2026 Call for Nominations: Best Student Paper Award

Nominations for Best Student Paper Award are open now through March 23, 2026. The INSNA Best Student Paper Award is given annually to a graduate student member in recognition of research on social network analysis. The winner of the award is announced at INSNA’s annual Sunbelt conference; the monetary prize for the best student paper is $2,500.

The award is supported by royalties donated by the authors of the chapters in Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis edited by P.J. Carrington, J. Scott, and S. Wasserman, published by Cambridge University Press in 2005. INSNA wishes to thank the contributors for their generosity. 

To be eligible, the student must be a member of INSNA and the first (or sole) author on the paper at the time of submission. The paper may be published or unpublished and must have been completed within two years of the submission deadline. A letter of support from a supervisor, mentor, or other faculty member should be submitted along with the paper. The support letter should be aimed at helping the judges understand the significance of the paper.

Papers are evaluated based on the level of originality in the ideas and techniques, the possible applications and their treatment, and potential impact. All papers must be submitted in English. 

Click here to submit a nomination for this award. 

Click here to learn more about previous award winners. 

Questions regarding the award should be directed to Elisa Bellotti, INSNA President, president@insna.org.