AoIR 2026 Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarship

Application Deadline: 10 July 2026

The Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) invites applications for the Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarship, which supports early-career scholars who lack the financial resources to attend AoIR 2026 in Mexico City. The scholarship is for PhD students and recent PhDs whose work has been accepted to the main conference programme or the Doctoral Colloquium, and who cannot cover travel costs through their institution or other funding sources.

Looking for support for other reasons? The Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarship is specifically for early-career scholars with limited access to funding. If you face other barriers to participation (such as threats to academic freedom, precarity, or other forms of exclusion), or you are past the early-career stage, see the AoIR Access Grant instead. 

We offer

• up to 5 travel and accommodation grants of up to 2,000 USD each, and
• up to 5 grants of 500 USD each.

The grants reimburse travel and accommodation costs.

Conditions for applying

• You are a PhD student or within two years of completing your PhD. This is what distinguishes this scholarship from the Access Grant, which has no career-stage restriction.
• Your presentation has been accepted to the AoIR 2026 conference programme, or you have been selected for the AoIR Doctoral Colloquium. Applications are not reviewed on academic quality, but applicants should preferably have submitted abstracts as first authors.
• The grants are intended for AoIR members. Information on becoming a member is at membership.aoir.org.
• The most important evaluation criterion is your access to financial resources, for example from your home university, third-party funded projects, or national funding institutions. Applicants with little or no access to such funding will be prioritised.

All applications must be submitted via this form: https://forms.gle/J7x8j8a5DzDRe3fQ8. Late submissions cannot be considered. Responses will be sent before the 1 August early bird conference registration deadline.

Preparing your application

Please get cracking right away! This is what you need to do:

• Proof of acceptance and career stage. Forward your acceptance email for the conference or the Doctoral Colloquium, along with evidence of your PhD or postdoctoral status (proof of enrolment, a letter from your institution, or a link to your university profile).
• Statement of support (up to 600 words). Explain your financial circumstances and need. You may also describe any exceptional circumstances, or how your contribution to the conference brings a distinctive, underrepresented perspective.
• Support letter (300 to 500 words) from your advisor or department head. This letter should:
• outline your institution's available support,
• explain any funding shortfall, and
• clarify whether you are receiving partial support.

If you do not have a formal institutional affiliation (for example, you are an independent scholar, unaffiliated journalist, or activist), you are still eligible to apply, provided your work has been accepted to the main programme or the Doctoral Colloquium. In lieu of the institutional support letter, submit a brief letter (up to 600 words) explaining your professional circumstances and your need for financial assistance.

Application Deadline: 10 July 2026

Award details

To help those who would otherwise struggle to pay for air travel ahead of receiving a reimbursement, AoIR is partnering with an international travel agency to coordinate travel or accommodations for all award recipients.

• The agency will arrange flights or lodging, based on the information provided by each awardee.
• They will also support visa applications by providing documentation and guidance.
• Visa application fees (if applicable) may be reimbursed upon submission of receipts after the conference.
• Reimbursements will be made via Bill.com, Wise.com, or PayPal.

To facilitate travel planning, AoIR will share the necessary awardee information with the travel agency. This information will be used exclusively to coordinate your travel and lodging arrangements. All awardees will receive detailed instructions on how to communicate with the travel agency and begin the planning process.

If unforeseen circumstances prevent your attendance after arrangements have been made, AoIR and the agency will work with you to manage cancellations or changes. Supporting documentation may be required.

Application Deadline: 10 July 2026

Selection criteria

Applications are reviewed by the AoIR Executive Committee. The committee weighs financial need most heavily, and gives priority to:

• applicants who have not previously received an AoIR travel scholarship, and
• those likely to make a distinctive contribution to the conference.

Questions? Contact travelscholarship [at] aoir [dot] org

We look forward to helping you join us at AoIR and contributing to a more inclusive and vibrant community of internet researchers.

Application Deadline: 10 July 2026