J. Warren Nystrom Award

The September 22, 2024 deadline has passed.  New applications will not be accepted until next year.  Please monitor the website for when the application window reopens.

A fund established by former AAG Executive Director J. Warren Nystrom supports an annual prize for a paper based upon a recent dissertation in geography. Papers must be presented at the upcoming AAG Annual Meeting.

Eligibility

Eligibility for this competition is restricted to AAG members who have received the Ph.D. degree since April 1, 2022 and who have been members of the AAG for 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The Nystrom Award Review Committee will complete the evaluation process by early December. The Annual Meeting Preliminary Program (usually available in January) will indicate those individuals advancing to the final round of the competition (i.e. presentation at the Annual Meeting). Finalists will be invited to submit their papers for consideration for publication in The Professional Geographer. From the Nystrom competition papers presented at the Annual Meeting, the Review Committee will recommend one to two cash awards. The total annual prize awarded is $1,000.

Submission Procedures

Applications for the J. Warren Nystrom Award competition should be submitted no later than the deadline (Eastern Standard Time).

The committee will select papers to be included in a special Nystrom Award session or sessions at the AAG Annual Meeting. Unless authors indicate otherwise, papers not selected for the final competition will be included in appropriate sessions of the Annual Meeting program. Authors who have submitted a paper to the Nystrom competition may not also enter it in a different paper session at the Annual Meeting, as this contravenes the one-paper-per-person limit. Authors should submit a different paper for a regular paper session and they are expected to forego the regular paper session, if they are selected to present as a finalist in the Nystrom session.

As with all other AAG awards, eligibility also rests on the candidate being in compliance with the AAG Professional Conduct Policy. Nominations may be rescinded, and the award may also be revoked for any candidate or awardee who is found in violation of the AAG’s Professional Conduct Policy.

Notification

The Nystrom Award Review Committee will complete the evaluation process by early December. The AAG Annual Meeting Preliminary Program available in January will indicate those individuals advancing to the final round of the competition (i.e. presentation at the Annual Meeting). Finalists will be invited to submit their papers for consideration for publication in The Professional Geographer.

Presentation Guidelines

A complete application will consist of:

• Registration for the Annual Meeting and submitting your abstract online
• The paper (PDF only) submitted as a single document with the following parts in this order:
  a) An abstract of no more than 250 words
  b) The paper text which must not exceed 5,000 words and should be double-spaced. A co-authored paper is acceptable according to the following criteria: the applicant must provide a separate statement that details the degree and depth of their contribution to the research being presented in the paper, and the applicant must also state what role they had in the writing of the paper itself.
  c) Cited references only. References should be cited parenthetically in the text beginning with the author’s last name and followed by the year of publication. Citation of two or more publications having the same author appearing in the same year should be distinguished by sequentially lettered dates, (Brown 1943b) for example. The usage “in press” indicates that the work listed has been formally accepted for publication. Provide full titles of books and periodicals. For illustrations of appropriate citations, authors should consult the most recent issue of The Professional Geographer as well as the current edition of Chicago Manual of Style. References should be listed (double-spaced) on a separate sheet immediately after the text and “Notes.” Entitle the section “References” and list all references alphabetically by the author’s surname and then chronologically.
  d) Acknowledgements (Optional)
  If necessary, acknowledgements should be placed under a separate center heading, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, at the end of the paper.  Tables, Drawings and Photos: You may include essential tables, black and white drawings (such as maps and graphs), and black and white or color photos. Double space all tables and list sources for tables, maps and photos.
• A letter of endorsement from your graduate advisor that verifies the relationship of the paper to your dissertation work. The endorsement letter should also address why the advisor believes the applicant’s work is deserving of an award as prestigious as the J.W. Nystrom Award [see c) and d) in the Criteria for Review section, below].

Presentation

If your paper is selected, you will be allotted 15 minutes to present and discuss your paper. Whereas the chairs of regular sessions have some discretion as to the organization of their program of papers, the Chair of the Nystrom Session will adhere rigidly to the 15 minutes per presentation rule.

Criteria for Review

a) Eligibility requirements

b) adherence to format for submission

c) originality of ideas and potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge in particular subfields of the discipline

d) clarity and effectiveness of written style e) quality and effectiveness of oral presentation at the AAG Annual Meeting special session.

Committee Recommendations

From the Nystrom competition papers presented at the Annual Meeting, the Review Committee will recommend one to two cash awards, totaling $1,000.

Apply Now

For questions or difficulties, please contact grantsawards@aag.org or call the AAG at 202-234-1450.

About Dr. Nystrom

Dr. John Warren Nystrom was a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where he received his Doctor of Philosophy in Geography in 1942. Dr. Nystrom was an exceptional educator and professor of geography for many years at Rhode Island College, University of Pittsburgh, George Washington University, and Florida Atlantic University.  Beyond academia, Dr. Nystrom had a long and productive career in international relations as a senior official in the Foreign Policy Department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a partner in the international relations consulting firm of Allen, Murden and Nystrom, a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution.  He also represented the United States at UNESCO, the United Nations’ educational, scientific, and cultural organization.  Dr. Nystrom was Executive Director of the Association of American Geographers from 1966-1979. He received AAG Honors and published a number of geography textbooks and periodicals on U.S. relations with the European Community, Canada and Latin America.

Photograph and biographical material thanks to AAG Newsletter and Burlington Free Press.