Awards

Every conference year, PSi grants several awards to reward and advance the global study of performance. These awards provide recognition and financial support for emerging scholars, activists, artists, and conference participants from underrepresented regions to honor their investment in PSi and support their participation. For more information about specific awards, deadlines, procedures and eligibility, please see below.

The laureates of all awards are listed here.

Candidates who wish to be considered for an award must hold a valid PSi membership and complete the award application process.  

Dwight Conquergood Award

Every conference year the Board of Directors of PSi bestows the Dwight Conquergood Award in honour of the memory of Dwight Conquergood (1949-2004); a ground-breaking ethnographer and former Vice President of PSi, best known for his cross-disciplinary research on the disenfranchised.  The award is presented to an individual whose work around cultural performance in some way carries a connection to Dwight’s own practice.  The award of $2,500 (USD) is granted to assist with travel costs to attend the annual PSi conference in-person (ie. partial travel and accommodation costs).  The recipient also receives full conference registration and a 1-year membership to PSi.

UCalgary Artistic Research Award

The UCalgary Artistic Research Award celebrates outstanding contributions of artist-researchers to the annual conference of Performance Studies international (PSi). The prize of $500.00 USD is awarded to an accepted conference program contribution that exemplifies the huge potential for artistic research to not only create new knowledge but also to expand epistemological horizons—specifically within conference programming and, more generally, within broader academic and professional contexts and discourses.

Enrichment Bursary

The Enrichment Bursary is to support new and unaffiliated artists/scholars/activists particularly those from under-represented groups to attend the PSi conference and make a contribution.  The Enrichment Bursary covers the costs of attending the annual PSi conference in-person, including accommodation and registration fee, but not travel expenses (airfare etc.).  It is paid for and awarded by the conference organizers who oversee and conduct the reviewing process. Only applicants who have already had their proposal for a presentation accepted by the organizers of the current PSi conference and will be attending in-person can receive the award.

Award for Outstanding Work on Critical Race Performance Studies

Performance Studies international (PSi) invites nominations for the 2023 Outstanding Work on Critical Race Performance Studies Award. In odd-numbered years, this award honors a global majority artist’s outstanding artwork/performance related to critical race performance studies. In even numbered years, the award honors a global majority scholar’s outstanding contribution to critical race performance studies. The award consists of a $600 monetary award. Emerging scholars are welcome to apply. We also welcome submissions that blur the lines between performance and scholarship.

Artist | Scholar | Activist Award

The Artist-Scholar-Activist (ASA) Award is an award for outstanding achievement within the cross-disciplinary field of performance. The award is given to an Artist/Scholar/Activist who has spent at least a decade fostering exchange among ASA and whose work has facilitated collaboration either interdisciplinary or international. The first award was granted in 2012 to Bobby Baker at the PSi Conference in Leeds. Nominations may come from both the conference director ahead of the conference and from the PSi Board of Directors. The PSi prize committee will then appoint a winner in collaboration with the conference organizers. The Artist|Scholar|Activist Award consists of $1000 (USD), plus conference registration.