International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE)

4^th Annual Dissertation Competition

Sponsored by the ICHRIE FutureFundTM
Call for Submissions
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, 8 April 2026, 11:59 pm EST

We invite doctoral candidates to submit your dissertation proposal to the 4th ICHRIE Dissertation Competition. This competition is intended to support the dissertation research of doctoral candidates. Based on double-blind reviews by experienced referees, winners will be chosen. The winners will be invited to present their dissertation proposals in a workshop at the annual ICHRIE Global Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada (15-17 July 2026).

In order for their dissertation proposals to be considered for this competition, students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. The applicant’s dissertation must address a phenomenon that is of importance to the field of hospitality and tourism and have potential applicability to hospitality and tourism practice.
2. Applicants must be in good standing in a doctoral program in hospitality and tourism or a closely related field.
• Must be full-time doctoral students
• Applicants must have had their dissertation proposals approved by their dissertation advisor prior to application. A statement from a faculty advisor is needed showing that the student’s proposed research design has been deemed acceptable.
3. The applicant must be a member of the ICHRIE.
4. No part of the dissertation or dissertation proposal may be accepted for publication, provisionally or otherwise, at an academic journal prior to submission for this competition.
5. Tracks

1. Best Dissertation Proposals (dissertation research in progress)
2. Best Dissertations (completed dissertation) (should not have defended 6 months prior to the conference presentation)

We encourage all eligible doctoral candidates who are studying topics related to hospitality and tourism management to submit summaries of their dissertation research. Dissertation research addressing issues related to any aspect of hospitality and tourism management are welcome. 

Submissions should meet the following formatting criteria: (add the following documents)

1. CV
2. A cover page indicating the paper title, name of the submitter, his/her institutional affiliation, current mailing address, email address, and phone number. The name, email address, and phone number of the dissertation advisor should also be provided.
3. Letter of Support: A statement from the applicant’s dissertation advisor. This statement is limited to a maximum of 3 pages (single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) and should address all of the following:
• Verification that the above eligibility criteria are met and that the applicant’s Summary of the Dissertation Research accurately depicts the approved dissertation.
• The relevance of the student’s project to hospitality and tourism theory and practice.
• The student’s unique contributions to the project.
• An evaluation of the student’s research progress to date and the student’s plans of work and timetable.
4. 100-word Abstract. (Add few keywords that will aid in identifying reviewers)
• Choose a track (A or B)
5. Proposal summary of the dissertation research. Proposal summaries must be no longer than 4,000 words (in 12-point font with 1-inch margins). Up to 7 additional pages containing references and exhibits may be included. References may be single-spaced.
• Summary of the dissertation research should include: a statement of the problem, the theoretical basis used to examine the problem, an overview of the research methodology, and a discussion of the value of the project to the literature as well as to hospitality and tourism practitioners.
6. Timetable with target dates for the completion of project segments and for the defense of the dissertation

Judging Criteria:

Dissertation proposals will be judged based on innovativeness, meaningfulness, soundness of theory, methodological and conceptual rigor, potential contribution to the field of hospitality and tourism, and quality of writing. It is permissible, but not necessary, to include preliminary results in your submission.

Recognition of ICHRIE Dissertation Competition Winners:

• The winners of the Dissertation Competition will be announced and the awards will be presented at the ICHRIE annual conference.
• The awards will be sponsored by CHRIE FutureFund
  • All four winners (two from each track) will each receive $1000 (USD), in the form of a digital gift card or prepaid Master Card. The award is intended to support travel (e.g., airfare), accommodation (e.g., hotel), membership, and registration to attend the ICHRIE conference.
  • In order to receive the award, the candidate must present their proposal and attend the full workshop in-person.
  • Following the ICHRIE conference, the winning dissertation proposals and the respective authors will also be announced via ICHRIE’s social media pages, the ICHRIE website, and wherever possible to promote the authors’ accomplishment.

Submission Procedure:

Applications must be received by April 8, 2026, 11:59 pm EST (no extensions). Dissertation proposal summaries that do not meet the formatting criteria will be returned to students without review. 

PRINTABLE APPLICATION

Email the following information as separate files to Dr. Eric D. Olson [email protected] and Dr. Minwoo Lee [email protected].

• Attach a copy of your abstract and proposal WITHOUT ITS COVER PAGE OR OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION.
• Attach your CV, COVER PAGE as well as YOUR ADVISER'S LETTER OF SUPPORT.

If you require further information and/or assistance, please contact: