White Hat Conference Student Paper Competition
Cybercrime Prevention and Response Award
The White Hat Conference Student Paper Competition invites student teams to submit original, unpublished research papers addressing critical issues in cybercrime and cybersecurity.
Selected teams will present their research at the 2026 White Hat Conference, and the winning team presentation will take place on June 3, 2026.
Awards:
- First Place Winner: $500 USD
- Second Place Winner: $300 USD
- Third Place Winner: $200 USD
In addition, winning papers will be considered for publication in the 2026 special issue of the International Journal of Cybercrime Investigation & Cybersecurity (IJCIC).
Submission Guidelines
Papers must be original, unpublished research and must focus on cybercrime or cybersecurity topics across any academic discipline.
Students must be listed as the first author.
Paper Requirements
- Language: Papers must be written in English.
- Length: 6,000–9,000 words (including footnotes; references excluded)
- Format: APA citation style (in-text citations and references)
- Research Type: Empirical, data-driven research using
- Quantitative methods
- Qualitative methods
- Mixed methods
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime
- Cyberattacks and cyberterrorism
- Cybersecurity policy and governance
- Digital forensic investigation
- Cryptocurrency and financial cybercrime
- AI-enabled cybercrime
- Global and comparative cybercrime research
International and interdisciplinary perspectives are strongly encouraged.
Submission Process
Please follow the IJCIC Instructions for Authors.
Do NOT submit through the IJCIC journal submission system. Instead, submit your final paper directly to the Research Competition Committee Chair:
Dr. Katalin Parti at kparti@vt.edu
Deadline: May 3, 2026
Make your mark in the global fight against cybercrime.
Submit your research and join leading scholars and practitioners at the 2026 White Hat Conference.