the award, please contact shahira.fahmy@aucegypt.edu.
ICA Visual Communication Studies 