AEJMC Conference 2026 Paper Competition
New Orleans, Louisiana | August 5 - 8, 2026
International Communication Division
The International Communication Division (INTC) invites submissions for the AEJMC 2026 Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 58, 2026. INTC welcomes research that critically explores the transformative role of media and communication globally. We seek contributions that go beyond geographic boundaries to analyze how media influences, adapts to, and impacts international, crosscultural, and transnational contexts amid societal change.
Thematic and Research Focus INTC encourages submissions that align with the division’s mission of examining global media dynamics, particularly in regions often overlooked by mainstream communication studies. Topics of interest include:
•Global Media Flows and Knowledge Production:Analyses of media flows between the Global North andSouth, and SouthSouth, are essential for understandingdisparities in global knowledge production, access toinformation, and media representation. Research thatinvestigates the implications of these flows for globalmedia ethics, international diplomacy, and crossbordermedia partnerships is especially valued.
•Media Landscapes in the Global South: We welcomestudies that examine evolving media practices,structures, and challenges unique to the Global South,providing critical insights into how local journalists, mediapractitioners, and platforms operate within complexsociopolitical environments.
•Media’s Role in Addressing Pressing Global Issues:Research that considers the role of media in publicdiscourse around urgent global challenges—such asclimate change, migration, human rights, and socialjustice—aligns with INTC’s commitment to impactfulscholarship. Studies that explore how media narrativesshape public opinion, policy responses, or communitymobilization on these topics are particularly encouraged.
•Crisis Communication and Conflict Reporting: INTCvalues scholarship that examines media’s role in times ofcrisis, including conflict, postconflict, or disastercontexts. Papers that explore how underrepresentedvoices, particularly in crisis regions, navigate medialandscapes to bring attention to critical issues areessential to INTC’s mission.
Submissions should demonstrate methodological rigor, theoretical grounding, and a commitment to inclusive scholarship that enhances understanding of international communication. We accept a diversity of approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives that contribute to INTC’s focus on meaningful global communication research.
Submission Categories and Guidelines:
Full Papers:
Original, unpublished research of up to 25 pages (excluding references, tables, and figures). Papers can be submitted to either:
•Robert L. Stevenson Open Competition for faculty orfacultystudent coauthored papers.
•James W. Markham Student Competition for sole studentauthored papers.
Research in Progress:
This category supports projects still in progress at the time of the conference. Submissions should be developed enough for meaningful peer feedback during the review process but not substantially complete or under review elsewhere. This format allows participants to present their project’s purpose and current progress to encourage discussion and constructive feedback. Research in Progress submissions are reviewed separately from full papers and are ineligible for top paper awards.
Submit Research in Progress proposals of 1,000–1,500 words outlining:
•Purpose and significance
•Theoretical framework and/or literature grounding
•Research questions and/or hypotheses
•Methodology
•Expected contributions to the field of communication ormedia studies
•Preliminary results or findings
•Areas needing feedback that would benefit the researchproject
•References, tables, and figures (not part of word count).
Additional Submission Guidelines:
•Deadline: April 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
•Format: Submissions should be in Word or PDF format,including a 75word abstract and four keywords tofacilitate reviewer pairing.
•Anonymity: Remove all identifying information from thesubmission, including metadata, to ensure anonymizereview compliance. Submissions that do not meetanonymity standards will be disqualified.
•First author submissions: INTC prioritizes diversity inprogramming and reserves the right to prioritize differentfirst authors in final programming decisions.
For Research in Progress submissions, authors mustselect the “Research in Progress” option on the AEJMC submission site and include “ResearchinProgress” at the beginning of the paper title.
Commitment to Review and Participation INTC fosters an equitable review process and values reciprocal engagement. All authors submitting to INTC —whether as first authors or coauthors—are expected to serve as reviewers for the division. Failure to fulfill the review requirement will disqualify the submission from consideration for any INTC awards. Reviews may be assigned in proportion to the number of submissions received by an author.
This policy ensures that all participants contribute to and benefit from the peerreview process, maintaining a high standard of scholarly exchange. Please doublecheck the spelling of all coauthors’ email addresses to ensure accurate communication and avoid missed reviewer assignments due to email errors.
Awards and Recognition INTC offers cash prizes for the top three faculty papers (Robert L. Stevenson Competition) and the top three student papers (James W. Markham Competition), based on rankings by reviewers. First authors of the top student papers will also receive complimentary conference registration. Award recipients will be informed in advance, except for the Best Poster Award winners, who will be announced at the INTC business meeting during the conference.
In addition to the Robert L. Stevenson faculty and James W.Markham student paper awards, INTC provides thefollowing distinguished prizes:
• African Journalism Studies Best Paper Award: Sponsoredannually by African Journalism Studies, this awardrecognizes the most exceptional paper submitted toINTC’s Stevenson Open Paper Competition. Established in2003, it promotes scholarship in global journalism, with afocus on enhancing understanding in areas such asinternational news flow, media ethics, media education,and issues surrounding gender and race. Research onspecific topics, including media and climate change,media’s role in democratic transitions, and technologicaltransformations in media, is especially encouraged. Theaward supports research relevant to INTC’s internationalmission, with particular attention to NorthSouth andSouthSouth journalism topics. Winners receive acertificate and a book coupon.
• Latin American Communication Research Award (LARA): INTC grants up to three awards to outstanding papers byscholars from Latin America, those of Latin Americanheritage, or researchers focused on Latin Americantopics. For eligibility, “Latin America” is broadly definedto encompass Spanishand Portuguesespeaking regionsin Latin America, the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico),and Latin American diaspora communities. Topics canspan InterAmerican communications, media theory,technology, journalism studies, communication for socialchange, media law, education, political communication, and Latinx communities, among others. Any methodology is welcomed. Note: Previous LARA winners must wait two years to requalify. Eligible submissions should indicate “Eligible for INTC LARA award” on the title page.
• Online Media and Global Communication Best PaperAward: Offered by the Online Media and GlobalCommunication (OMGC) journal, this award supportsexemplary research in online media and globalcommunication, emphasizing crossnational comparisonsand online media with global implications. Specialconsideration is given to collaborative papers betweenscholars from the Global North and South. Two awardsare available: one for the OMGC Best Open Paper Award(Stevenson Competition) and one for the OMGC BestStudent Paper Award (Markham Competition). Allmethodologies are encouraged. Recipients must agree toOMGC’s first right of refusal to publish in order to receivethe award.
• Best Poster Award: This award celebrates excellence inposter presentations, aiming to recognize outstandingvisual communication, improve poster quality, andincrease participation in INTC’s scholartoscholarsessions. Awards will be given to one faculty or facultystudent poster and one studentonly poster. Winnersreceive certificates and honorariums in recognition oftheir highquality work.
All the competitions in INTC are open to AEJMC membersand nonmembers, students, and faculty.
For questions about this call or submission process, please contact: Robert L. Stevenson Open Paper Competition Chair Yiping Xia at xia@tamu.edu or James W. Markham Student Competition Chair Meagan Doll at dollm@umn.edu.