The International Association of Smart Learning Environments (IASLE) is pleased to invite nominations for the inaugural IASLE Emerging Scholar Award. Established in 2026, this award is presented for the first time this year to recognize an outstanding early career researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of smart learning environments, demonstrated high-quality research outcomes, and actively engaged with the academic community. The award aims to foster excellence in early career scholarship and to celebrate emerging talent in the smart learning community.

The inaugural award ceremony will take place at the International Conference on Smart Learning Environments (ICSLE 2026), to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 19–20, 2026.

Qualification

Nominees must:

• Be an active IASLE member at the time of nomination and during ICSLE 2026 when receiving the award. IASLE membership is currently free and can be registered at http://iasle.net/members/register/. Please note that membership activation is subject to review by the IASLE secretariat and typically takes 1–2 business days.

• Be in their early career stage – received their doctoral degree no more than 5 years prior to the time of nomination.

Important Dates

• September 15th, 2026: Deadline for submission of nomination packages. 

• September 30th, 2026: Notification of the award winner.

Refer to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20260915T235959&p1=256 

Awards Committee & Selection Criteria

An IASLE Awards Committee will be established to review all nominations. The committee will assess the candidates and select the awardee through a voting process. Committee members are not eligible to serve as nominators or provide letters of support.

The Awards Committee will evaluate nominees based on the following criteria. The nomination package should provide clear evidence and justifications for each:

• Research quality and impact

• Publication quality and influence

• IASLE contributions and involvements

• Community service and engagement

Nomination Process

Nominations can only be made by an active IASLE member. Please note that self-nominations are not permitted. An individual may nominate at most one candidate.

The nomination package should be sent directly via email to the Award Committee Chair, Prof. Maiga Chang, at maiga.chang@gmail.com, with the subject “[IASLE][Emerging Scholar Award][2026]”.

The nomination package should contain:

1. The nomination form, which can be downloaded here

2. A nomination statement (not to exceed 500 words) describing why the nominee is deserving of the award, addressing the selection criteria above.

3. Three (3) representative publications of the nominee (PDF only).

Award

One (1) awardee will be recognized each year. The winner will receive:

• An IASLE Emerging Scholar Award certificate, presented at ICSLE 2026.

• The winner’s name announced on the IASLE website.

• An invitation to give a talk at ICSLE 2026.

• Travel support: partial reimbursement of round-trip travel expenses.

Attendance Requirement

The award winner is required to attend ICSLE 2026 in person to receive the award. The conference will provide partial travel support. In the event that the winner cannot attend in person due to circumstances beyond their control, they should contact the Award Committee Chair to discuss alternative arrangements.

Note

The IASLE Awards Committee reserves the right not to confer the award in any given year if no nomination meets the required standards.

Contact

For any questions, please contact Joe Chen at hanjiechen606935@nd.com.cn