Awards

Black Geographies Specialty Group Graduate Student Travel Award

The Black Geographies Specialty Group graduate student travel award will be given to support graduate student travel to present a paper on a Black geographies topic at the AAG annual meeting. This competition is open to all MA/MS/PhD students. One (1) award to offset the cost of the student registration fee will be given.

Guidelines:  

1. The competition deadline is in January, prior to the AAG Annual Meeting. Digital copies of the application must be submitted to the BGSG Vice Chair  blackgeog@gmail.com with the email subject line “[Name] BGSG Graduate Student Travel  Award 2026”.

2. The competition is open to all student members of the BGSG specialty group who are  registered to attend the AAG Annual Meeting. Student members may also use the travel award to  defray registration costs.

3. Applicants are required to submit: (a) their paper title and abstract; (b) confirmation of  conference registration; (c) a brief cover letter stating where they are enrolled, what degree they are pursuing, whether they are a member of the BGSG, and the details for any other  travel funds they have been awarded.

4. Entries must be on a topic in Black Geographies, Black cultural landscapes, and cartographies.  Of interest are presentations that provide a critical examination of contemporary Black  spatialization, racialization of space, intersectional geographies (race, gender, class, sexuality), memory and counter spaces, and geographies of race and racism.

5. The BGSG awards committee will prioritize applications based on these criteria: (a) students  with no funding or less funding will be given preference; (b) students participating in a BGSG sponsored session will be given preference; (c) the potential contribution of the student’s  presented research to the field of Black Geographies will be considered.

Deadline: January 2026 (exact date TBA).

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