WMSF Graduate Research Scholarship
This scholarship is sponsored by the Washington Media Scholars Foundation (WMSF).
The AEJMC Ad Division welcomes applications for the WMSF (Washington Media Scholar Fund) Graduate Research Scholarship!
The purpose of the WMSF Graduate Research Scholarship is to support graduate student research in the field of advertising. Studies can cover either research or teaching, as long as the results have the potential to be published in an academic journal. The scholarship could be used toward thesis or dissertation research but is not limited to that.
The Scholarship Committee will review applications and select a winner(s) for a $500-$1,000-dollar research scholarship. This budget should be used to pay for the research (e.g., participant fees, coders, stimulus material development, transcription). The winner(s) will also be awarded a complementary student conference registration (max. 1 per proposal). If you request more than the maximum budget, you need to provide an explanation of how you are planning to cover for those costs. The project needs to be executed (and the funding spent) within one year after the scholarship is awarded.
Eligibility Criteria
- You must be a student enrolled in a graduate program at time the scholarship is awarded. Faculty co-authored work is not eligible.
- You must be a member of the AEJMC ad division at the time of submission.
- Previous awardees are eligible when their previous project has been completed. A project is completed when a full paper has been submitted to a conference or journal.
- Only one proposal per person will be considered. If you submit as part of a team, this is the only proposal you may submit.
Submission Content
Please include the following in a single PDF document:
1. A title page including the applicant’s contact information.
2. A project summary should total no more than 3 pages (12 pt., Times New Roman, single spaced (excl. references, tables, and figures). It should provide:
- An overview of the study. This section should include the research questions or hypotheses, and a description of where the project is situated in the advertising literature.
- A description of the proposed methods.
- A summary of the anticipated contribution of the project to the advertising field.
- A budget overview and justification.
- A project timeline (1 year completion time, start date after the August conference).
3. Include the applicant’s current curriculum vitae.
4. Include a 1-page recommendation letter from an advisor or supervisor who supports the submitter’s project.
Submission deadline
Submit the title page, project summary, CV, and recommendation letter as an attachment in a single PDF file in an email by Friday May 15, 2026, 11:59 CDT to the Graduate Student Chair [Dr. Quan Xie, quanxie@smu.edu]. Please place “WMSF Graduate Research Scholarship” in the email subject field.
The scholarship will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee based on the feasibility of the project, methodological soundness, contribution to the advertising field, innovativeness, and budget justification.
Winners will be announced during the AEJMC annual conference in 2026. They are expected to submit a research report to the division before the 2027 AEJMC conference, and to write a summary to be featured on the AEJMC Ad Division communication channels (newsletter; social media). They are also expected to acknowledge the scholarship in any publications (e.g., conference papers, journal articles) that come (partly) out of the scholarship.
We look forward to receiving your application!