2025-2026 CHBGS Distinguished Dissertation/Thesis Award

The Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS) will award one doctoral dissertation and one master’s thesis award for the 2026 Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Awards cycle.

Awards

The Dissertation Award honorarium is $1000. The Thesis Award honorarium is $500. In addition, reasonable travel expenses will be covered for the winners of each category to attend the CHBGS Annual Meeting. All award recipients will be acknowledged at the 56th Annual Conference of the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on February 18, 2026.

Eligibility

Nominations are limited to current CHBGS full member institutions. Each full member institution member may submit one nomination for the dissertation award and one nomination for the thesis award.

Both currently enrolled graduate students and recent graduates are eligible to participate. Previously graduated students must have completed all degree requirements within the past two years and must have an approved thesis or dissertation at the time of nomination.

Nomination Guidelines

Graduate Deans or their designees from CHBGS full member institutions may submit one thesis and/or one dissertation nomination. Thesis/Dissertation award materials are due by December 15, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

Application Components and Submission Guidelines

(Note: Submitted materials that do not adhere to these instructions will not be considered).

• Research statement (1-2 pages) outlining the research context and contribution to the discipline
• Resume or CV (2 page maximum)
• Web link or electronic copy of the thesis/dissertation (for recent graduates)
• Letter of support from the major professor, focusing on the criteria for evaluation

File Naming Format (PDF only)

Thesis Award Materials:

• CHBGS ThesisAward_ResearchStatement_LastName_FirstName_Institution
• CHBGS ThesisAward_Resume/CV_LastName_FirstName_Institution
• CHBGS ThesisAward_LetterofSupport_LastName_FirstName_Institution

Dissertation Award Materials:

• CHBGS DissertationAward_ResearchStatement_LastName_FirstName_Institution
• CHBGS DissertationAward_Resume/CV_LastName_FirstName_Institution
• CHBGS DissertationAward_LetterofSupport_LastName_FirstName_Institution

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated by a committee of CHBGS deans and faculty based on:

• Clarity and organization
• Significance and Impact
• Research approach and evidence
• Creativity and innovation
• Letter of support

Deadline and Submission

Award materials must be submitted by Graduate Deans or designees from CHBGS full member institutions by December 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM using the following link CHBGS 2025-2026 Dissertation/Thesis Award Submission.

Note: The nomination/submission deadline has been extended to December 15, 2025.

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Natasha Stubbs at [email protected].