AEA International Travel Awards for Conference Presenters

[Asela Kalugampitiya]

Call For Proposals for 2014

AEA International Travel Awards for 

Conference Presenters

Deadline: Monday, March 17, 2014 

We are pleased to invite professional evaluators living and practicing in developing countries or countries in transition to submit applications for International Travel Awards to attend and present at the 2014 AEA Annual Conference to be held October 15-18, 2014 in Denver, CO, USA. This year we anticipate awarding five International Travel Awards of approximately $2,000 each plus waived conference registration and AEA membership. The awards may be used to cover actual travel costs, food, and shared accommodations. All awards are paid out at the conference as reimbursement of documented expenses and are paid only to those who are selected, who attend, and who make the anticipated presentation. The International Travel Awards recipients will be notified no later than July 10, 2014.

Eligibility Criteria: 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 good fluency in English, being able 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 cover letter, budget, curriculum vitae or resume, and 2 letters of reference. No application will be considered without all of these elements;
• Be a citizen of, and both reside and practice evaluation in, a developing country or country in transition 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 developing or in transition, click here);
• Propose to present at the Evaluation 2014 conference and have at least one proposal accepted.

AEA has offered Type I International Travel Awards for many years and funds are raised through generous donations to the annual silent auction as well as through the contribution of workshop speakers who donate their honorariums.

Submission Process: In order to apply for the AEA International Travel Awards, please follow the two steps below:

1. Review the proposal submission guidelines online by clicking here and then submit a proposal on or before the March 17, 2014 deadline. You may submit a proposal to make any type of presentation focusing on any evaluation topic, although you are encouraged to consider the theme of the conference when choosing a topic; and
2. Email the following documents on or before the March 17, 2014 deadline to Jonathan Jones at [e-mail]: 

• A cover letter, not exceeding one page, noting your interest in applying for the International Travel Award;
• A completed Evaluation 2014 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).

Expectations: You will be attending the AEA Annual Conference from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday (October 15-18, 2014), 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.

Selection: 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). 

Assistance with Your Proposal and Application: If you are considering applying for an International Travel Award and would like assistance in developing and compiling your conference proposal and/or your International Travel Award application, or determine     your eligibility to apply, please contact Jonathan Jones at [e-mail] on or before Friday, March 7, 2014. We will connect you with a coach from AEA's International and Cross-cultural Topical Interest Group.

Application Deadline: Monday, March 17, 2014 at midnight in the Eastern Time Zone in the United States (EST). Please note that this is the same deadline for submitting a conference proposal and that you must have submitted both your conference proposal to AEA and emailed your supporting documents for the Travel Award to Jonathan Jones on or before Monday, March 17, 2014.