2023 International Travel Awards

The American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation (ICCE) TIG are pleased to invite professional evaluators living and practicing in under-resourced countries and experiencing financial hardship to submit applications for International Travel Awards to attend and present at the 2023 AEA Annual Conference. The conference is scheduled for October 9-14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

This year we anticipate awarding three International Travel Award stipends of up to $2,500 USD each. In addition to the stipends, awardees also receive waived conference registration, pre/post conference workshops, and one year of AEA membership. The awards may be used to support travel costs (flights, visas, etc.), food, and accommodations.

Please note that awards are paid out by wire transfer up to 30 days post-conference as a reimbursement of completed, documented expenses, and are paid only to those who are selected, attend, and make the anticipated presentation. No funds will be dispersed prior to the conference.

Eligibility and How to Apply:  In order to qualify for an AEA International Travel Award, all applicants must meet all criteria below: 

• Have not previously participated in AEA conferences;

• Demonstrate fluency in English, with the ability to make a professional presentation and sustain a discussion in English (applicants may be interviewed by one of the International and Cross-Cultural TIG Co-Chairs as part of the selection process);

• Submit a complete INDIVIDUAL application (group applications will not be accepted), including budget, curriculum vitae or resume, and two letters of reference, by email to our ICCE liaison, Alysson Akiko Oakley. No applications will be considered without all of these elements;

• Demonstrate financial need, and both reside and practice evaluation in an under-resourced country for at least two years (US citizens or those with dual citizenship between the US and a second country are not eligible. For a list of countries considered to be under-resourced, click here);

• Propose to present at Evaluation 2023 before the March 22 deadline. Applicants must submit one of the following approved presentation types: Panel, Paper, Multi-paper, Roundtable, or Think Tank. Submissions that do not follow the approved formats will not be considered for these awards. If a proposal is submitted in an approved session format, but is accepted to present as a format outside of the approved list, then the submitter is not eligible for these awards. Your proposal must have been accepted into the conference program in order to be offered an International Travel Award. Acceptance letters will be issued in June. 

Awardees must be fully aware of all applicable travel restrictions, visa requirements, and vaccine requirements in order to attend the conference. Make sure to observe COVID restrictions and mandates. We advise applicants to secure a visa before booking non-refundable flight tickets or investigating travel insurance options. We do not recommend waiting for an acceptance notification before applying for a visa. Please note that if you book flights that include layovers, there may be visa requirements in place. For information on requirements for air travelers to the US, click here.

Email the following documents on or before the March 31 deadline to Alysson Akiko Oakley:

• A completed International Travel Awards Application Form;
• A current Curriculum Vitae or Resume, and
• Two letters of support, one of which must come from, and document your membership in, your local evaluation association (if one exists) and verify your full contact information: email, telephone, postal address, and work affiliation.

Proposals should be in English, while letters of support may be in a different language (English, Spanish, or French are preferred).

A small committee of reviewers from the International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation TIG of AEA will select the travel award recipients based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the proposal submitted for presentation at the conference (relevance/importance to a broad AEA audience; relevance/importance to the TIG; technical quality; innovativeness; contributions to new AEA members' professional development; diversity/variety of presentations; and, focus on evaluation methods, theories, policies, and practices),
• Evidence of leadership in and contributions to the evaluation profession in your country of practice (These contributions can be professional associations or the workplace. Applicants from countries that do not have a professional evaluation association will not be ranked lower than applicants that do have an association),
• Quality of the supporting documentation (cover letter and letters of support). 

Expectations: You will be attending the AEA Annual Conference from Monday through Saturday (October 9-14, 2023), and, at some point during that time, you will be giving your presentation as scheduled on the conference program. You are welcome to attend pre- or post-conference workshops, but these are not required. Participants in the program will receive special invitations to meet colleagues from around the world and participate in special sessions at the conference.

Application Deadline: Friday, March 31 at 11:59 PM in the Eastern Standard Time zone in the United States (EST). Please note that you must have already submitted a presentation proposal to AEA. 

Funds for the International Travel Awards are raised through generous donations to the annual AEA Silent Auction and the contributions of workshop speakers who donate their honorariums.

Questions? Need help preparing your application materials? Please contact Alysson Akiko Oakley for more information.