David Cuillier, Ph.D.
NFOIC Board President
The National Freedom of Information Coalition’s fourth annual FOI research competition deadline for proposals will be extended two weeks, until May 20, to account for the continuing demands from the pandemic and other distractions. Winning papers in the competition earn cash awards, and authors of all accepted papers receive free registration to the annual fall NFOIC summit.
Submit one-page proposals for double-blind review by May 20, 2022. Authors whose work is accepted will submit full papers by Aug. 1, then present at the online NFOIC summit this fall. In addition, they will receive:
- Cash prizes ($500, $300, $200, for first, second, third place papers, respectively, paid by NFOIC)
- Free registration to the summit for all accepted papers
- Guaranteed publication (if desired) for the top-three papers in the Journal of Civic Information, published by the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida
We encourage research that has practical application, particularly at the state/local level. This year the competition will focus on technology and FOI, although the competition will accept any topic regarding FOI. That can include research in federal FOIA or global research that has broad ramifications or application. For a list of previous papers presented, see https://www.nfoic.org/nfoic-sponsored-research.
This is a great opportunity for:
- Graduate students or assistant professors to get early presentation experience and peer-reviewed publication (full disclosure: I’m editor of the Journal of Civic Information and happy to work with authors to improve their manuscripts)
- Seasoned scholars to reach those in the field who can benefit from that extensive experience and knowledge
- Practitioners, such as those working in nonprofits, to share the wealth of their knowledge with academics, their peers, and the rest of the FOI world
For questions or to enter the contest or journal, feel free to contact me via email at cuillier@arizona.edu.