The editorial team of Russian Language Journal (RLJ) is pleased to announce a new two-year mentorship program for graduate students in Slavic studies. This program is designed to demystify academic publishing and provide hands-on experience with peer review and editorial work while building sustained professional relationships in the field.

What the program offers
Participants will work closely with the RLJ editorial team to gain practical insight into how an academic journal operates. Over the course of the program, mentees will:

• Participate in a structured sequence of workshops on publishing, peer review, copyediting, and editorial communication

• Meet regularly with an assigned faculty mentor for guided feedback and professional development

• Engage with peers through discussion groups and conference meetups

• Serve a two-year term on the RLJ Junior Editorial Board, contributing to real editorial and review tasks under the supervision of journal editors

Who should apply
The program is open to continuing graduate students in Slavic-related fields who have:

• At least two years remaining in their graduate program

• Advanced proficiency in a Slavic language and in English

• An interest in scholarly publishing, editing, and professional service

Previous editorial experience is not required. A limited number of participants will be selected.

Why participate
Mentees benefit from sustained, mentored engagement with the publishing process, including:

• Early, guided experience as a reviewer and editor

• Expanded professional networks with peers and established scholars

• Leadership and service experience through Junior Editorial Board membership

• A certificate of completion recognizing professional development in academic publishing

Application process
Applications are submitted via Google Form and include:

• Basic academic and program information

•  an academicCV

• A brief description of research interests and scholarly goals

• A personal statement (up to 750 words) addressing professional development, service to the field, and innovative ideas for future projects

• A short letter of recommendation from the applicant’s advisor confirming good standing and approval to participate emailed to rljmentorship@gmail.com 

Attend our kickoff event for more information if you will be at the 2026 AATSEEL Conference in New Orleans! Join us in the Estherwood Room on Saturday, February 21 at 7:30pm.

The application deadline is March 1, 2026. Because space is limited, applicants are encouraged to review the program expectations carefully and submit complete materials by the deadline. Please see more information on our website.

We encourage graduate students who are curious about publishing, committed to professional growth, and eager to contribute to the Slavic scholarly community to apply. Please feel free to share this announcement with interested students and colleagues.

Sincerely,
The Editorial Team
Russian Language Journal
rljmentorship@gmail.com

Registration for the 2026 National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest is now available!

The contest is open to all students enrolled in Russian language courses at North American institutions of higher education. Please note that all instructors registering students must be current members of ACTR. The participation fee is $6.00 per student.

Register your students at actressays.byu.edu. (You will first need to register as a contact person. Registration data does not carry over from previous years.) Students must be registered at least one day before they write the essay.

The contest may be administered between February 9 and February 27.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• January 15: First day to register students (students must be registered at least one day before writing the essay)
• February 6: Essay topic announced via email to institutions with registered students. If you register students after this date, you will receive the email within one business day of registration.
• February 9: First day to administer the essay contest
• February 10: First day to upload essays
• February 27: Last day to administer the essay contest
• March 2: Last day to upload essays and pay fees
• April 10–15: Results posted and digital certificates available on the website

If you have any questions, please reach out to the essay contest co-chairs, Maria Khotimsky (khotimsk@mit.edu)  and José Vergara (jvergara@mit.edu).

It is the time of the year to nominate a stellar student in your program for the annual ACTR Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award - PSRSLA-2026. Organized under the auspices of the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR), this award seeks to provide national recognition for one student per program who is either a junior or a senior in college. Each program chooses its laureate, and ACTR provides a certificate and congratulatory letter. Community colleges can nominate one second-year student. 

The nomination process is very easy, and the award is offered free of charge by ACTR as a service to the profession. The nomination deadline date is March 1, 2026.

For guidelines on submission criteria, please visit https://www.actr.org/PSRSLA_Guidelines. Please note that nominations must be submitted electronically at https://forms.gle/vphtz6bnbfsoLhgd9. Only one nomination will be accepted per Russian language program. Award certificates will be mailed to nominators by April.  

Questions? Suggestions? Please contact us at iza.savenkova@gmail.com

We look forward to receiving your nominations for PSRSLA-2026.

Izolda (Iza) Savenkova 
PSRSLA Co-chair

We are happy to inform you that the 2026 NEWL exam dates are now available on this website.

Additionally, the NEWL Practice Exam is now offered year-round in both short and full-length formats (depending on the language).

Access the practice exam here.

If your school plans to participate in the 2026 NEWL exam cycle, please join us for an upcoming informational webinar. If your school no longer teaches Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, or Russian, or if you would prefer not to receive future communications, please let me know by replying to this email, and I will update our contact list accordingly.

The 2026 registration and webinar links will be made available early next year. Please check the NEWL website periodically for updates.