Elliott, Karla (2016), ‘Caring masculinities: theorizing an emerging concept’, Men and Masculinities, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 240-259.

Winner Karla Elliott with ECR Chair Alphia Possamai-Inesedy – TASA VP

Juliet Watson (2016).  Gender-based violence and young homeless women: femininity, embodiment and vicarious physical capital. The Sociological Review

The general nomination and submission details are as follows:

• A general call is made at the beginning of each year to authors via TASAweb, TASA’s members’ newsletter, Twitter, and Nexus;
• Nominations must be made on the official nomination form - see orange button at the top of this page (note, you will need to login after clicking the form link available at the top of this page). The nomination procedure requires a 150 - 200 word statement addressing two of the prize criterions (see under the Eligibility Criteria section); 
• The completed nomination form, a pdf copy of the paper and the short statement addressing the criteria, must be submitted online by the deadline listed at the top of this page; and
• It is a condition of entry that publicity for the winning paper refers to the prize as The Australian Sociological Association’s Most Distinguished Paper Award. The prize can be described as being awarded annually for the ‘best authored paper in Australian Sociology by an Early Career Researcher’.

The intention of TASA's Executive Committee in awarding this prize is to recognise members’ contribution to the discipline of Australian sociology through publication of a distinguished peer-reviewed article by an Early Career Researcher.

The award is open to submissions from any TASA member who has been awarded their PhD within the last six calendar years (i.e. 2020 – 2025). Special consideration may be given to applicants who have experienced a significant ‘career disruption’.

Papers authored by TASA Executive members can be nominated but the author/s cannot be a part of the voting process.

The article submitted by the applicant must be in English, have been accepted by a peer reviewed journal, published either online and/or in print, and have a specific Australian sociological focus.

In the case of multi-authored articles, the nominated author must be the primary author. As part of the application, the percentage of the nominated author's contribution needs to be noted and a clear, brief quality statement, needs to be provided, documenting the nominated author's contribution to the article. Self nominations are accepted. 

Papers published online before print will also be accepted for nomination.

The award can only be awarded once to the same applicant.

Symposia or parts of symposia, replies or rejoinders, notes and book reviews (but not review essays) are excluded from consideration.

The nomination process requires the person submitting the nomination (or the nominee, if self-nominating) to prepare a written statement of between 150-200 words addressed to the selection panel. This statement will be considered when assessing the article against the criteria below.

The style and format of the statement is open - we encourage innovation! - but it will need to address two key points:

1. Originality: the statement must demonstrate how and why the article makes an original contribution to Australian sociology
2. Evidence of impact: the statement must demonstrate impact (on the discipline, in the media, in public debate and ideas, or on citations, public policy, or further research opportunities). You may also comment on why future impact is likely to be high. 

The article will be assessed based on both the 150 - 200 word statement and the following criteria:

• Quality (e.g. thoroughness, high skill, eloquence) 20%;
• Contribution to sociological thought (e.g. pushing forward) 20%;
• Originality (e.g. innovative application/generation of theory) 20%;
• Clarity (e.g. well-written, clearly organised, presented) 20%; and
• Impact (e.g. policy 5%, practice 5%, citations 5%, new theory or a new understanding of an existing theory 5%) 20%.

The recipient of the Prize will receive:

• A complimentary conference registration to attend the TASA conference at which the Prize is presented (includes conference dinner);
• A certificate & trophy to acknowledge formally the receipt of the Prize;
• Up to $1000 in travel funding;
• An invitation to submit an article for Nexus on the paper;
• Publicity through the TASA membership and wider social science community; and
• A listing on this ECR-BP Award TASAweb page
• An invitation to share your research at a TASA Thursdays seminar in the year following the award. This is a great opportunity to showcase your work and engage with the Australian sociology community. Dates and arrangements will be confirmed with winners in advance.