Call for Nominations: ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award 2025

How to Nominate

Call for Nominations: ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award 2025

Overview
Established in 2011, the ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award recognizes the top doctoral dissertation(s) in Computer Science and Engineering from institutions across India each academic year. The award carries a prize of ₹2,00,000 for the winner, while an honorable mention, if awarded, comes with a prize of ₹1,00,000. Winning dissertations will be featured in the ACM Digital Library. Tata Consultancy Services sponsors this award.

Deadline
Nominations must be submitted by 11:00 PM IST on August 31, 2025.

Eligibility
Each PhD-granting institution in India can typically nominate one student. Institutions producing over 10 relevant dissertations annually may nominate two students. To be eligible, the dissertation must have been successfully defended between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

Publication and Copyright
Winning dissertations will be published in the ACM Digital Library. Nominees must assign exclusive publication rights to ACM, following ACM's copyright policies. If a dissertation is not selected, copyright will revert to the author.

Nomination Procedure

All nominations must strictly adhere to the following steps to avoid disqualification:

  • The nominator should be the nominee’s primary dissertation advisor.
  • The nominator must verify that the nominee adheres to ACM’s Code of Ethics and Core Values before proceeding.
  • A single zip file, named after the nominee (e.g., AkbarKSharma.zip), must be submitted. This zip file should contain the following:
    1. nomination.pdf: A letter from the primary dissertation advisor including their and the nominee’s contact details, a one-page statement explaining the dissertation’s significance, and a suggested citation for the nominee if they are selected (up to 25 words).
    2. endorsement.pdf: A letter of endorsement from the department head or a suitable alternative.
    3. supporting_letters.pdf: Between three and five letters from experts in the field, not including the nominee’s advisors, supporting the nomination.
    4. dissertation.pdf: A copy of the nominee’s dissertation.
    5. publications.pdf: A list of relevant publications from the dissertation and their citations.
    6. copyright.pdf: The ACM publishing license agreement, signed by the nominee.

Submission
The primary advisor must submit the complete nomination package electronically. The zip file should be uploaded to: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/ACMIndiaAwards2024 under the “ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award” track.

Selection Process
An independent panel of distinguished Computer Science researchers will evaluate the nominations based on technical depth, research significance, potential impact, and quality of presentation. After an initial screening, shortlisted dissertations will undergo a detailed review. The decision of the committee will be final.

For further information, contact: [email protected].