IJMR Young Research Writer Award 2011

In an era where sound bites, twittering and presentations are increasingly used for communication, the International Journal of Market Research announced a new annual competition to demonstrate that young researchers today are capable of writing a persuasive, logically structured, engaging and evidence-based article on a market research methodological theme.

The Award is open to either researchers working as practitioners (client or agency; commercial and public sectors) or in an academic environment (post graduate student, researcher, lecturer, etc) who have less than five years’ research experience.

Entries must not read as if they are a commercial sales pitch, rather authors are asked to provide a convincing and credible case by imagining, for example, that they are attempting to interest the judges in funding a proposal. Arguments need to be balanced, with any negative factors being fully identified and discussed. Technical details, for example of a methodology, need to be clearly explained, as do the ways in which any ethical considerations were dealt with.

Entries for the 2011 competition closed on 14 September, following which the IJMR Executive Editorial Board announced three finalists. The winner was announced, and the award presented, at the Research Awards Dinner in London on 12 December. The IJMR Young Research Writer Award 2012 is now open for entries.

2011 Winner

Sara Sheridan, Firefish

Switched on: A methodological innovation to overcome the research challenge of memory and measurement within media habits Read the paper

What the judges said:

"The challenge Sara addressed is the measurement of audiences in a digital world where ‘media can be consumed across a range of platforms, places and times’. In selecting this as the first winner of this new award, the judges complimented Sara on submitting a passionate and thoughtful entry that was persuasive and motivational in style and content. The judges particularly commended the exploratory research Sara conducted, including the in-depth analysis and interpretation that identified underlying issues and the challenges faced in developing the proposed methodology."

2011 Finalists

Rosie McLeod, TNS-BMRB

Ownership and change; A case study of action research in Kenya Read the paper

What the judges said:

"Using a case study with a Kenyan charity, Rosie demonstrates how research can be used to facilitate learning, insight and programme management in an emerging economy. The judges commended Rosie on an interesting and passionately written case study which clearly describes action-research methodology and critically explores its application. She identifies the need for creativity and flexibility in such situations, and highlights the key role that can be played by professional researchers in developing effective research projects which engage and motivate all stakeholders."

Charlie Richards, Spring Research

Auto-Ethnography: How respondent researchers helped bring ethnography in from the cold Read the paper

What the judges said:

"Charlie argues the case for applying an innovative ethnographic-based methodology to answer the question ‘how do we understand how people have come to be doing what they are doing?’ In selecting Charlie as a finalist, the judges commented on the engaging structure of the entry, which contained flashes of real lucidity and brilliance in content. Supporting evidence was imaginative, and the illustrative case study contained insightful interpretation to highlight the methodological challenges."

The IJMR Young Research Writer Award 2012 is now open for entries.