Emerging Scholar Awards
The program recognizes both In-Person Emerging Scholars and Online-Only Emerging Scholars, ensuring that researchers unable to travel can still hold a visible and valued role in the conference. Across all formats, Emerging Scholars participate fully in the life of the event: they chair parallel sessions, help guide and sustain discussion, and serve as bridges between established and early-career colleagues from different regions, institutions, and disciplines.
As part of CGScholar’s Event (KX) environment, Emerging Scholars contribute to a wider knowledge experience that links conference activity, community engagement, and publication. Their work is shared through Presentation Pages, digital media, and discussion spaces; they receive structured support to develop their research through the Network’s journals and book imprint; and they gain sustained visibility within the worldwide scholarly community formed around the Research Network.
The Award includes complimentary conference registration and Research Network membership, along with formal recognition during the conference proceedings. Emerging Scholars enter a supportive, scholar-led community in which they can build connections across disciplines, regions, and generations of researchers. Professional development, mentoring encounters, and opportunities for collaboration are integrated into the conference and the Network’s year-round activities.
Award recipients are expected to: attend an orientation and training session (typically the day before the conference), and participate fully throughout the conference by fulfilling assigned chairing and discussion-leading responsibilities.
The Emerging Scholar Award is open to researchers currently enrolled in a graduate studies program or identifying as early-career scholars in a field relevant to the conference. Applicants should demonstrate strong potential for scholarly contribution and a commitment to participating in the collaborative ethos of the Network.
It was a wonderful experience with the participants and the organising team. We interacted with the presenters; they came from different regions and backgrounds. As researchers, we learnt a lot about religion, spirituality, and the cultures of different people."
Being part of the Emerging Scholars program was a truly enriching experience. I valued the opportunity to share my research with a respectful and intellectually curious audience, and to connect with scholars who are advancing important conversations across disciplines and cultures.”
The Emerging Scholars Program provided me with an experience rarely afforded. As an African-American male, I had the opportunity to engage in substantive discussions about my research, meet potential collaborators, and hear new ideas from like-minded scholars. The program has had lasting effects on my research and my career.”