The William E. Gribbon Memorial Award for Student Travel

The William E. Gribbon Memorial Fund was established in 1989 to encourage and enable college and university students to attend the Society’s annual meetings. The Gribbon Committee welcomes applicants with career interests that relate to the mission of the American Musical Instrument Society. All applicants must be either (a) enrolled as a student in an accredited institution, part or full time, as of the first day of the scheduled AMIS conference or (b) a recent graduate, with completion of degree dated no more than six months before the first day of the scheduled AMIS conference. The award consists of a student membership for one year and substantial financial support for travel and lodging in an amount determined by the Gribbon Committee, based upon an itemized estimate of all of the applicant’s meeting-related expenses. Applicants can receive the Gribbon Award a maximum of three times.

Application Process

All application materials should be send to Sarah Deters, sarah.deters@ed.ac.uk
Applications must be received by 11:59pm (US Eastern Standard Time) on February 15, 2026.

All applications should include the following materials:

Completed Gribbon Coversheet - Click Here
A statement of 300 words or less describing the ways in which your academic interests relate to the history and/or study of musical instruments
Two letters of recommendation written by persons who are familiar with your work and career interests. One of these letters must be submitted on official institutional letterhead by a teacher or professor who can verify either your current student status OR your completion of studies within six months before the start of the conference. Please have your referees send us their letters directly via email. (Note: please ensure that they are scanned to include the referees’ signatures)
Your curriculum vitae
If you have submitted (or will submit) a paper proposal, please include a copy of your abstract. Presenting at the meeting is not a requirement for receiving this award, but submitting a proposal is encouraged. The submission process for proposals is entirely separate. To submit a proposal, please send the relevant materials to the Program Committee Chair by the submission deadline (November 21, 2025).

We encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity. AMIS members have given generously to make the Gribbon Memorial Award available, and we look forward to a strong response.