The Rachel Tanur Prize for Visual Sociology

The Social Science Research Council hosts a twenty-year program of biannual grants from the Mark Family Fund for the Rachel Tanur Memorial Prize for Visual Sociology.

The prize recognizes students in the social sciences who incorporate visual analysis in their work. It is named for Rachel Dorothy Tanur (1958–2002), an urban planner and lawyer who cared deeply about people and their lives and was an acute observer of living conditions and human relationships.

The award

The purpose of the Rachel Tanur Memorial Prize for Visual Sociology is to encourage students to incorporate visual analysis in their study and understanding of social phenomena. The contest is open worldwide to undergraduate and graduate students (majoring in any social science). Students must be currently enrolled or have received their degrees no earlier than the end of the term finishing just before the meeting of the International Sociological Association (ISA) at which the prize is to be awarded.

Entries for the 2018 competition must be received by January 24, 2018. Winners will be notified by April 2, 2018. Up to three cash prizes will be awarded at the XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Power, Violence and Justice: Reflections, Responses and Responsibilities, to be held in Toronto, Canada on July 15-21, 2018. Attendance at the forum is not a requirement but is encouraged. Tanur Prize applicants who are also interested in presenting a paper at the forum should submit an abstract by September 30, 2017 to the ISA. Prizes will be awarded by the Research Committee on Visual Sociology of the ISA. The first prize will be $2,500 USD, the second $1,500, and the third $500. The prize is awarded biennially.

Application

Criteria

The applicant must submit two commentaries in English, each no more than 4000 characters (~500 words) in length, and one photo. One commentary must be based on one or more of the photos by Rachel Tanur and one must be based on an original photo taken by the applicant. Each commentary is expected to give a sociological analysis of the selected visual material, based on theoretical and applied social science methods.

In addition, each applicant must submit a letter from his or her advisor, certifying the current student status of the applicant, to tanurprize@ssrc.org.

A panel of judges appointed by ISA’s Research Committee on Visual Sociology will choose the winners. Both the commentaries and the photo will be made publicly accessible. Entering the competition and posting material online implies permission for that material to be used on the website as a living memorial to Rachel Tanur.

 The Rachel Tanur Memorial Prize for Visual Sociology Application 2018

Contact

Address:
Social Science Research Council One Pierrepont Plaza, 15th Floor
300 Cadman Plaza West
Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA

Phone:
212-377-2700

Email:
tanurprize@ssrc.org