John Fraser Hart Award, Best Ph.D. Student Paper

Paper and Presentation Criteria

The paper must be prepared with care and treated as one prepares a manuscript for possible publication, which includes proper citations. A primary criterion for evaluation will be a well-defined research objective and a methodology appropriate to achieving it. The paper/poster should focus on one or more research questions and present at least a tentative answer, or it will receive a lower score in the judging competition. The Honors Paper/Poster Competition is not an appropriate venue for research in the proposal stage or not yet completed.

Each paper submitted to the graduate honors competition will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Paper Criteria:

  • Original research was undertaken by the author.
  • A 3,000-word paper of publishable quality in its entirety.
  • The oral presentation and defense at SEDAAG.
  • Proper citations, bibliography, and acknowledgments (if included).

Paper Presentation Criteria:

The oral examination is independent of the evaluation of the written paper. It will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • The professional quality of the presentation to a general audience.
  • The visual quality of the presentation.
  • The adequacy with which questions are answered.
  • Proper citations and acknowledgments.

It is important that the oral presentations be lively and well-illustrated. All visual aids should be intelligible. Reminder: Maps, illustrations, and other audiovisual materials should be designed and constructed by the author. To leave enough time for questions, each oral presentation should adhere to the time limit (15 minutes) for delivery by the person specified by the person chairing the session. Questions will be 5 minutes.

The Overall Score:

In calculating the overall score, the written portion of the paper will be weighted 40 percent, and the presentation and questions 60 percent.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS FOR GRADUATE HONORS 
GRADUATE HONORS’ PAPERS

Step 1

Join or renew your SEDAAG membership: https://sedaag.org/membership.

Step 2

Register your paper by the abstract deadline through the online submission form on the SEDAAG website (see link below) where you will also submit your abstract. 

Please indicate in the online systems that your submission is for the Graduate Honors Paper Competition. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccNRlTpKEeChKw11e0MRWheGWGIikngIvOoHdj6WslAN1S5A/viewform

Step 3

Attach the following two items in an email to the Honors Committee Chair, Dr. Maegen Rochner, University of Louisville (maegen.rochner@louisville.edu). Deadline for all paper competitions is September 19, 2025.

  1. The 3,000-word paper* (references/tables/figures DO NOT count toward the 3000-word limit; only the paper’s body is limited to 3000 words) If the paper exceeds 3,000 words, it will automatically be disqualified from the Honors Competition.
  2. A letter from the student’s advisor or head of the sponsoring department verifying the status of and eligibility of the student (a .pdf of an email stating this information is also fine).

The following distinguished Geography students have been awarded the John Fraser Hart Award for the best Ph.D. paper since 2002.

Year Recipient Institution
2025    
2024 1st Place – Cooper Corey Univ. of Tennessee
2024 2nd Place – Katrina Stack Univ. of Tennessee
2024 3rd Place – Rachel Arney Univ. of Georgia
2023 Avery Catherwood Univ. of North Carolina-
Greensboro
2022 Sarah Jackson Univ. of South Carolina
2021 Savannah Collins-Key University of Tennessee
2020 Yasin Wahid Rabby Univ. of Tennessee – Knoxville
2019 Jordan Brasher Univ. of Tennessee – Knoxville
2018 Douglas L. Allen Florida State Univ.
2018 Stephanie J. Mundis Univ. of Florida
2017 Maegen Rochner Univ. of Tennessee – Knoxville
2015 Pete Akers Univ. of Georgia
2014 Ronnie Schumann Univ. of South Carolina
2013 Derek Martin Univ. of Tennessee
2012 Whalen W. Dillon Univ. of North Carolina – Charlotte
2010 Kunwar Singh Univ. of North Carolina – Charlotte
2009 Tomas Vaclavik Univ. of North Carolina – Charlotte
2008 Katie Price Univ. of Georgia
2007 Joni Downs Florida State Univ.
2006 Joshua Inwood Univ. of Georgia
2005 Josh Durkee Univ. of Georgia
2005 Robert A. Yarbrough Univ. of Georgia
2004 Walker S. Ashley Univ. of Georgia
2003 Katherine B. Hankins Univ. of Georgia
2002 Kieron Bailey Univ. of Kentucky
2002 Neely L. Law Univ. of North Carolina – Chapel Hill