REMINDER: 2026 ACR-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Student Conference Fellowships – Call for Applications

REMINDER: 2026 ACR-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Student Conference Fellowships – Call for Applications

To assist PhD students with limited resources to attend the 2026 Chicago ACR conference, the Association for Consumer Research, in association with the Sheth Foundation, will grant 20 need-based conference Fellowships to PhD students with an accepted competitive paper, working paper, special session, or film. Anyone who will be a PhD student in September 2026 and presenting their work at the conference as a student is encouraged to apply.

These Fellowships will include complimentary registration to the conference and a $500 need-based allowance to cover some of the estimated travel costs of attending the conference. In exchange, the recipients will commit to up to 5 hours of work for ACR. The tasks will include assisting during the conference (e.g., registration, directing people, room counts). Fellowship winners will be contacted by the Conference Manager prior to the conference to arrange schedules based on the conference needs.

In order to apply, PhD students should submit the following documents through the ACR website form by July 21, 2026:

1. Cover letter, making a (need-based) case for their selection for the Fellowship and including the following details:
   1. The details of their accepted conference presentation.
   2. Indication of whether they have attended the ACR September/October Conference in the past (in person).
   3. Confirming that they have not received an ACR-Sheth Foundation Conference Fellowship in past years for the ACR September/October Conference.
   4. If applicable, the year in which they received an ACR-Sheth Foundation Conference Fellowship to attend an international ACR conference (Latin America, Asia Pacific, or Europe).
2. A letter from their advisor confirming that they do not have sufficient funding from their school or research grants to attend the conference and that receipt of the Fellowship would enable them to cover the remaining costs and participate.
3. A copy of their CV.

The Fellowship decision will be made by a committee based on merit and need. Students with an accepted competitive paper or a special session will receive priority over those with an accepted working paper or film. Priority will also be given to PhD students who are first-time in-person attendees of the ACR September/October conference. The reviewers’ ratings of the submission and the candidates’ CVs will be used in case of ties.

Applicants will be informed by August 11th regarding the outcome of their application. Students who apply for the Fellowship but do not receive it will be allowed to ask a co-author to present or to withdraw their submission if they decide not to attend the conference. Students who applied for the Fellowship for the 2025 ACR Conference in Washington DC and did not receive it can apply again, but each student can only receive the Fellowship once.

Winners are encouraged to indicate that they are winners of the ACR-Sheth Foundation Conference Fellowship on their CVs.

Sincerely,

Beatriz Pereira
ACR International Director