ACM SIGIR Student Travel Awards

The SIGIR Student Travel Award Program provides funding for students who are members of ACM SIGIR to help cover the cost of travel and lodging to attend and contribute to JCDL 2026. SIGIR is pleased to offer the Student Travel Award for students presenting their accepted contributions at JCDL 2026.

For awardees, the award will cover the cost of in-person registration (main conference and workshops/tutorials if desired) and a USD 1,200 stipend towards travel and accommodation costs. In addition, awardees are required to assist the conference organizers in numerous activities during the event days.

See Application Procedure below for the application and recommendation letter forms.

Important Dates

All deadlines are 11:59 pm Anywhere on Earth (AoE), unless noted otherwise.

AnnouncementMon, August 31, 2026
Application & Recommendation Letter DeadlineFri, September 4, 2026
Award NotificationFri, September 11, 2026
Free Registration DeadlineTue, September 15, 2026
⚠️ Both the application and the recommendation letter must be received by September 4, 2026 (AoE) to be considered as a candidate. Please do not register for the conference ahead of the notification date — SIGIR cannot reimburse registration fees. If awarded, you must register by September 15, 2026 to be fully waived from the registration fee.

Eligibility

To be eligible, the student must:

  • Be a SIGIR student member. (SIGIR student travel awards are only open to SIGIR members. If you are not, click here to join SIGIR before continuing.)
  • Be a full-time student (graduate or undergraduate) enrolled in an academic institution at the time of the conference.
  • Be an author of an accepted contribution.
  • Be the author presenting said contribution.
🏆 These awards are competitive — not every applicant will receive an award. Priority will be given to:
  • Students presenting accepted contributions on the main conference track
  • Students from underrepresented countries
  • Students who have not received an award in the past

Application Procedure

Each applicant should submit the online application form below, accompanied by a recommendation letter from their thesis advisor, submitted via the separate advisor form. Both submissions must be received by the application deadline.

  • Student Application Form
  • Advisor Recommendation Letter Form
Submit Application → Submit Recommendation Letter →

Award Chairs