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Sociology in Action Bursary

Applications for the 2025 conference will open in July 2025. 


This bursary seeks to encourage the participation of sociologists working in areas such as private industry, government and non-government organisations, and private contract and consultancy work with The Australian Sociological Association (TASA). TASA's Executive would like to encourage non-academic members who have conducted applied research or written sociological papers on their work to apply for the bursary.

 

The bursary was introduced in 2008.

 

Note: Any changes to prize value, eligibility criteria and nomination/submission procedure are subject to TASA Executive approval.

Overseas applicants
In addition to completing the application form, overseas applicants need to address the following criteria:

1) A statement by the applicant made in support of how participating in the conference is going to shape their education/career/sociological understanding.

2) Evidence of an Australian visa application (completed or in progress), if required.

3) Evidence of the cost of travel and other costs involved – including screenshots/itineraries from travel websites indicating the cost of return flights to and from conference venue to applicant’s location.

4) Evidence of association of the applicant with a university/industrial setting AND/OR a recommendation letter by a supervisor or faculty member supporting the applicant’s participation in the conference.


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Recipients
Recipients

2020: no face to face event was held

2019: no applications were received for the 2019 round. 

Catherine, Chris and Dan
Chris and Dan
2018: Chris Brown: Resisting the Far-Right: Story-Based Strategy and Prefigurative Action 


2017: Catherine Robinson Precarious mobility: Highly vulnerable teens in Tasmania

2016: Melanie Shier-Baker Transition from Care: How sociology informs practice when supporting young people with a disability to exit the care of child safety services.

Katie and Jennifer

2015: Katie Hughes (TASA President) with recipient Jennifer Cheng

Liudmila Kirpitchenko

Katie Hughes, TASA President, with recipient Liudmila Kirpitchenko

Katie and Eileen

Katie Hughes, TASA president, with recipient Eileen Clark

2014: No applications received

2013: No applications received

Janice Ollerton

2012: Janice Ollerton

2011: Rock Chugg:
Firstly, thank you to those at TASA for the marvellous scholarship and a great ongoing opportunity to showcase my research at conference level. Special thanks to Sally at the TASA Office, who suggested that I might have a chance, despite my initial scepticism. I have enjoyed being a TASA member since the 2002 national and international conferences in Brisbane (where I presented three papers). Following this initial appearance, I have delivered original research papers at every TASA Conference on a regular basis: several of these papers have already been published in peer reviewed journals, such as Continuum and Refractory (the remainder are under consideration or in the process of being written up for publication). I specialise in media sociology and excerpts from my research have also appeared in well-regarded literary and news media including Meanjin and The Green Left Weekly. My employment role with the Australian Bureau of Statistics has provides a vantage point for observing sociological issues outside academe, and I thank this dedicated ABS bunch for helping to hone my data coding skills. I am also hoping to re-enrol in a higher degree course, and thus further my research and training aspirations to contribute to the already impressive body of knowledge in the Australian sociology field. The TASA Scholarship will be a very valuable asset in attaining such goals. The winning paper on news media was a lot of fun to do and sported a self-reflexive dimension at the time, what with the live cattle export story affecting government policy; the unreported Afghan war poll story; and the media mogul scandal absorbing the media in itself at the time. The media tend to hand it to you on a plate at the worst of times, but this conjuncture was particularly ripe for the would-be ‘outside academe’ sociologist (so finally thanks to them).

2010 Recipients

Dr Dina Bowman

Dr Stephen Kerry

2008

Charlotte Baines

Louise Holdsworth

Jennifer Sinclair


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Application Procedure and Nomination form
Application Procedure and Nomination form
  • Nominations must be made on this official nomination form.
  • Abstracts must be submitted to the refereed proceedings by the deadlines set
  • Applications will be reviewed by TASA Executive sub-committee normally consisting of the Vice President (conference convenor) and the Postgraduate Portfolio Leader.
  • Up to three bursaries may be awarded each year.
  • Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application with enough time for those nominees who were not successful to still register for the Conference at the ‘Early Bird’ rate.
  • The decision of the review panel is final and no further discussions will be entered into
  • Successful applicants will have the payment of their Conference registration made by TASA Admin.

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Prize
Prize
  1. A complimentary registration for TASA Annual Conference, where the award ceremony will be held;
  2. Travel funding is based on where the recipient resides and the location of the conference. Travel funding for TASA 2024 is: regional WA up to $250, NT up to $1100, SA up to $850, Qld, NSW & Victoria up to $950, Tasmania up to $1000, FNQ up to $650, overseas up to $2500 (dependent on country of residence).
  3. A TASA Conference Bursary for Sociology in Action certificate;
  4. A listing on the TASAweb ‘Recipients of TASA Conference Bursary for Sociology in Action’.

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Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria

Those eligible for consideration of the scholarship will meet the following criteria:

  • Current or recent employment or self-employment in an area such as private industry, government organisation, non-government organisation, private contract work, or consultancy work;
  • Applicants’ primary employment must be outside universities, academic research centres or joint industry-university centres;
  • Acceptance of a refereed Congress abstract where the applicant is the first-named author. Preference will be given to applicants whose abstract is about their work outside academia;
  • Not previously a recipient of the award;
  • Current financial TASA members;
  • Agree to submit (can opt out) a brief profile of their work/career to be published in Nexus/TASA Blog, if awarded a scholarship.

The following Selection Criteria will be taken into consideration:

Significance of research to congress theme (25) points

Contribution research will make to Australian sociology (25 points)

Location/distance from conference venue (20 points)

Financial hardship and/or care responsibilities (where this impacts on capacity to pay for conference attendance) (20 points)

Commitment to TASA (eg years of membership) (10 points)


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Selection Panel
Selection Panel

Selection panel will normally consist of the Vice President (conference convenor) and the Postgraduate Portfolio Leader.





From left, Janice Ollerton (recipient of a 2012 Sociology in Action Scholarship) and Deb King (then president of The Australian Sociological Association).


Awards, Prizes & Funding