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Apply for SWG Membership

There are three ways to be considered for election to SWG:

Generally, prospective members are proposed by a current member in good standing. See Proposing New Members for more information.

Alternatively, a prospective member may nominate herself by completing and submitting an Application Form to SWG and the Executive Director will arrange an interview for the applicant with a current member.

Student applicants may be proposed by an SWG member or may self-nominate.

All applications are reviewed by the Board of Directors. Upon election, applicants receive an invitation to join the Society.

Criteria for Membership

The five criteria upon which membership is based are:

Demonstrated expertise in a geographic region or in a physical, cultural, or topical aspect of the world.
Research and/or field activities in a particular discipline.
Evidence of a permanent impact in a field of work, a publication or production, in a permanent form, as a record of her work, thus adding to the world’s store of knowledge.
Contributions to the spread of knowledge in geography and related fields.
Travel to study, research, or carry out other activities consistent with her regional or topical interests.

Candidates for membership are reviewed by our Board of Directors.

Members will have fulfilled at least two of the above criteria.

Student Membership is for women who are full- or part-time students at accredited colleges or universities with a demonstrated interest in geography or a related field.

How to Nominate New Members

The nomination procedure for regular members is:

Completion of the Application Form by the nominee.
The member proposing the SWG candidate completes the Proposer Form. Upon submission, the candidate is emailed a link to complete the application form. OR
The headquarters office finds an appropriate Proposer for the applicant who reviews the application and then interviews the candidate by phone or in person and completes the Proposer Form (as above).
The application is reviewed by the SWG Board of Directors.
Upon election, the nominee will receive an invitation to join the Society. The Proposer will also receive a copy of the invitation letter.

The nomination procedure for student members is:

Student applicants complete the Student Application Form, which should include
- a statement and signature by her academic sponsor and
- a statement and signature by her SWG Liaison (if different from her academic sponsor).
The SWG Liaison forwards the application to Headquarters.
As above; the application is reviewed by the SWG Board of Directors and, if approved by the Board, the applicant is invited to join the Society.

For more information on applying as a student member, please click here.

Membership Application Form

The Application Form is designed to gather information on a candidate’s qualifications. This form becomes a part of the permanent record of members that eventually will be sent to the Library of Congress. Applicants and proposers are urged to make sure that the forms are completed with this historical record in mind. Acronyms should be spelled out the first time they are used and specific dates of travel (i.e. “8/93-6/94,” not “93/94”) should be provided. A brief curriculum vitae (up to four pages) may be attached to the form and referenced when relevant.