The 2026 IMPS Graduate Student Research Competition calls for proposals on the theme of high-dimensional data analysis in social and behavioural research. The competition is open to all graduate students who can form teams of up to 4 people. Each team is required to submit a proposal outlining their study design, research questions, data sources or collection plan, and analysis methods.

Students have until June 19, 2026 to submit their proposals, which will be evaluated by a panel of judges. The three top teams will be invited to give a presentation at IMPS 2026. To receive full consideration, at least one member from the team needs to register for IMPS 2026 by May 4, 2026 and agree to present at the conference in July. Judges will select a winning team from the three top teams based on the submitted proposal and conference presentation. The winner will be announced at the award session. One can only participate in no more than one team.

The Student Research Award for IMPS 2026 is generously sponsored by the College Board with a contribution of $2000. We gratefully acknowledge the College Board’s great partnership and meaningful support.

Criteria

All proposals will be evaluated on their novelty, impact for the field of psychometrics, and feasibility.

Eligibility

Proposals will receive full consideration if all of the following three criteria are met:

• All team members are full time graduate students or have graduated no earlier than January 31, 2026;
• Proposal needs to be received by Friday, June 19th, 2026, 11:59pm PST;
• At least one member from the team is registered by May 4 for IMPS 2026 and agrees to present in July.

Proposal Format and Submission

Please submit your proposal using this Submission Form.

A Gmail account is needed to complete the form. Each project proposal must be uploaded as a single PDF document with the naming convention of “<TeamLeadLastName>_IMPS2026.pdf” and include the following items in the order listed:

1. Cover page (one-page maximum)
   • Designated Team Lead’s name, email, and affiliation with a graduate program;
   • Name of other team members and their affiliation with a graduate program;
   • Name of the presenter (can be different from the team lead but must be one of the team members) and email.
2. Abstract (250 words)
3. Description (three pages maximum)
   • The objective of the project
   • Background, previous work, and motivation as appropriate
   • The project approach, methods and results
   • Contribution to the field
4. References, optional (one-page maximum)

Times New Roman 12 point with double spacing and one-inch margins is required. Please do not submit the form more than once from the same team. If you do, only the first will be taken into full consideration. Each team can only submit one proposal.

Review Process

Projects will be confidentially reviewed by a panel of judges consisting of senior researchers in psychometrics. The panel will select the top three teams to present at IMPS 2026. Selected teams will be notified by Monday, July 6, 2026.

Acceptance Conditions

In accepting an award from the 2026 IMPS Graduate Student Research Competition program, the awardee:

• Understands that the award is contingent on secure approval of any protocols for research involving the use of live vertebrate animals, recombinant DNA molecules, and/or human subjects.

Need More Information?

If you have any questions or if you run into any issues submitting your proposal, please contact the Chair of the Psychometric Society Graduate Student Committee, Silvia Cagnone at silvia.cagnone@unibo.it.