Each year the International Communication Association (ICA) gives out the Early Career Scholar Award which honors one scholar no more than seven years after receiving their PhD for their body of work that has contributed to the field of communication science and shows promise for continued development. The selection committee judges the contribution and promise of young scholars based on the strength of published work, the scholar's productivity, the rigor of the research produced so far, and on the promise of existing work serving as a springboard for continuing scholarship.

The association noted about the richness and quantity of the work that Boukes has already produced at his young age. Studies have been published in the highest-impact journals of the field and received many reads, citations and awards. Moreover, he was credited for his role as a mentor of young scholars.

Mark Boukes in reaction to receiving the award

‘This is an incredible honor', states Mark Boukes in reaction to receiving the award. 'I have been visiting the ICA conference since the first year as a PhD student in 2012 and to now receive this award is not something that I could have imagined back then. Of course, I owe many thanks to all my supervisors, mentors, colleagues, collaborators and friends with whom I have worked, taught and laughed along the way. The cliché certainly was true that it takes a village to raise a child to the scholar that I am now, which also strengthens my motivation to help the new generation of scholars in the field achieve their own milestones.'

About ICA

The International Communication Association (ICA) aims to advance the scholarly study of communication by encouraging and facilitating excellence in academic research worldwide. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now an international association with more than 5,000 members in over 80 countries. The Early Career Scholar Award is presented annually at the Annual ICA Conference since 2001.