Award Nominations

The Mississippi Communication Association (MCA) is excited to open award nominations for the exceptional teachers, scholars, mentors, advocates who are part of the association. We also recognize those who have provided dedicated service to the field and/or made substantial contributions to the field.

• MCA Excellence in Teaching Award: recognizes qualified MCA members who have excelled in the classroom while teaching within the communication discipline and, in doing so, furthered the goals and values of MCA.
• ​​MCA Exceptional Scholarship Award: recognizes qualified MCA members who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship through research, creative works, and other scholarly endeavors appropriate to their discipline, and, in doing so, furthered the goals and values of MCA.
• MCA Distinguished Mentorship Award: recognizes MCA members who have provided exceptional mentorship to students, colleagues, or other communication professionals (outside the confines of their classrooms and/or job duties) and, in doing so, furthered the goals and values of the MCA.
• MCA Advocacy Award: recognizes MCA members who have gone above and beyond to use their personal and professional platforms and spheres of influence to further the goals, values, reach, and impact of MCA.
• MCA Distinguished Service to the Discipline Award: recognizes MCA members who have provided exceptional and sustained service to the communication discipline not only within the state of Mississippi, but beyond our borders, either regionally, nationally, or internationally.
• MCA Lifetime Achievement Award: to be awarded very rarely when such a nominee is deemed worthy of such an honor by a unanimous vote of the MCA Executive Committee. For this award, MCA waives the requirement of past membership or participation in MCA. However, nominees must have made substantial contributions to the field of communication that have had a profound impact on the state of Mississippi. The winner (or a representative if posthumous) must be willing to present about their life’s work at the MCA at which the award is received.

Nomination Requirements (excepting the “Lifetime Achievement Award”): nominees must have been MCA members for at least five years (those years need not be consecutive). Preference will be given to nominees with strong professional/educational ties to the state of Mississippi. Nominees must have presented at MCA's annual conference at least once or be willing to present their work at the MCA conference at which they receive an award.

Nominations require the following materials: 1) letter of nomination including a statement describing the nominee’s qualification for the award and 2) nominee’s CV or resume. Additional artifacts to support the nominee’s candidacy are encouraged, but not required.

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, June 30, 2026. All submissions must be submitted via this Google form. If you have any questions about the award or nominating process, please email [email protected]. MCA reserves the right to award or not award within a given year.