2026 AIAH EARLY CAREER RESEARCH AWARD

Award

The 2026 AIAH Early Career Research Award fosters new and innovative research and public engagement in art history by early career professionals.

The award supports public-facing, collaborative research projects undertaken by a team of at least two people with varied forms of expertise.

There are three requirements for a project to be eligible at the time of application:

  • All team members must be Early Career Researchers (ECRs).
  • At least one team member must be an AAANZ member in good standing.
  • The team must deliver a public research output within one calendar year of the award being granted.

One award of $10,000 will be available in 2026. All team members will also receive complimentary annual AAANZ membership for the year following the granting of the award.

Applications Close: Monday 16 November 2026

The recipient will be announced during the 2027 AAANZ Conference.

Eligibility and Criteria

The award supports public-facing, collaborative research projects undertaken by a team of at least two people with varied forms of expertise.

Each team member must contribute to the development of the research proposal, project management and delivery, and production of the public research output.

The project may involve Australian-based researchers collaborating with colleagues overseas or in disciplines beyond art history. Outputs might include (but are not limited to) a small-scale exhibition, a jointly authored peer-reviewed journal article or book chapter, a public lecture series, colloquia or workshops, and/or the production of scholarly podcasts or other media content.

The ECRA may be used to support research activities, including archival work, fieldwork, research or administrative assistance, acquisition of research materials, and research dissemination activities.

To be eligible:

  • All team members must be Early Career Researchers (ECRs).
  • To qualify as an ECR, applicants must have received their PhD or equivalent professional degree no more than six years before the application closing date (16 November 2026), or be a currently enrolled PhD student with confirmed candidacy and in good standing. These time limits exclude periods of career interruption (for example, for family care or health reasons).
  • At least one team member must be a current AAANZ member in good standing. You can join or renew here.
  • The team must deliver a public research output within one calendar year of the award being granted.

To Apply

Applications must include the following:

  • Name and contact details
  • AAANZ membership: Name under which the membership is held
  • Project title
  • Project summary (100 words)
  • Project description (500 words), addressing:
    • What are the main objectives?
    • How will they be achieved?
    • Who is on the team, and why?
    • What is the project’s significance and/or innovation?
  • Project timeline (300–500 words), including:
    • Proposed schedule of activities
    • Justification of the time required
  • Project budget and justification of expenses
  • Short curriculum vitae (CV) for each team member, including:
    • Academic qualifications and publications
    • Professional positions held and/or relevant experience
    • Current PhD students must also submit proof of candidacy and a letter of support from their primary supervisor.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • The feasibility of the proposed research
  • The rationale for the team and the contribution of each member
  • The likelihood of the funded activities generating significant new information and ideas

For enquiries, please contact AAANZ at admin@aaanz.info or Professor Anne Dunlop at anne.dunlop@unimelb.edu.au.

The AIAH Early Career Research Award (ECRA) is funded by the Australian Institute of Art History and administered jointly by AIAH and AAANZ.