2026 Global Conference Scholarship sponsored by the SITE Foundation
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The Global Conference Scholarship honors the legacy of SITE Past President David Riddell by providing access to SITE’s premier educational programs and events. As a member and past president of SITE, David Riddell was always upbeat about the incentive travel industry and forever the promoter of the value of performance improvement. As a SITE leader, he worked diligently to effect change and mold SITE into the leading global authority on incentive travel - always driven by a strong futuristic vision.
Each scholarship will fund 2026 SITE Global Conference attendance, taking place in Abu Dhabi from February 12 - 15, 2026. SITE Foundation's funding can be used to cover registration fees, hotel accommodations during the Conference, and economy/premium economy airfare—up to a total of $6,000 per recipient.
SITE Foundation will offer up to SIX scholarships, available to individual in the following categories:
1) Young Leader - applicant need not be a member of SITE but must be an industry professional or student age 35 or younger.
2) Chapter Leader - applicant must be a current SITE Chapter leader.
3) SITE member - applicant must be a current SITE member and maintain membership throughout 2026.
The number of recipients selected per category is not fixed. Awards will be based on the overall strength of submissions.
Please closely read the information below before proceeding with your application.
How to apply:
After reading through this information, scroll to the bottom of the page and select "submit." You will be directed to the Submittable platform where you can select Young Leader, Chapter Leader, or Member to determine which scholarship you'll be applying for. Complete the scholarship application and submit your essay by Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
Your essay should be a minimum of 1,000 words and fewer than 1,500 words on one of the following topics:
1) Describe an experience or event in the incentive travel industry that had a profound impact on your life and helped shape you into the person you are today.
2) What impact has the industry made on you, your family, or your community?
Scholarship Disclaimer and Terms & Conditions
These scholarships are awarded to support recipients' attendance at SITE Global Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi. By accepting a scholarship, the recipient agrees to the following terms and conditions:
- Mandatory attendance: the recipient must attend all scheduled days of the conference. Full participation in all main conference sessions, workshops, and designated activities is required.
- Non-transferability: the scholarship is awarded exclusively to the named recipient and may not be transferred to another individual.
- No cash value: the scholarship is not redeemable for cash, nor may it be exchanged for any other form of compensation or reimbursement.
- Expenses covered: the scholarship will cover only the specific expenses as outlined in the official award notification. Any additional costs incurred are the responsibility of the recipient.
- Revocation: failure to adhere to these terms may result in revocation of the scholarship and the requirement to reimburse funds provided.
- Consent: by accepting the scholarship, you consent to the publication of your essay and agree to participate in a follow-up interview, which may be used for promotional or educational purposes by SITE Foundation.
For any further assistance regarding the Submittable platform please refer below:
Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.
- You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit to these forms.
- You can save a draft of your work if you would like to finish filling out the form at a later date.
- If anything changes with the information you submitted or you realize you've made an error within your submission, please request to edit the submission
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- We will follow up with you about your submission via email. Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable account regularly.