2027 Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Doctoral Dissertation Award
Call for Nominations
The International Institute for Qualitative Inquiry is pleased to announce the Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Doctoral Dissertation Award. In honor of Norman Denzin, this award is given for outstanding dissertations, which extend our thinking about the possibilities of qualitative research and the implementation of justice. The awards committee will thus look for dissertations that contribute to thought and to action relevant to the establishment of social justice, and that demonstrate innovative research practices, combined with innovative use of contemporary theory.
Submission guidelines
Applications will be assessed in terms of the following criteria:
- The successful development of new and/or traditional writing forms, which may include art-making and other creative practices. Such writing forms include, but are not limited to, autoethnography, collective biography, poetry, narrative, performance, arts-based, and post-qualitative approaches to inquiry etc.;
- Successful elaboration of the theoretical approach adopted–which may be, for example, poststructural, postmodern, post-humanist, decolonial, anti-racist, feminist, queer, gender plurality etc.;
- Evidence of the deployment of innovative, justice-oriented research strategies that work toward ameliorative social transformation and ongoing response-ability, such as decolonial, anti-racist, feminist, queer strategies, economic justice approaches, and ecology approaches, etc.;
- Clear articulation of the relevance of the groups, or places focussed on, for example, children, youth, refugees, immigrants, subordinated members of mainstream cultures, non-human subjects with/in the environment, and so on;
- An interesting, innovative approach to a field of study, where fields of study may include, for example, public discourse practices, systems of government and their impacts, education, public health, environmental studies, therapy, and policy studies, etc;
- And last but not least, clarity of writing.
All applicants are eligible, provided they have successfully defended their doctoral dissertations within the past three years (calendar years 2024-2026). Receiving or being considered for other Congress awards does not preclude an applicant from applying for this award.
Applications are due December 1, 2026.
The award is sponsored by MAXQDA/VERBI Software. The awards will be announced at ICQI in May 2027. During the Congress award winners will be showcased in a spotlight panel, where they will be able to present a paper drawn from their dissertation.
Award winners will be announced by Monday, 1st March, 2027
Applicants must submit one (1) electronic copy of the following documents:
- A cover letter indicating interest in the award that includes the applicant’s name, address, university, telephone number, email address, department, date of dissertation proposal defense, the current status of the dissertation (date defense completed etc.), and a brief summary of the ways in which the dissertation is relevant to the criteria for the award.
- A letter from the applicant’s dissertation advisor/supervisor recommending the applicant’s work for the award and verifying the date of the dissertation proposal defense. (note: this letter may be sent under separate cover).
- A research description of no more than five (5) double-spaced pages: approximately two (2) pages of introduction and theoretical framework, two (2) pages on the methods deployed, and one (1) page on the significance of the work. Finalists may be asked to submit their full dissertation or additional information at a later date.
- One (1) chapter from the dissertation, or excerpt from that chapter (no more than 30 pages in total from either chapter or excerpt), that shows, through example, the dissertation’s engagement with qualitative inquiry.
- A Table of Contents from the dissertation, plus one paragraph per chapter, that succinctly points to the import of that chapter (maximum of 200 words per chapter).
An electronic copy should be submitted via e-mail as attachments (PDF format or MS-Word only) to icqi@qualitativeinquiry.org
Note: An application will not be considered complete until the electronic copy is received in our office.
