American Journalism, the academic journal of the American Journalism Historians Association, seeks applications for its Rising Scholar Award. The awardee will be recognized in conjunction with the 2025 American Journalism Historians Association Annual Convention Sept. 25-27 in Long Beach, California.

The award is intended to provide research assistance of up to $2,000 for a junior faculty member who has not yet achieved tenure. Media professionals who have transitioned within the last four years to full-time work in the academy also are eligible to apply.

The proposed research project must be related to media history. All methodological approaches are welcomed. Funding may be used for travel to work with archival collections, copying/digitization expenses for archival material, or to pay a research assistant. Funds may not be used for faculty salary, travel to attend conferences, equipment, or software. Funding may not be requested to reimburse expenses incurred prior to this award.

For the proposal selected, a 2- to 3-page report is due to AJHA by Aug. 1, 2026 describing work accomplished and presentations/publications planned or accomplished.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be current AJHA members at the time the proposal is submitted.
• Proposals may be for sole-authored or co-authored work. If two or more individuals apply together, the award amount will be shared.
• The award is not intended for dissertation completion research.
• Undergraduate and graduate students are not eligible for this award.
  

Application requirements:

• A cover letter with name and contact information for applicant(s).
  
• A three- to five-page prospectus/overview of the project. Describe and explain the project's topic and justify its contribution to the historiography of media. Describe the scope of the project. Identify and describe the primary sources to be used, if any, and explain their importance to the project. Identify and justify the project's objectives. Provide a timeline for the project.
  
• An itemized budget of no more than one page. If additional funding will be used for the proposed project, indicate source and amount.
  
• If appropriate, include Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the university.
  
• A list of possible publication venues for the finished project. (Note: The award recipient is not required to submit the resulting work to American Journalism, nor would acceptance be guaranteed if the work is submitted. However, grantees must acknowledge the American Journalism Historians Association in any publication(s) resulting from the award.)
• A letter of support from the applicant's department chair or dean.
• A curriculum vita of no more than three pages.

Email proposals no later than June 1, 2025 to Rachel Grant.