Mary Kay, Inc. Dissertation Award
The AMS Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation Award, jointly sponsored by Mary Kay, Inc. and the Academy of Marketing Science, recognizes outstanding doctoral candidates in marketing who have successfully defended their dissertation proposal between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year leading up to the AMS Annual Conference.
By participating in the Mary Kay, Inc. Dissertation Award, you will have the opportunity to:
Get feedback from leading marketing scholars: Receive valuable feedback from experts in the field to improve your chances of publication.
Increase visibility and academic reputation: Presenting at the AMS Annual Conference and becoming a finalist can enhance your academic reputation and make you more visible in the job market.
Network with industry leaders: Connect with top executives from Mary Kay, a leading direct selling company, for potential research project opportunities and inspiration.
Structure and fine-tune your research program: Sending your entry allows you to dedicate time and resources to improving the structure of your research and gaining clarity on its direction.
Fund your future research: Have the chance to earn up to $600 in research funding and receive a one-year membership to the Academy of Marketing Science.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the The AMS Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Award, candidates must meet the following criteria:
Candidates must have successfully defended their dissertation proposal between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year leading up to the AMS Annual Conference.
Submissions covering any marketing-related topic, methodology and research interest are welcome.
Doctoral students from programs at any recognized university, college of higher learning, business school or management school worldwide are eligible for the AMS Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation or Proposal Competition.
Finalists must attend and register for the AMS Annual Conference in order to be considered as the winner or a runner-up for either award.
Candidates may not be considered for both the proposal and dissertation awards during the same year. If a candidate successfully defends both the proposal and the final dissertation in the same year, then he or she will only be considered for the Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation Award.
Selection Process
Submission Process: To be considered, please submit an electronic version of a dissertation abstract that is no longer than 15 double-spaced pages (including appendices, tables, figures and references). In the title of your submission, please clearly indicate whether your submission is “Dissertation Award Submission.” For example: “Brand Extensions: A New Perspective—Dissertation Proposal Award Submission.”
Your submission should be formatted using the guidelines for the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS). Do not include any identifying information in the submission itself (either within the text or as part of the document’s properties), as it will undergo a blind review. Feel free to contact the chairs of the competition for additional information on the submission process. All submissions must be sent in PDF format.
Winner Selection: Before the AMS Annual Conference, three finalists will be chosen for each award based on the blind reviewer feedback. The winner will be chosen from the three finalists at the AMS Annual Conference based on the quality of their dissertation research and their presentations at the conference.
Winner Recognition
Two finalists are awarded $500* each and a single winner will be awarded $600*, along with a one-year AMS membership, with checks drawn from a U.S. bank. Wire transfers are available for international recipients. All three winners receive the award funds and plaques at the AMS Annual Conference.
Past Winners
1993: J. Brock Smith, University of Western Ontario
1994: Douglas Vorhies, University of Arkansas
1995: Carol C. Bienstock, Virginia Tech University
1996: Sandy D. Jap, University of Florida
1997: Christopher Styles, London Business School
1998: Rajesh K. Chandy , University of Southern California
1999: Christopher White, Texas A&M University
2000: Mirta Barun Sarkar, Michigan State University
2001: Essam Ibrahim, University of Edinburgh and Christine Vallaster,. University of Innsbruck
2002: Yue Pan, University of Georgia
2003: Alina Sorescu, University of Houston
2004: Xing Pan, University of Maryland
2005: Chiharu Ishida, Virginia Tech University
2006: C. Fred Miao, University of Missouri-Columbia
2007: Jun Ye, Case Western Reserve University
2008: Babu John Mariadoss, University of Houston
2009: Andrew Petersen, University of Connecticut
2010: Anita Man Luo, University of Connecticut
2011: Torsten Bornemann, University of Mannheim
2012: Mark D. Groza, University of Massachusetts Amherst
2013: Sue Ryung Chang, New York University
2014: Courtney Szocs, University of South Florida
2015: Alice Li, University of Maryland
2016: Sarang Sunder, Texas Christian University
2017: Brianna Choi, Georgia State University
2018: Tobias Otterbring, Aarhus University
2019: Kiran Pedada, Texas Tech University
2020: Stijn Maesen, KU Leuven
2021: Irene Nahm, University of Rochester
2022: Ishita Sunity K. Chakraborty, University of Wisconsin - Madison
2023: Martina Pocchiari, National University of Singapore
2024: Felipe M. Affonso, Oklahoma State University
