Call for Papers: IPUMS Research Awards (02/15/26)
Posted: 1/8/2026 (Conference)
2025 IPUMS Research Awards Submission
We are pleased to announce the opening of the annual IPUMS Research Awards competition. We are looking for papers that showcase innovative approaches, comparative analyses, or unique aspects of IPUMS data collections. In short, we are looking for papers that use the data to their full potential.
We are also encouraging unpublished student paper submissions to be posted to SocArXiv or other open repositories, as we would like all award-winning papers to be broadly available to the IPUMS community.
We will only consider nominations submitted in English.
Deadline: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Entry requirements for published research:
Use and cite one of the eligible IPUMS data collections in a 2025 refereed publication*.
Entry requirements for student research:
Use and cite one of the eligible IPUMS data collections in a paper written in 2025. The lead author must have been a student when the paper was written. If research is published, it should be a 2025 publication*. We encourage unpublished student paper submissions to be posted to an open repository, as we would like all award-winning papers to be broadly available to the IPUMS community.
Entry requirements for IPUMS Excellence in Research Award:
Use and cite one of the the eligible IPUMS data collections in a paper written in 2025. This award is intended to demonstrate the diversity of authors conducting outstanding social science and population health research and to highlight contributions from persons belonging to groups that have faced a pattern of exclusion in research spaces. Examples in the U.S. context may include persons who identify as Black/African American, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, Asian American, first-generation college graduates or students, LGBTQ+ persons, or persons with disabilities. Award selection decisions will be made without consideration of authors’ race, gender, or other protected identity as required by law.
*Publications that are available as Online First in 2025 but have a 2026 (or an unknown) issue date may be submitted for the 2025 research awards competition, but will not be eligible for next year’s competition (i.e., you may not submit the same paper two years in a row).
Deadline: 02/15/2026