Emerging Scholar Manuscript Competition

Overview

The Emerging Scholar Manuscript Competition aims to bring fresh, alternative perspectives on educational leadership to the forefront of academic publishing. Recognizing that many promising scholars—particularly those from the Global South or those for whom English is a second language—may face barriers in navigating the standard peer-review process, this initiative shifts the focus from “perfect” papers to “promising” ideas.

Competition Goals

Cultivate Innovation: To recognize manuscripts that present early-stage but highly original ideas with the potential to advance current thinking in educational leadership.

Editorial Mentorship: To provide hands-on guidance from the editorial board, supporting authors as they refine preliminary manuscripts into robust, publishable research.

Broaden Representation: To bridge the gap for scholars from underrepresented regions and backgrounds, ensuring the journal reflects a more global and diverse range of perspectives.

Target Audience & Categories

Doctoral Students: Candidates currently in the final stages of their PhD/EdD (e.g., post-fieldwork or dissertation writing) or those within one year of their viva/graduation.

One winner will be selected. Instead of a traditional peer review, winners will engage in a collaborative editorial review process. The editors will work closely with the authors to refine and polish their work, with the consideration of publication in the following year.

Format

Draft papers are accepted. Submissions do not need to be fully polished manuscripts.

Length: Approximately 5,000 – 8,000 words.

Criteria

All work must be the author’s original research on any aspect of education that incorporates a leadership perspective and must incorporate/reference at least two IJLE articles published during 2002-2026. Manuscript must be submitted while author is enrolled in a doctoral program or within the first year of completion.

Platform

Submit via the journal’s online platform by selecting “Emerging Scholar Manuscript Competition”.

Timeline: