The Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award honors an outstanding doctoral student who focused their research in the reading, writing, or literacy field or who conducted related research with implications for reading, writing, or literacy. Interviews with the winning scholar are published each year in the Reading Research Quarterly. Applicants must have completed dissertations in any aspect of the field of reading, writing, or literacy between January 2024 and December 2024 and had their dissertation approved by their committee. Studies may use any research approach (ethnographic, experimental, historical, survey, etc.). Each study will be assessed in light of its approach, its scholarship, and its significant contributions to knowledge within the reading/literacy field. Previously published monographs are not eligible for this award. To be eligible, an applicant must be an ILA member in good standing and maintain active membership through June 30, 2026. A title page, table of contents, dissertation monograph, and reference list must be submitted as one document, preferably a PDF. Please visit the award's website for more information.