The Social Statistics Section (SSS), Government Statistics Section (GSS), and Survey Research Methods Section (SRMS) announce a competition for student and post-graduate papers. Competition winners will present their papers at a topic-contributed session during the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), August 7–12, 2021, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. Competition winners will also be highlighted during the 2021 SRMS, GSS, and SSS business meetings at JSM. A subsidy of up to $1,000 is provided to each winner to cover JSM 2021 expenses, and five awards will be granted.

Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. EST, December 19, 2020, and winners will receive notification by January 15, 2021.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must be a current undergraduate or graduate student at any level or a recent 2021 graduate who wishes to present research conducted as a student. Previous student paper competition winners are not eligible.

Papers entered into this competition must involve either a new statistical methodology or a creative application of statistical analyses to a problem, issue, or policy question pertinent to the subject areas of one of the sponsoring sections. The research does not have to be complete, but competitors must be able to submit an abstract prospectus that describes the planned research and nature of the intended innovation(s).

There are more than 12 sections with ASA-sponsored student paper competitions/travel awards to assist students with travel expenses to attend JSM. Students may submit papers to no more than two competitions and may accept only one section’s award. Students must inform all sections applied to when they win and accept an award, thereby removing themselves from the award competition for the other section.

Application Process

Applications must include the following:

• A cover letter with the applicant’s name, current affiliation and status, and contact information (address, telephone, email)
• An abstract (300 words maximum)
• A draft paper (if available) or a three-page research prospectus
• A letter from their adviser that certifies the applicant’s status (e.g., current student or new graduate who completed the degree within the past year) and describes plans to complete the research

To apply, email the package containing the first three items above (the adviser letter should be sent separately by the adviser) to the 2021 section officers listed below:

• Jana Asher, SRMS program chair-elect
• Stephen Campbell, GSS program chair-elect
• Elena Erosheva, SSS program chair-elect

Deadlines

Note the tight turnaround times in January 2021 for notifications and submissions and plan to be available and responsive.

• Applicants email the application package to the three program chairs-elect by 11:59 p.m. EST on December 19, 2020.
• Competition winners are notified by January 15, 2021.
• Competition winners must confirm their acceptance of the award and immediately inform other sections that they applied to by January 21, 2021. Failure to confirm the award may lead to removal from the list of winners.
• Competition winners submit their winning paper abstract through the regular JSM abstract submission process by February 1, 2021. (Winners will be provided with the ID number of the topic-contributed session at which they will deliver their presentations.)
• Competition winners come to JSM in Seattle in August 2021 to present their winning papers.

Questions may be sent to the program chairs-elect listed above.