Esther R. Sawyer Research Award

2012 Competition Topic
Meeting, and hopefully exceeding, their stakeholders’ specific expectations is essential in demonstrating the value internal auditors bring to the organization. It also is essential to understand how stakeholders determine whether their expectations are being met and, therefore, how they view internal audit efforts as “value-added” activities. According to The IIA Research Foundation report Imperatives for Change: The IIA’s Global Internal Audit Survey in Action, the value of internal auditing is directly related to its perceived contributions to the organization and, more important, to its key stakeholders. 

Background
The IIA Research Foundation Board of Trustees established this award in June 2000 as a tribute to the memory of Esther R. Sawyer and her contributions to and support of the profession of internal auditing. The award was funded through a generous contribution to The Research Foundation by the Sawyer family. Esther Sawyer was not an internal auditor. But she was a gracious ambassador who enjoyed explaining the role of modern internal auditing to those she met and editing manuscripts, speeches, and textbooks on the subject. She was an avid proponent of internal audit curricula in colleges and universities and promoted internal auditing as a lifetime career.

Eligibility
The Award will be granted to an individual who meets the following criteria:

• Participation in an IIA Internal Auditing Education Partnership (IAEP) school:
  • The candidate is taking internal audit courses at the undergraduate level at an IIA Internal Auditing Education Partnership (IAEP) school and is currently enrolled as a junior or senior, or
  • The candidate is enrolled in a graduate program in internal auditing, accounting or business and taking courses in internal auditing at an IIA Internal Auditing Education Partnership school, or
  • The candidate has completed the program in internal auditing at an IAEP school and is enrolled in any graduate program in internal auditing, accounting or business.
• The candidate has written and submitted an original manuscript of 3,000 to 5,000 words on a specific topic related to modern internal auditing. This topic will be announced annually by the Award Committee.
• Prior recipients of the award are not eligible.

Award Committee

• The Award Committee will consist of a chairman and three members. The chairman will be the chairman of The IIA Academic Relations Committee. The members will be one each from the Academic Relations Committee, the Communications Advisory Committee, and the IIARF Committee of Research and Education Advisors. Members will be selected by the chairman of each committee.
• The Award Committee will select the essay topic by September each year and publicize it to the IAEP schools and other interested parties.
• Committee members and the chairman must not be involved in any capacity with any IAEP school from which submissions have been received. In the event of a conflict involving the committee chairman, the president of the Board of Trustees will appoint a replacement.
• The IIARF Board of Trustees will be responsible for overseeing the administration of the award fund, and will work with the Award Committee.

Selection Process
Submissions will be due on March 1 of each year, in a format to be established by the committee. A letter from the IAEP coordinator will accompany the submission.

• Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:
  • Responsiveness to the assigned research topic;
  • Relevance to readers who are familiar with internal audit issues;
  • Originality;
  • Coherent organization and clarity;
  • Conciseness and focus;
  • Appropriate application of English.
• Entries must follow the style and formatting requirements outlined in The IIARF's Guide for Writers . Work of other authors must be cited appropriately in the manuscript or footnotes and/or written permissions acquired to use copyrighted material. Failure to appropriately cite sources will result in disqualification of the submission.
• There is no obligation to make the award in any year.

Nature of the Award
The award will be presented at The IIA's annual International Conference.

• The recipient will receive the sum of US$5,000 and a suitably inscribed plaque. The winner's name will also be inscribed on a permanent plaque at IIA Headquarters.
• Up to US$3,000 will be awarded to the IAEP school with which the student is or was affiliated. The funds must be used in the IAEP program or for the purchase of materials related to internal auditing.
• Reasonable travel expenses incurred by the student to attend and registration to the International Conference will be paid to the recipient. No monetary compensation other than the award will be offered to the recipient should he or she be unable to attend the International Conference.
• The chosen manuscript will be published on The IIA Research Foundation website and may be submitted to Internal Auditor to be considered for publication.

Funding
The award will be funded through distributions from a restricted fund of The IIA Research Foundation. At a minimum, US$5,000 will be granted to the student, plus reimbursement of reasonable travel and registration expenses to the conference at which the award is presented. The amount to the school will be based on the earnings of the fund, up to a maximum of US$3,000. Should earnings in the fund increase significantly over time, the grant to the student may be increased upon the recommendation of the Award Committee and approval by The IIA RF Board of Trustees.

List of Esther R. Sawyer Award Recipients

Please submit applications by March 1 of each year to:
The Esther R. Sawyer Research Award
The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation
247 Maitland Avenue
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701-4201 USA

E-mail: research@theiia.org
Fax: +1-407-937-1101