Call for Nominations

We recognize and support excellence in inequality research through various scholarship opportunities, including awards, fellowships, and grants:

Thesis and Dissertation Awards

The Stone Center closes each academic year by recognizing the exceptional scholarly achievements of University of Chicago students conducting empirical social science research on inequality. We issue awards at all levels—undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral—to students of public policy at the Harris School and the Social Sciences.

Each year, nominations by faculty advisors or program administrators on behalf of the student nominee are accepted during the early Spring Quarter.

Qualifications:

  • Actively enrolled students researching inequality across the social sciences or public policy fields are eligible for the awards.

Award Levels:

  • Bachelor’s Thesis.
  • Master’s Thesis.
  • PhD Dissertation.

Award Categories:

  • Stone Award for Public Policy Research
  • Stone Award for Social Sciences Research

Required Materials:

  • Full Paper
    • Incomplete theses and dissertations will also be considered.
  • One-Page Research Overview
    • Summarize the aims, significance, and broader impacts of the research.

OR

  • Letter of Support
    • Must be written by the applicant’s advisor

Evaluation Criteria:

Submissions will be evaluated by Director Steven Durlauf and Associate Directors Damon Jones and Geoffrey Wodtke based on the following criteria:

  • Originality & Innovation
  • Scholarly Excellence (high-quality research, methodology, etc.)
  • Significance to the Field
  • Policy Relevance

Recipient Expectations:

  1. Recipients will be awarded a certificate from the Stone Center, recognized by the Stone Center and their home programs, as well as receive a cash prize based on their award level: BA – $250 / MA – $250 / PhD – $1,000.
  2. Recipients agree to have their name, program, paper title, abstract, and photo publicized by the Stone Center, announcing their achievement.
  3. Recipients must present and defend their dissertations in the award year.

Nomination Period:

Annually, mid March to late April.

Announcement:

Annually, decisions will be announced in mid May.

Presentation:

Annually, awards are presented late May to early June. Presentations are coordinated between the Stone Center and the recipient’s home program.