2026 National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Women of Color Caucus – Frontiers Student Essay Award

The National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) in partnership with Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies invites paper submissions for the 2026 NWSA Women of Color Caucus-Frontiers Student Essay Award.

The purpose of this award is to discover, encourage, and promote the intellectual development of emerging scholars who engage in critical theoretical discussions and/or analyses about feminist/womanist issues concerning women and girls of color in the United States and diasporas.

One (1) annual $500 award is available for a woman of color who is a current graduate student and member of NWSA. The Editorial Collective envisions this award as initiating a relationship between the author and the journal, and thus we expect the prize-winning essay to be formally submitted to Frontiers within six months of receiving the award.

Submission Requirements

• Submissions must be from Women or Non-Binary People of Color who are current individual members of NWSA and the Women of Color Caucus and currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program. Recent recipients of a terminal degree (no earlier than May 2025) are also eligible to apply.
• Completed online application submitted on the NWSA website.
• Submissions must be original manuscripts, not previously published in whole or in part (whether online or in print) or under consideration for publication or another award.
• Manuscripts must be prepared as a standard Frontiers submission. Manuscripts that do not follow our style and formatting guidelines will automatically be eliminated from consideration. They must read as standalone essays.
• All submissions must be exclusive submissions to Frontiers for the duration of the essay award contest.

The NWSA Women of Color Caucus identifies women of color as those persons from African, Asian (including Asian American, Pacific Islander, Arab or Middle East Asian), Latin American, or American Indian (including African Native American or Alaskan Native) descent.