Mark Tucker Award for Outstanding Student Paper Grant

The Mark Tucker Award for Outstanding Student Paper, established by the Society for American Music, honors exceptional scholarly writing in American music. Named after jazz scholar Mark Tucker, the award is presented annually at the SAM conference to a student whose paper exemplifies skillful communication and insight. This initiative not only recognizes academic excellence but also nurtures the next generation of scholars, promoting diverse research topics within the rich landscape of American musical culture.

holding collegial annual conferences that feature scholarly presentations, musical performances, and opportunities for social interaction and professional development of its members;disseminating high-quality research and thoughtful articles and reviews through the peer reviewed Journal and the online Bulletin;offering financial support for research at libraries, archives, and other venues in the United States and abroadpresenting annual awards that recognize outstanding scholarship, dedicated service to the Society, lifetime professional achievement, and significant contributions to the American musical culture;partnering with other local and national organizations to sponsor outreach initiatives designed to engage the general public with innovative programming;furnishing creative curriculum support for K–12 and university educators interested in integrating American music into their classrooms;advocating for the sustained support of humanities research, music librarianship, and musical composition, as well as greater access to the resources of American music; andserving as a resource for media outlets and the general public.
Recognizing Mark’s gift for nurturing and inspiring his own students and the high value he placed on skillful and communicative scholarly writing, and wishing to honor his memory, the Board of the Society for American Music has established the Mark Tucker Award, to be presented at the Business Meeting of the annual SAM conference to a student who has written an outstanding paper for delivery at that conference. The recipient of the award, which consists of a modest amount of cash and a more significant amount of recognition, will be decided before the conference by a committee appointed annually.

Eligibility

Students who will be reading individual papers or presenting a poster are eligible for the Mark Tucker Award.

Ineligibility

Seminar papers are not eligible for the Tucker Award.