ITYARN, the International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network, has for the first time awarded the Geesche Wartemann Emerging Scholars Award, at the 20^th ASSITEJ World Congress and Festival in Tokyo, Japan, in April 2021.

The first winner of the Geesche Wartemann Emerging Scholars Award is Dr. Claire Mason (USA).

Nominees are selected based on the following criteria: 

• The nominee is a current PhD student specializing in any aspect of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), as demonstrated by a 1-page research project page (the dissertation).
• The nominee is within 5 years of finishing their PhD.
• The nominee has to demonstrate ongoing contributions to the field of TYA as demonstrated in a 3-page CV.
• The nominee has the support of two scholars through two letters of support; one from the advisor, and one from a scholar outside of the nominee’s institution.