IAC Scholars share in the prestige and opportunities that become available when they are selected.
Besides financial support, recipients will have access to peer mentoring and a large alumni network. Critical for long-term impact, the program offers continuing education and professional development opportunities foundational to obtaining leadership positions within the profession.
The Scholarship Program has three primary purposes:
- to nurture and sustain the professional development of the scholars,
- to establish a network of scholars over time who become mentors to other promising newcomers, and
- to support the information architecture and user experience design communities.
The Scholarship Program is made possible by sponsors and donations from IAC attendees.
Benefits
Each year, IAC Student Equity Scholars will receive:
- main conference registration to the IA Conference
- accommodation, meals, and flight
- free attendance to IAC Scholar pre-conference activities.
The program will also support the efforts of each scholarship recipient in:
- formal and informal mentoring opportunities
- access to colleagues via Discord and various private and open online communities
- access to job, internship, and residency opportunities in different types of organizations
- networking with other Scholars and IA thought leaders
- recognition during the conference
Eligibility
The IAC Student Equity Scholarship is designed for students new to the field from the US as well as other countries. To be eligible for an IAC Student Equity Scholarship, you should:
- identify as a member of one or more of these groups:
- Black or African
- Hispanic or Latinx
- Indigenous, First Nation, or American Indian
- Middle Eastern or North African
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- East Asian
- South Asian
- Southeast Asian
- attend an undergraduate or graduate program or certificate program in:
- information architecture
- library and information studies
- human-computer interaction
- computer science, psychology
- other related program
- be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program that begins no later than September 1st or Fall Semester
- have full or part-time student status
Application Process
Applications will be open until January 15, 2023, with scholarship recipients to be announced around February 15, 2023. To apply for the Student Equity Scholarship, please complete a personal statement answering the following questions:
- Why are you applying for the IAC Scholarship program?
- What draws you to the Information Architecture conference?
- What are your career plans and how would being an IAC Scholar contribute to your plans?
Statements should not exceed 500 words. Do not identify yourself or your school in the essay.Submissions can be emailed to scholarships@theiaconference.com.
Review Process
The panel of judges from the IAC community will select scholarship recipients based on:
- potential for growth
- potential for leadership
- stated goals
- quality of writing
UPDATE: The scholarship application deadline was January 15th, 2023, and the extended deadline was February 4th, 2023. Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications received, we are no longer accepting submissions at this time.
Questions? Contact scholarships@theiaconference.com
