Mentoring Award

About the award

Instituted in 2019, this award recognizes the work of individuals who, or organizations that, have exhibited a sustained commitment to mentoring linguists. Specific types of mentoring to be considered include:

• Assisting mentees to present and publish their work, and to find financial aid
• Providing career guidance
• Providing support, encouragement, and essential strategies for life in the linguistics community
• Demonstrating continued interest in the mentee’s professional advancement.

Particular emphasis will be placed, when considering nominations, on mentoring a diverse pool of mentees; sustained mentoring efforts over many years; and mentoring of early career linguists.

The award is given every year, as nominations warrant.

The nomination period opens on February 18, 2025, and closes at 11:59 PM (ET) on June 30, 2025.

To submit a nomination, log into the Member Portal, click 'Access Membership Benefits' and access the nomination form. If you are not a member, join us today to submit a nomination.

Eligibility

• Any individual or organization meeting the nomination criteria.
• Nominators must be LSA members.
• Nominations of women and individuals from underrepresented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged.

In the nomination form, you will need to address all the areas listed below. For each area, please provide the requested information or explain why it does not apply to your nomination. Keep in mind that failing to address any of the areas may negatively affect your nomination.

• Description of mentorship activities and research; mentor programs and activities; target audiences; and outcomes where appropriate
• Where appropriate, indication of how the nominee’s work resulted in departmental and/or institutional change in terms of the granting of degrees to underrepresented students
• List of individuals mentored
• Letter(s) of support from colleagues (for individuals) or stakeholders (or organizations). Letters may take the following, mutually exclusive, form:
  • ONE letter, maximum length THREE pages, from the nominator, signed by the lead nominator and optional additional nominators, and including optional statements from other nominators and/or from mentees;
  • TWO letters, maximum length TWO pages each, the first a letter from the nominator, signed by the lead nominator and optional additional nominators, and including optional statements from other nominators, and the second a document containing statements supplied by mentees.

Selection

The LSA Awards Committee reviews nominations and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee, which must formally approve the recommendations. The winner will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony at the next LSA Annual Meeting in January.