Kerr Dissertation Awards Submission Guidelines

2024 Submission Guidelines

All students completing their dissertations between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 are eligible to submit entries for the 2024 Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards. Dissertations will be read by a four-member committee. Dissertations must be nominated by the author’s advisor or someone who served on the dissertation committee.

Applicants should complete the submission form below (please be sure to choose only one category: Social Sciences or Humanities) and provide a digital copy of the dissertation (an emailable pdf under 8 mb). If the quality of images is greatly compromised, in addition to the emailable pdf, a link to a dropbox containing a higher res file may also be submitted. Additionally, the author must include an abstract (approximately 250 words) and a copy of the degree certificate (cannot be a protected document). If the doctoral Committee has given final approval but the student is still awaiting degree conferral, the student must provide an official letter from the awarding institution stating that all requirements for the degree have been fulfilled and that the student will receive their diploma by August 31, 2024. 

Pilot Program for French-Language North American Dissertations: Dissertations written in French and submitted to a North American institution are eligible to be included in the Kerr Dissertation Awards competition as part of a pilot program beginning in 2020.

Winners will be announced at the MESA Awards Ceremony in the fall. The winner from each category will receive a cash award of $1000. If the committee chooses more than one winner in a particular category, the cash award will be split. To be considered for the award, all materials must be in the hands of the Secretariat by July 1, 2024.

Deadline: July 1, 2024

All submission materials should be submitted via the form found below:

Please send any questions to [email protected] in the meantime.

Stay Connected

MESA offers several ways to stay connected: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, as well as listservs and trusty email notifications. To find out more, please follow the link below.

Connect Now