The ALAA offers a range of schemes to support the development of teaching, learning and research in applied linguistics, including scholarships, prizes and conference attendance support. They are M.A.K. Halliday Scholarship, Michael Clyne Prize, Postgraduate Travel Scholarship and Penny McKay Memorial Award.
In addition, the ALAA provides The Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award (DSSA) to recognize and honour a distinguished scholar for her/his scholarship and service to the profession in general and to the ALAA in particular.
The MAK Halliday Prize for Outstanding Research in Applied Linguistics will be awarded to an Early Career Researcher (post-PhD) with the best peer reviewed journal article or book chapter published in 2025 with a focus on “making linguistics applied”. Submissions are welcomed from applicants working in any area of Applied Linguistics. In assessing submissions, emphasis will be placed on the originality and quality of the contribution to the field.
The annual Michael Clyne Prize has been established for the best postgraduate research thesis in the area of immigrant bilingualism and language contact. The Prize up to $1500 is jointly administered by ALAA and ALS (Australian Linguistic Society).
Prize to be awarded to an MA (research) or PhD thesis examined (or passed by examiners) in the previous year that focuses on some aspect of immigrant bilingualism and language contact. The thesis should have been submitted at an Australian university.
The award is a $1000 plus contribution of up to $500 to cover costs (e.g. travel, accommodation, conference registration) for the recipient to attend either ALS or ALAA (their choice) to present a paper on their research.
Details of the Prize, including eligibility requirements, timeline and submission process, are here: Michael Clyne Prize
Five ALAA Postgraduate Conference Scholarships and two MA Conference Scholarships—each offering up to $1,000—are available to students whose abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the 2025 ALAA Conference. The scholarships can be used towards conference registration, travel and/or accommodation. They will be awarded as a reimbursement for documented expenses after the conference.