Call for nominations for the ANU Myanmar Research Centre's inaugural Best Article Prize
The ANU Myanmar Research Centre (MRC) is now inviting nominations for its inaugural Best Article Prize, awarded to the author or authors at an Australian university of the best article or articles on the politics, society, economy or culture of Myanmar published in the last two years.
Up to two articles may be selected. The prize recipient or recipients will receive AUD500, a citation and certificate. The winners will be announced on the MRC website and at the 2026 Myanmar Update conference.
Eligibility
To be considered, articles must meet the following criteria. Articles that don’t meet these criteria won’t be considered.
1. The prize is for articles by authors with affiliations to any university in Australia. Articles by students, faculty, postdocs and visiting scholars at any Australian university are all eligible.
2. Affiliation to an Australian university is essential and must be indicated in the published article. Articles by authors who are affiliated to Australian universities but who have published under other affiliations will not be considered.
3. Where an article has more than one author, the corresponding author should be affiliated to an Australian university. If authors contributed equally and the affiliated author is not the corresponding author then this should be indicated in the nomination letter.
4. The article must include original research and relate primarily to the politics, society, economy or culture of Myanmar, as indicated by the title, abstract and keywords. Comparative studies are eligible provided that these conditions are met.
5. The article can be published in any journal of any discipline, provided that their contents are accessible to the broad Myanmar research community. Articles with specialist technical or theoretical contents not specific to Myanmar may not be considered.
6. The article must be in a numbered issue of a peer-reviewed journal for the years 2023 or 2024. Articles published online but not yet in a numbered issue will be eligible for a later prize, once they have appeared in an issue. Articles published in an issue earlier than 2023 will not be considered.
Nominations
To nominate an article for the prize please note the following:
1. Nominations can be made by anyone. Authors can nominate their own articles, as can supervisors, mentors, readers and publishers. Students are strongly recommended to ask an academic supervisor or mentor to nominate on their behalf.
2. Only one nomination is permitted per person.
3. To nominate an article, please prepare a cover letter of not more than two pages stating the reasons you think that it deserves the prize.
4. Submit the cover letter and the article in PDF format on this form. If you have difficulty filling in the form, please contact the Selection Committee chair, Jayde Lin Roberts: j.roberts@unsw.edu.au
5. The deadline for nominations is Friday, 6 June 2025 (midnight AEST).
Questions about the prize not answered in the above guidelines? Write to Nick Cheesman: nick.cheesman@anu.edu.au
The MRC Best Article Prize is made possible with funding from the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific
Image credit: May Co Naing