Pictured left to right: Julianne Licamele (2024 SMSSA MSW Winner), Soeun Jang (2024 SMSSA DSW/PhD Winner),

Savannah Mendez (2024 SMSSA BSW Winner), and SMSSA Program Namesake, Stacie McGee, LMSW-IPR.

NASW-TX proudly announces the 2nd Annual Stacie McGee Student Scholar Awards (SMSSA.) Social work students are invited to participate by submitting a sample of a written work created for a course in higher education, along with the original written work. Three winners—one each from Associate/Bachelor, Master, and PhD levels—will receive a $300 cash prize and free registration to the 2025 Virtual NASW-TX State Conference, online, October 16-18, 2025.

Winners must record a 20-minute video summary of their work to receive their prize. NASW will facilitate the video recordings with students. Don’t miss this chance to shine and share your work with the social work community!

Submission deadline is Thursday, July 31, 2025.

**The link to submit a proposal is at the bottom of this page. Please review all information before inputting your submission.

STUDENTS CHOSEN FOR THE STACIE MCGEE STUDENT SCHOLAR AWARD:

• Are currently enrolled in a social work program or have graduated in Spring or Summer 2025.
• Must submit five (5) full pages of writing sample, not including Title Page or References Page; no fewer and no more than five (5) pages.
• If the original document is longer than five (5) pages, please edit/reorganize/condense it to five (5) pages for judging.
• Must upload the original, full-length work, in addition to the five (5) page document as reference.
• Will be awarded a free conference registration to the 2025 NASW-TX Virtual Conference online October 16-18.
• Must prepare a 20-minute presentation, based on their winning submission, during which they present highlights of their submitted work.
• Must agree to meet with NASW-TX or NASW-TX Conference Program Chair to record a 20-minute video presentation of their paper.
• Must agree to have their session recording stored on the virtual conference platform for 30 days post-event to allow attendees to earn CEUs.
• Will be awarded free attendance to the 2025 NASW-TX Virtual Conference and a monetary prize of $300 which will be announced at the Closing Plenary on the final day of the 2025 NASW-TX Virtual Conference (October 18, 2025). NASW-TX will mail checks to the three winning proposal authors within 30 days of the final day of the conference.
  

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

**Failure to submit any of the following information will result in disqualification.

Written works considered for acceptance may have been created in any semester in which the student was enrolled in higher education. These include:

• Original Research Paper/Article
• Policy Analysis
• Literature Review
• Theoretical Paper
• Critical Analysis of Current Event
• Reflective Essay
• Book Review
• Case Study

Written works submission should be:

• In PDF format with APA 7th Edition formatting.
• Double-spaced with 12-point font and standard margins 1-inch margins.
• Clear, logical, and free from typographical or grammatical errors.
• Five (5) full pages of writing sample, not including Title Page or References Page; no fewer and no more than five (5) pages. If the original document is longer than five (5) pages, please edit/reorganize/condense it to five (5) pages for judging.
• The original, full-length work must be uploaded in addition to the five (5) page document as reference.

Written works submission include:

• The title of the presentation.
  
• Five (5) pages of fully edited sample of original written work, not including Title Page or References Page.
  
• Full-length edited original written work for reference.
• A biographical paragraph. Bios should be about 50 words (for session promotions in the conference website and mobile app).
• Only one submission per student is allowed. If more than one submission is received, only the first submission will be judged.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

• Completed proposals shall be submitted through the NASW-TX online submission system only. Presentations emailed or mailed to the NASW-TX Chapter Office will not be considered.
• Proposals submitted for the 2025 NASW-TX Virtual Conference must provide complete contact information (name including credentials, email address, cell phone number, college/university name, degree sought, and NASW-TX member/non-member status). 

INITIAL PROCESSING

New submissions are documented and screened to make sure that they meet basic submission criteria. 

After the preliminary screening, submissions that meet submission criteria are assigned to at least two reviewers according to procedures set by the Conference Planning Committee. A third reviewer will be assigned, if needed. Submissions are assigned to reviewers on the basis of their self-reported areas of expertise and the number of submissions already assigned to them. All submissions are reviewed anonymously.

REVIEWERS

Reviewers are NASW member volunteers at the BSW, MSW, or PhD/DSW level with at least two years of experience post-graduation.

JUDGING CRITERIA

The Conference Program Chair and the Conference Chair make the final decision on whether to accept a presentation on the basis of the reviewers’ ratings. Decisions on submissions are released only to the authors. In general, at least two reviewers read every submission, and reviewers rate each one based on the following factors:

• Fully edited sample of original written work for judging.
• Five (5) pages, not including Title Page or References Page.
• Full-length edited original written work for reference.
• Timely and relevant for micro, mezzo, or macro practice, policy, or research.
• Incorporates findings supportive of the current practice approach(es.)

Reviewers recommend whether to accept or reject a submission. No other feedback will be provided.

TIMELINE

• Submission deadline: Thursday, July 31 
• Judging: Friday, August 8-Friday, August 22
• Status notifications sent: Tuesday, September 2
• Student Scholar Award Winners submit PowerPoint presentations to NASW-TX or NASW-TX Conference Program Chair: Friday, September 12
• Student Scholar Award Winners record video presentations with NASW-TX or NASW-TX Conference Program Chair: Week of September 15

ABOUT STACIE MCGEE

NASW-TX is proud to honor the legacy of Stacie McGee, LMSW-IPR, who has been a member and leader at the chapter for 30 years. She has made remarkable contributions to social work education and practice in Texas and inspired countless students and professionals through her extensive work. Her passion and commitment to fostering inclusivity continues to leave an indelible mark on the field.

Stacie McGee, LMSW-IPR, received her BSW from Texas State in 1992 and her MSW from OLLU in 1994. She is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Texas State University, where she has been teaching for 20 years. McGee has worked in geriatric outreach, residential treatment, juvenile justice, program development, administration and grant writing, public school social work, and with pediatric and juvenile different abilities. Her current teaching and practice interests include international social work, animal-assisted therapy and LGBTQIA+ allyship and advocacy.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT!