Miller Paper and Proposal Awards
The Department of Geography will confer the following ten (10) awards each year under the E. Willard Miller Award program:
Ph.D. Level
- 1st Place – Ph.D. Paper
- 2nd Place – Ph.D. Paper
- 1st Place – Ph.D. Research Proposal
- 2nd Place – Ph.D. Research Proposal
M.S. Level
- 1st Place – M.S. Paper
- 2nd Place – M.S. Paper
- 1st Place – M.S. Research Proposal
- 2nd Place – M.S. Research Proposal
Undergraduate Level
- 1st Place – Undergraduate Paper
- 2nd Place – Undergraduate Paper
Apply for the E. Willard Miller Award
To apply for the E. Willard Miller Award, follow the instructions and guidelines below.
Questions
Please direct questions to the chair of the awards committee,
Dr. Kim Van Meter
Purpose
To encourage accomplished written, graphic and/or analytical expression by students as part of their degree program in geography.
Eligibility
Undergraduate majors and graduate students in geography.
Awards
- A cash award and a plaque will be given for a written paper, cartographic and/or software entry, and written research proposal.
- There are two awards at each level for both categories. The cash award for first prize is $600 and $400 for the second prize.
General Guidelines
- The student must be a geography major.
- The entry must have a geographic theme.
- A student may submit only one entry.
- Indicate type of entry (i.e., paper or proposal)
- Indicate level of entry (i.e., undergraduate, M.A., Ph.D.)
- The entry must be submitted by the student.
- Past winners of the award are not eligible.
- Originality of concept and execution is expected.
- The paper must be typed to conform to thesis standards.
- If a paper is submitted in several College competitions, it may receive only one award.
- The paper must be by a single author.
Submission Requirements
- Submit a PDF of your paper to Cierra Naglowsky by email to cbn5240@psu.edu
- Submitted file should follow the following naming convention: Last Name _ First Name _ Level (UG,MA,Phd)_Category (Paper,Proposal,Software,Cartography).pdf
- Due date is March 7.
Guidelines for Paper Competition
The Paper Competition accepts three distinct types of submissions. Applicants must clearly indicate one submission type at the time of submission. All entries compete only within their declared level and category (Ph.D. Paper, M.S. Paper, or Undergraduate Paper).
Written Research Papers
- Format and length: A single-authored PDF not exceeding 5,000 words total, counting all content in the document (text, tables, figures, captions, footnotes, endnotes, references, acknowledgments, and any other material).
- Content requirements: The paper must present a clear research question or objective, engage relevant geographic literature, describe data and methods, present results, and discuss geographic significance.
- Evaluation: Written papers are evaluated based on geographic insight, originality, methodological rigor, clarity of writing, and overall quality.
- Eligibility: Original or revised course papers, conference papers, or published papers are acceptable if the student is the sole author. Theses, dissertations, multi-authored work, and incomplete drafts are not eligible.
Cartographic Entries
- Format and length: The submission must include the map(s) and a 500–700 word written description explaining the purpose of the work and the data sources and methods used.
- Content requirements: Maps must demonstrate clear geographic reasoning, appropriate data use, and intentional design choices. All maps must be legible and clearly labeled.
- Evaluation: Cartographic entries are evaluated based on spatial reasoning, cartographic design and effectiveness, data appropriateness, and clarity of documentation.
Software and Computational Entries
- Format and length: The submission must include a 500–700 word written description explaining the purpose of the software, data sources, and methods or computational workflow. Screenshots, figures, and tables must be embedded in the PDF.
- Content requirements: The documentation must clearly explain the functionality of the software or computational system, its inputs and outputs, and its geographic relevance. External links to code repositories or applications may be included, but the PDF must be sufficient for evaluation on its own.
- Evaluation: Software and computational entries are evaluated based on originality, methodological rigor, functionality, reproducibility, clarity of documentation, and geographic relevance. Students may be invited to demonstrate their software; demonstrations are supplemental and do not replace written documentation.
Guidelines for Proposal Competition
The Proposal Competition recognizes high-quality research plans prepared for thesis, dissertation, fieldwork, or external funding.
- Format and length: Proposals must be single-authored and submitted as a single PDF not exceeding 5,000 words total, counting all content in the document (text, tables, figures, captions, footnotes, endnotes, references, and budget text, if included).
- Required components: Proposals must clearly present the research motivation and literature context, research questions or objectives, research design and methods, data sources, feasibility and timeline, and estimated costs where applicable.
- Eligibility: Fieldwork proposals, thesis or dissertation proposal excerpts, and grant-style research proposals are acceptable. Informal concept notes, multi-authored proposals, or proposals lacking a methods section are not eligible.
- Evaluation and competition: Proposals will compete only within their declared level and category (Ph.D. Proposal or M.S. Proposal) and will be evaluated based on clarity of research questions, strength of research design, feasibility, methodological rigor, and overall quality.
Note: Funds for awardees will be dispensed into student accounts prior to June 30.