CRTC-CCA Prize for Excellence in Policy Research: Terms of Reference

Purpose

• Recognize and honour the most promising academic research articles in the fields of communications, information, and media studies.
• Promote scholarly excellence in the fields of communications, information, and media studies.
• Raise the profile of graduate-level and post-doctoral research activity in communications, information, and media studies programs across Canada.
• Stimulate cutting-edge research by graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to enhance the CRTC’s evidence base.
• Promote a new generation of researchers working on issues of relevance to the public interest in the fields of communications, information, and media studies.

Description of awards

Each award includes:

• A monetary award (Master’s: $1,500, Doctorate: $2,500, Post-doctoral researchers: $1,000).^{Footnote 1}
• Presentation of winning papers at the Canadian Communications Association (CCA) annual conference.^{Footnote 2}
• Up to $1,000 towards travel and accommodation to attend the annual CCA conference.^{Footnote 3}
• A one-year membership with the CCA and registration to the Congress for the Humanities and Social Sciences of Canada for the year of the contest.
• Translation and publication of the winning papers in both official languages on the CRTC’s website.^{Footnote 4}
• Remote presentation of winning papers before CRTC Commissioners.

Who is eligible?

• Students enrolled in a graduate program in communications or a related field (e.g., public policy, law, engineering, information studies) at a Canadian university, and Canadian students (including permanent residents and landed immigrants) enrolled in a graduate program in communications or a related field in another country. Applicants who have completed a graduate degree (Master’s, Doctorate) within the previous calendar year are also eligible.
• Post-doctoral researchers (including permanent residents and landed immigrants) in communications or a related field affiliated with a Canadian university.
• Applicants must submit their paper to the category relevant to their status at the time the work was completed, rather than to their current registration status (e.g., a PhD student may submit work from their Master's to the Master's category).
• Papers with multiple authors (two or more) are welcome. However, papers co-authored with a Faculty member are not admissible. Co-authored papers from students with different statuses (e.g., a PhD student and a MA student) are eligible; this work will only be considered for the higher level category of the Prize (e.g., a co-authored submission from a PhD student and a MA student is only eligible in the PhD category).
• In the case of a multi-authored article being awarded the Prize, it is up to the co-authors to advise the CCA in writing as to which individual the monetary award should be transferred. Only one co-author will have their transportation and accommodation receipts to attend the CCA annual conference reimbursed up to a maximum of $1,000.

How to participate

• Articles can be submitted in French or English.
• Participants must submit their article to the head of the selection committee (President of the CCA or their designated representative) through email by the deadline set out in the annual call for papers from the CCA and as indicated on the CCA and CRTC websites.
• Articles must be submitted as Word documents.
• Only articles between 6,000 to 8,000 words (bibliography and appendices included) that adhere to a recognized scholarly presentation format will be considered. Please include a word count at the end of the paper. Submissions exceeding the word count will not be considered for the Prize.
• All submissions must include an abstract of no more than 100 words written in the same language as the submission that clearly answer the following questions:
  • What is the background of this work?
  • What methodology was used to complete this work?
  • What are the main conclusions or implications of this work?
• The cover page must include the title of the article, as well as the author’s name, contact information (email address, postal address, and telephone number), university affiliation and degree status.

Winners must provide, in the official language of their choice, a short description of any images, including any charts and graphs, appearing in their prize-winning paper. This text provides alternative information for an image if a user cannot view it online (e.g., because of a slow connection or if the user uses a screen reader) and is a required feature of all Government of Canada web publications.

Conflict of interest

CRTC employees are not eligible for the program. However, former CRTC employees (casual, term and indeterminate) are eligible for the Prize as long as their contract with the CRTC ended one year prior to the submission deadline.

Selection committee

• The committee will be made up of no less than three members, including the CCA President or their designated representative.
• A CRTC representative will participate as an observer and will not have voting rights (ex-officio status).
• Selection committee decisions are final and without appeal.
• Selection committee deliberations must adhere to the principle of collegiality.
• Committee deliberations are completely confidential.
• Winners will be announced at the annual CCA conference.
• In the event that there is no winner in a prize category, the selection committee may award that prize to an additional winner in the other categories.

Selection criteria

Research projects selected by the committee must meet the following criteria:

1) Engagement in the communications, information and media studies fields and the public interest:

• Research makes a clear and direct contribution to communications policy studies.
• Interdisciplinary work will be readily accepted, but must be linked to communications, information, and/or media studies in terms of the theoretical and/or methodological framework.

2) Detailed, original approach:

• Stimulating argument and analysis that brings new perspective to the subject addressed.
• The research contributes to or challenges existing streams or scholarly debate in the field.

3) Contribution to communications/information/media studies:

• Research presents clear links to existing research and topics covered.
• Arguments and evidence from the work are applicable to and/or challenges other communications scholars in a variety of contexts.
• The author makes interesting connections across fields of research and analysis.

4) Potential opportunities for other research projects and relevance:

• The work signals the author’s potential to make a significant contribution to communications, information and/or media studies in Canada.
• The article opens the door to more in-depth examination of certain subjects or to the development of research projects on related subjects.
• Theoretical or methodological strategies offer new approaches to research in communications, information and/or media studies.

5) Maturity and sophistication of the argument:

• The readability of the work in terms of writing style.
• The analysis is clear and does not compromise theoretical complexity.

Date modified:

2023-12-22