The Neil Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award
Forecasted
The Neil Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award supports developing academic scholars by honoring outstanding conference papers on bluegrass music to elevate bluegrass research within higher education.
Funder: IBMA Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $1,000 honorarium plus admission to the next IBMA Business Conference and Awards Show
Summary: Recognizes developing academic scholars for outstanding bluegrass-related work accepted by a juried academic conference.
Key Information: Applicants must be current MA or PhD students or doctoral graduates within five years of degree completion.
Description
The Neil Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award is an annual prize administered by the IBMA Foundation to recognize outstanding academic scholarship on bluegrass music. It honors the developing academic scholar who presents the best paper accepted by a juried academic conference on an aspect of bluegrass music. The program aims to elevate bluegrass research within higher education, pairing a cash honorarium with admission to the next IBMA Business Conference and Awards Show.
Originally known as the IBMA Academic Prize, the award was first presented in 2011. The Foundation assumed responsibility in 2018 and renamed it for Neil Rosenberg, the bluegrass music historian, author, and Bluegrass Hall of Fame member. Recognized scholarship has explored genre history, performance and identity, Jewish expression in bluegrass, vocal harmony, and musical meter.
