Applications will be accepted until February 5th, and both current students and recent graduates may apply. Adaptations of workshop, studio and capstone projects are welcomed. The winner(s) will be recognized at the 2021 National Planning Conference in May.
On behalf of the APA’s Economic Development Division, I would like to notify you about a scholarship opportunity for students interested in economic development – the Holzheimer Memorial Student Scholarship for Economic Development Planning. Though applications for the 2021 scholarship are not due until February 5th, we encourage early submissions at any time. If you know of strong projects by students who are enrolled in or recently graduated (2019 or later) from PAB-accredited planning programs in the US, or other current students or recently graduated APA early career members, please encourage those individuals to apply.
The scholarship is named in memory of longtime APA member and economic development visionary, Dr. Terry Holzheimer of Arlington County, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The $2,000 award is a scholarship provided by the APA’s Economic Development Division. Winners are strongly encouraged but not required to use the award money to support attendance at the APA National Planning Conference in May 2021. The application materials should include an original student paper or work that is 2,500 words or less (including citations and footnotes), and must include the name and contact information of a faculty member involved in supervising the student and/or the submitted work. The application form is available here: https://forms.gle/4ZuPteMmjVX7sXS98.
Guidelines:
Due to the word limit, submissions may reflect adaptations of original student work, including theses, term papers, capstone and studio projects. Group submissions are allowed, although it is expected that one or two students will take responsibility for the submission and represent the group should the submission be chosen as the winner. If a group submits a project, all group members must be planning students or APA student/early career members; exceptions for non-planning student or non-APA member co-authors may be granted at the discretion of the scholarship committee.
The submission should speak to planning practitioners about a substantive topic related to economic development. We welcome submissions that focus broadly on the topic of economic development, which we define in terms of enhancing community, urban and regional economic prosperity, inclusion and resilience. Submissions regarding non-United States cases are permitted, but applicants are strongly encouraged to speak directly to their relevance for the EDD audience, which is predominantly based in the US.
The winning paper or project will satisfactorily demonstrate the following: topical relevance to economic development practitioners with a clear discussion of why practitioners should care about the findings; soundness of empirical methods; quality writing; and originality and creativity.
The committee reserves the right to withhold the award should no submissions comply with these criteria.
The winner will be notified by February and the scholarship will be presented at APA’s National Planning Conference in May 2021.
The paper will be published on the Economic Development Division website and distributed electronically to EDD members in the News & Views newsletter; the winning author(s) may be asked to revise their submission prior to publication.