We seek to identify research on early childhood education and care that supports improvements in practice. This category includes studies that provide innovative solutions to problems, new insights into learning and teaching, and enrich the evidence base for policy and practice in ways that can lead to meaningful improvements in early learning.
Applications for the Best Research and Studies Prize be judged on four criteria: innovativeness, importance, methodological rigor, and impact. Each of the criteria will be assigned equal value in judging the applications. To assist in preparing applications, we provide four main questions (with sub-questions under each) that should be addressed in each application. Research should have been published in some form already (for example a government or nongovernmental organization report, a book or book chapter, or a journal article) but such publications should be the basis for an application not the application itself. Each application should include an abstract of no more than 300 words that includes a brief description of the research and addresses all four criteria. Applications should be no more than 10 pages excluding the abstract, references, and an optional appendix of up to 3 pages that may include links to publications and other materials on-line.