Stephens-Comas Educator/Organization Award of Excellence
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This award recognizes a program or work that has significantly influenced thinking, research
and practice in the field of bibliotherapy and reading. In particular, the annual award is designed
to honor current research and/or projects (i.e., within the last five years) that represent a
significant advancement in our understanding and successful use of bibliotherapy and reading.
The recognized work may include, but is not limited to, research articles, paper series,
monographs, media projects, performing art and bibliotherapy, book chapters, and/or books. This
includes collaborative teams as well as individuals. A financial award of $500.00 is given to
encourage continued work in the field and a plaque is given to acknowledge a significant
contribution. The recipient of the award need not belong to the Bibliotherapy SIG.
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Anyone can make a nomination. The nominator should send a letter containing:
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a) The complete bibliographic citation of a single publication or project designated by the nominator as illustrative or representative of the nominee’s larger project(s) or research program,
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b) A supporting statement of no more than 300 words, and
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c) A vita of the nominee
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When possible, the nominator should submit a copy of the representative publication, media presentation, or work to be considered. The submission deadline is March 1st of each year.
Dissertation/Graduate Award
At the annual meeting of IRA, the Bibliotherapy SIG will present an award to the outstanding dissertation
or master’s thesis. The award winner will receive a certificate and a cash award of $500.00.
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To be eligible, the research must have been conducted while the author was a student. The recipient must
receive his/her degree or offer confirmation the degree will be received within the year.
If the paper is co-authored, the student must be first author and primary researcher. The research must
have been conducted in the three years prior to the year in which the award is granted (i.e., 2010, 2009, and
2008). The student author’s research advisor/mentor must write a short letter to the Student Awards
Committee (Drs. Jacquelyn Stephens, Jacqueline Comas, and Rachel Grant) stating that the above is correct.
The award recipient must agree to present his/her research at the annual SIG forum in the year following
the award. Finally, the award recipient must agree to write an article based on his/her research for the
next scheduled Biennial publication to be forwarded to the Research and Publication’s editor in January of
the year following the recipient’s presentation at the annual meeting.
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The primary criterion for selecting papers to receive the award is the future promise of the researcher with
special consideration given to creative and innovative approaches to difficult problems as they relate to the
use of bibliotherapy. Other criteria include clarity of presentation, successful use of bibliotherapy and the importance and difficulty of the problem it addresses and the quality of the research design.
Three papers must be submitted on flash drive or CD in Microsoft Word with a post mark no later than March 1st. The cover sheet must include the title of the paper, the author’s name, address, phone, and e-mail of the author’s research advisor/mentor. The paper must be written in APA (6th ed.) style and must be no longer than 25 pages in length including text, references, tables and figures.
The paper must be accompanied by a short letter from the author’s advisor/ mentor stating that this is original student research (or summary of) conducted within the last three years (i.e., 2010, 2009, and 2008).
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​Distinguished Service​ Award
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Board members who wish to place names in nomination must do so by March 1st. This award is a
plaque given in recognition of extensive and dedicated service to the SIG organization. The names of
all nominees will be placed on a ballot and forwarded to the attention of Board members for a vote
during the last week of March. Return votes must be received no later than April 15th. The nominee
receiving at least two-thirds of the Board’s vote will be honored with a plaque and recognized at the
annual meeting. Given the nature of the award, it is quite possible that we might go many years
without a recipient. To place a name in nomination, the nominator should compose a narrative of not
more than two pages outlining specific examples of the contributions of the nominee to the
Bibliotherapy SIG for a period of ten years or more.
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Please send nominations and questions for all awards to:
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Dr. Jacquelyn Stephens, Awards Committee Chair
Bibliotherapy SIG
1515 Mitchell Street
Savannah, GA 31405
