Every year, the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) recognizes and rewards outstanding research contributions by young scholars below 35 years in the fields of labour and employment studies. In the 67th ISLE Annual Conference (December 2026), we are pleased to offer Best Paper Award and the IWWAGE-ISLE Fellowships for young women scholars. These awards and grants underscore our commitment to fostering the next generation of labour economists and promoting gender equity in economic research.

Best Paper Awards

ISLE honours the one young scholar (below 35 years of age) to recognise outstanding empirical or theoretical research in labour economics.

Surjit Singh Memorial Award - ₹ 25,000

Prof. Surjit Singh served as the Honorary Secretary of ISLE from 2009 until his untimely demise in December 2013. In his memory, his family established an endowment fund to promote high-quality research in labour economics.

• Prize Amount: ₹ 25,000 (to be awarded to the lead author; if co-authored, all authors must be ≤35).

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants for ISLE’s Best Paper Award must carefully review the criteria below:

• The lead author (and all co-authors, if any) must be below 35 years of age on 1 January 2026.
• Submission of age-proof (e.g., copy of valid government ID) along with the paper is mandatory.
• Papers must address one or more of the conference themes (refer to the Conference Brochure or visit the “Call for Papers” page).
• Submissions must be original research not under review elsewhere.
• The paper must be presented in person at the Annual Conference. Only presenters whose papers are selected for oral presentation by the Scientific Committee are eligible.

IWWAGE-ISLE Fellowships for Young Women Researchers

The Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality (IWWAGE) and ISLE are pleased to announce five fellowships aimed at fostering young women leadership in Economics and Finance. These scholarships are open to outstanding women scholars aged 35 years or below pursuing advanced degrees in Economics, Political Science, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy, and Public Finance.