CALL FOR AWARD APPLICATIONS Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award 2011 Sponsored by the Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research http://www.cccsir.com/ The Carl Couch Center issues an annual call for student-authored papers to be considered for the Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award. The Couch Center welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers that (1) apply symbolic interactionist approaches to Internet studies, (2) demonstrate interactive relationships between social interaction and communication technologies, and/or (3) develop symbolic interactionist concepts in new directions. Papers will be evaluated based on the quality of (1) mastery of symbolic interactionist approaches and concepts, (2) originality, (3) organization, (4) presentation, and (5) advancement of knowledge. Evaluation will be administered by a Review Committee of four: Mark D. Johns, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa Annette Markham, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Lois Ann Scheidt, Indiana University, Bloomington Dennis Waskul, Minnesota State University, Mankato Competition is open to graduate or undergraduate students of all disciplines. Works that are published or accepted for publication are not eligible for award consideration. Entries should not exceed 30 pages (approximately 7500 words) in length, including references and appendices. Limit of one entry per student per year. The top three papers will receive Couch Awards to be presented at the 2011 meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers (aoir.org) at the University of Washington, Seattle. The top paper will be awarded a certificate and a cash prize of $500 US, runner up will receive a certificate and a cash prize of $300 US, and a third paper will receive a certificate and a cash prize of $100 US. All three authors will be invited to present their work at a session of the AoIR conference, October 20-22, 2011 in Seattle. Those interested should send a copy of their paper, with a 100-word abstract, electronically to Mark D. Johns at mjohns@luther.edu Application deadline is April 30, 2011. Notification of award will be sent by June 15. Those with questions or comments about Couch Award application, please contact: Mark D. Johns Dept. of Communication Studies Luther College, Decorah, IA 52101 USA Tel: (563) 387-1347 E-mail: mjohns@luther.edu