The AAPOR Award
The AAPOR Award is the Association’s lifetime achievement award. It is given for an outstanding contribution to the field of public opinion research, including: advances in theory, empirical research and methods; improvements in ethical standards; and promotion of understanding among the public, media and/or policy makers.
SCOPE:
The AAPOR Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement is the Association’s lifetime achievement award. It is given for outstanding contributions to the field of public opinion research. Contributions include but are not limited to: advances in theory, empirical research and methods; improvements in ethical standards; and promotion of understanding among the public, media and/or policy makers.
NOMINATIONS:
To nominate individuals who have made exceptional lifetime contributions to the field of public opinion research, submit a detailed statement and supporting documentation.
JURY PROCESS AND AWARD RECOGNITION:
Entries will be evaluated by a committee chaired by AAPOR’s President. The Award is presented at the Annual Conference. The Award may not be given every year. Please contact i[email protected] with any questions.
The Warren J. Mitofsky Innovators Award
The Warren J. Mitofsky Innovators Award is designed to recognize accomplishments in the fields of public opinion and survey research that occurred in the past ten years, or that had their primary impact on the field during the past decade. These innovations could consist of new theories, ideas, applications, methodologies or technologies. To be considered for the award, they must be publicly documented. The award can be given to individuals, groups or institutions.
The AAPOR Mitofsky Innovators Award is designed to recognize accomplishments in the fields of public opinion and survey research that had their primary impact on the field during the past decade. These innovations could consist of new theories, ideas, applications, methodologies or technologies. To be considered for the award, the innovations must be publicly documented. The award can be given to individuals, groups or institutions.
Who may nominate: Any member of AAPOR may make a nomination. The innovations nominated may result from their own work or that of others. The nomination information should include:
1. Names of the individuals or groups responsible for the innovation
2. A description of the accomplishment including the specific theory, idea, application methodology, or technology that is innovative; and
3. Evidence for the timing of the innovation and its impact on the profession
Evaluation Process and Award Recognition:
Entries will be evaluated by a committee chaired by one of AAPOR’s Councilors-at-Large. Nominations will be considered only if they are complete and clear. The Award is presented at the Annual Conference. The award may not be given every year.
The AAPOR Inclusive Voices Award
The AAPOR Inclusive Voices Award recognizes the important data sets, research, and survey methods that have improved the ability to study complex social phenomena related to understudied populations. The award will be presented to the scholars/researchers, organizations, or institutions who have produced the scholarship (including data collection, methodological approaches, or publications).
The AAPOR Inclusive Voices Award recognizes the important data sets, research, and survey methods that have improved the ability to study complex social phenomena related to understudied populations. The award will be presented to the scholars/researchers, organizations, or institutions who have produced the scholarship (including data collection, methodological approaches, or publications).
Nominations
Anyone can submit a nomination that includes the following information:
1. Name of the study
2. A description of the study with a focus on the way the study has improved the ability to study complex social phenomena related to understudied populations groups
3. Detailed description of the – data, publications, and/or methodological reports from the study
Criteria:
The following criteria comprise the eligibility considerations:
1. Studies must have been conducted in the past 20 years
2. The study must explicitly focus on one or more underserved groups
3. The scholarship must be tangible and come in the form of:
- Data
- Publications and topical/technical reports (including media coverage)
- One or more methodological reports of the study (to ensure quality review)
Award selection will be based on:
1. The methodological rigor of the study
2. The extent to which the research involved members of the population under investigation
3. The novelty of the study (e.g., first ever, innovative methods)
4. The extent to which members of the research team have affiliation with AAPOR (via conference participation or membership).
5. Evidence that the population(s) under study has (have) limited study.
Evaluation Process and Award Recognition:
Entries will be evaluated by a committee chaired by one of AAPOR’s Councilors-at-Large. The Award is presented at the Annual Conference. The award may not be given every year.
The Seymour Sudman Student Paper Competition
The Seymour Sudman Student Paper Competition award is in memory of Seymour Sudman. It recognizes his many important contributions to AAPOR as well as his teaching and mentoring students in the survey research profession.
The 56th Annual Seymour Sudman Student Paper Award honors the best student paper presented at the AAPOR annual conference. The award is given as a tribute to Seymour Sudman, in memory of his many contributions to survey methodology, his leadership in the AAPOR community and his teaching and mentoring of students.
To be eligible for the award, students must submit a full paper for review by the Sudman Student Paper Award Committee. Membership in AAPOR is not required to participate in the competition, but applicants are expected to join at the time of the conference. The award committee will consider all papers that relate to the study of public opinion, whether they focus on theory, substantive findings, research methods, and/or statistical techniques used in such research. Students are limited to one submission each as the primary author.
A single prize of $750 will be awarded to the winning paper at the conference, along with waiving the conference registration fee for the primary author. The author(s) of the winning paper will be given the opportunity to present the paper at the conference. Up to two other papers may receive an Honorable Mention designation with each receiving a $100 cash prize.
Authors must be current students (graduate or undergraduate) at the time of submission, or must have received their degree during the preceding academic year. The research must have been substantially completed while all authors were enrolled in a degree program. AAPOR will give preference to papers based on research not published or presented at the national conference of another organization.
Students interested in having their papers considered for the Seymour Sudman Student Paper Competition must:
- Submit a full paper to the award committee by completing the online application, submitting a full paper, and submitting a statement from a faculty advisor by the deadline.
- Note that full papers must:
- Be less than 6,500 words (not including the title page, abstract, tables, references and appendices);
- Include a blinded and unblinded copy. The blinded copy should contain a title page and abstract, but all identifying information about the author, acknowledgements, and other identifiers should be removed;
- Include all information required by the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics & Practices;
- Include a statement regarding whether the paper has been presented elsewhere, published, or accepted for publication at the time of submission;
- Your submission should include a statement from a faculty advisor attesting to the role that all authors played in conceptualizing the study and writing the paper.
A panel of researchers from AAPOR’s membership, drawn from academic, government and commercial sectors, will judge the papers.
The Burns “Bud” Roper Fellow Award
The Burns “Bud” Roper Fellow Award is named for the late Burns “Bud” Roper who provided a substantial bequest in his will to endow the Roper Award fund. Roper Fellows are people who work in any sector of survey research or public opinion research, who work in relatively isolated settings, and who are in the early stages of their careers. They receive financial assistance to help them attend the AAPOR Annual Conference and/or participate in conference short courses; most are first-time conference attendees.
The Burns “Bud” Roper AAPOR Fellow Award is intended to help people working in survey research or public opinion research and who are in early stages of their careers to attend the annual AAPOR conference and participate in short courses. The 2023 Bud Roper Fund will award up to $1,000 for conference-related expenses including short courses.
Applicants need not be current AAPOR members, but are expected to join at the time of the annual conference and the funds from the award can go towards the first year’s membership. So that we can focus on individuals in the early stages of their careers, those who have previously won the Roper AAPOR Fellow Award are not eligible.
Applicants must:
- Currently work for pay (full-time or part-time) and have primary work responsibilities related to survey research or public opinion research.
- Be in the early stages of their career.
- Be willing to attend the Thursday night New-Member & All-Chapter reception, the Saturday night banquet and additional networking events to be determined.
AAPOR will give preference to:
- Those who might not be able to attend the conference without some support from AAPOR
- Those who work in relatively isolated settings (that is, who have no or very few colleagues in survey research or public opinion research) and
- Those participating in the conference by taking a short course, presenting a paper or poster, co-authoring a paper, chairing a session, or volunteering at the conference.
This award is intended for people who would not be able to attend the conference unless they received supplemental funding from AAPOR.
Awards:
The Committee will make decisions and notify awardees by the end of February. Awardees will be recognized in the conference program as “Bud” Roper Fellows.
Supporting materials:
A letter from the applicant’s employer of no more than 300 words explaining (a) why the applicant merits an award, (b) how much (if any) the employer will contribute to the employee’s conference expenses, and (c) how attendance at the AAPOR conference will enhance the applicant’s career in survey research or public opinion research is required to complete the application process.
Application Process:
An award application, and a letter from the applicant’s employer, must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for the award. Please be sure to include your name in the application as you would like it to appear in the conference program should you receive an award.
The award application form must be completed online. The letter of support can also be uploaded with the application or can be mailed to the award committee chair at i[email protected].
The AAPOR Policy Impact Award
The AAPOR Policy Impact Award was developed to acknowledge that a key purpose of opinion and other survey research is to facilitate better-informed decisions. The award recognizes outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving policy decisions, practice and discourse, either in the public or private sectors.
The AAPOR Policy Impact Award was developed to recognize research that has had a demonstrable impact on policy. The award is given to outstanding research projects, data, or data products that had a clear impact on policy decisions or public discussion of policies. The data developed or used could be public opinion surveys, other population surveys conducted for research, or a research study; the research could be augmented with administrative data or other similar data sets. The research could be conducted by organizations or individuals in the public or private sectors; the research is expected to meet the standards of AAPOR’s Code, when those standards are relevant.
Eligible nominees: Eligible nominees include research projects, or key products of research projects including a research data set or data products that have directly influenced policy decisions or shaped public discussions of those policy decisions. Routine evaluation studies designed solely to assess efficacy of a program fall outside the scope of the award. The award is usually given to the research organization or group or researcher(s) responsible for the research. The researcher(s) involved need not be members of AAPOR.
Who may nominate: Any member of AAPOR may make a nomination via this nomination form. The research product nominated may result from their own work or that of others.
Criteria for evaluation: The principal criterion is demonstrable impact on policy, which may be immediate or require some time to pass. Impact can be demonstrated in many ways, for example, use by policy makers to formulate the need for policy or the content of specific policies, by reference in testimony, or access by the public, or in other ways. The committee may also weigh how central the research, data set, or data product was in shaping the policy; the scope of the policy; number of people affected by the policy; the number who use the research or resource; innovativeness of methods used in the research; or other relevant criteria. Nominators should review the list of previous award winners for examples that fall within the scope of the award. In most cases, we expect the project will have been completed within the past five years or so. The nomination information must include the sections listed. Nominations will be considered only if they are complete and clear.
The AAPOR Public Service Award
The AAPOR Public Service Award award is intended to recognize and honor outstanding public service and dedication to maintaining AAPOR standards. It recognizes persons who work on behalf of the public sector and have contributed to the quality of government surveys, data systems, research, leadership, and/or policy.
The AAPOR Public Service Award is intended to recognize and honor outstanding public service and dedication to maintaining AAPOR standards. It recognizes persons who work on behalf of the public sector, and have contributed to the quality of government surveys, data systems, research, leadership, and/or policy. This award is a means for recognizing the service and dedication of persons working in or with the public sector and their dedication to protecting, improving, and maintaining survey research standards and data quality.
NOMINATIONS:
Individuals will be considered eligible for the award if:
- They are currently serving or have recently served in a local, national, or international public service capacity.
- Individuals nominated for the award must have a demonstrated dedication to improving and maintaining AAPOR standards in the areas of public opinion, government statistics, and/or survey methodology, or
- Have demonstrated leadership with regard to survey research and data quality in the public sector.
JURY PROCESS AND AWARD RECOGNITION:
A committee shall be established and chaired by an AAPOR regional chapter president who is chosen by AAPOR’s vice president, with approval of the Executive Council. The committee will evaluate award entries. The Award is presented at the Annual Conference. The award may not be given every year.
The AAPOR Book Award
The AAPOR Book Award seeks to recognize influential books that have stimulated theoretical and scientific research in public opinion and/or influenced our understanding or application of survey research methodology. Eligibility for the award includes any book in the field that is at least three years old (to allow time for books to be read and reviewed), including any published before or during the period covered by the list of the Fifty Books That Have Significantly Shaped Public Opinion Research 1946-1995.” (The books on the “Fifty Books” list have already been recognized by AAPOR and are not eligible for the annual book award.)
The AAPOR Book Award recognizes books that have influenced our understanding of public opinion or survey research methodology. To be eligible for the AAPOR Book Award a book must have been published three years prior to the year in which the award is given. For example, books available to be nominated for the 2023 Award were published in 2020 or earlier. The “Fifty Books That Have Significantly Shaped Public Opinion Research 1946-1995” have already been recognized by AAPOR and are not eligible for the annual book award. See the list at AAPOR.org.
Nominations:
Any AAPOR member can submit nominations for the Book Award. Nominations should identify the monograph and describe how it meets the criteria listed below, along with evidence of the book’s reach and impact. Monographs or edited volumes by AAPOR members and non-AAPOR members are eligible for the award.
Evaluation Process & Award Recognition:
Entries will be evaluated by a committee, chaired by AAPOR’s Councilor-at-Large. The award is presented at the Annual Conference. Recognition will be in the form of a plaque for the author(s) (or editor(s), in the case of an edited volume).
Criteria for Book Award:
The following criteria will be the basis for making an award to a book or monograph:
The following criteria will be the basis for making an award to a book or monograph:
1. The excellence of exposition, ideas and methods.
2. The monograph’s impact with respect to:
- Stimulating theoretical or empirical research
- Influencing the way public opinion researchers think about or conduct research on public opinion
- Significantly influencing broader understanding of the theory or methods of public opinion
- Advancing the state of the art or practice of survey methodology.
- Affecting our understanding of diverse or underrepresented populations, or issues that affect their lives.
3. Its lasting value, as indicated by (for example) the judgments of peers and citation in the literature.
The Student Conference Award
The Student Conference Award was established to fund students to attend the AAPOR Annual Conference. Student Conference Awards are offered to students who are in need of financial support so that they may attend the conference and experience this important educational and networking event for survey methodology and public opinion researchers.
The Student Conference Award was established to fund student attendance at the AAPOR Annual Conference. This program is separate from the Burns “Bud” Roper Fellow Awards that are directed to those who are working and in the early stages of their career. The student conference awards are offered to students so that they may attend the annual conference and experience this important educational and professional networking event for survey methodology and public opinion researchers. For the 2023 conference, Student Conference Awards will be $800 each. Student Conference Award winners will be recognized in the Annual Meeting conference program. The awards are funded by the AAPOR General Fund.
Student Conference Award applicants need not be current AAPOR members, but are expected to join at the time of the conference.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be full-time students (including Post-Doctoral scholars) enrolled in college or university programs that teach or use survey and/or public opinion research methods as central tools for research and analysis. These include but are not limited to: survey methodology, anthropology, communications, economics, political science, psychology, public health, and sociology. Awardees must be willing to attend the Thursday night New Member & All Chapter reception, the Saturday night banquet and additional networking events to be determined.
Previous Student Travel/Conference Award, “Bud” Roper Fellows and Seymour Sudman Student Paper Competition winners are not eligible for this award.
Preference will be given to:
- Students with a strong interest in survey and/or public opinion research methods
- First-time conference attendees
- Those who might not be able to attend the conference without AAPOR financial support
- Those participating in the conference program (e.g. paper or poster session presenter or co-author on a paper)
Application Process:
An award application form, and a letter of support from the applicant’s faculty advisor or department chair must be received in order to be considered for an AAPOR Student Conference Award. Please be sure to include your name in the application as you would like it to appear in the conference program should you receive an award.
Awardees will be notified by the Membership and Chapter Relations Committee
The WAPOR/AAPOR Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award
The WAPOR/AAPOR Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award was established in 2013 in fond memory of Dr. Harkness, internationally recognized for her contributions to cross-cultural survey methodology. The award recognizes emerging young scholars in the study of multi-national/multi-cultural/multi-lingual survey research (aka 3M survey research) by offering a cash prize and support for participation in the WAPOR/AAPOR Conference. The award is co-sponsored by WAPOR and AAPOR. All contributions to the Harkness Fund are passed back directly to WAPOR.
The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) request submissions to be considered for the Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award, as part of the program for WAPOR’s annual conference in 2022. This award is given in memory of Dr. Harkness, distinguished cross-cultural survey methodologist, who passed away in 2012.
Paper topics must be related to the study of multi-national/multi-cultural/multi-lingual survey research (aka 3M survey research), or to the theory and methods of 3M survey research, including statistics and statistical techniques used in such research. Paper topics might include: (a) methodological and/or statistical issues in 3M surveys; (b) public opinion in 3M settings; (c) theoretical issues in the formation, quality, or change in 3M public opinion; and/or (d) substantive findings about 3M public opinion.
The Student-Faculty Diversity Pipeline Awards
The Student-Faculty Diversity Pipeline Awards are intended to recruit faculty-student “pairs” interested in becoming AAPOR colleagues. The award targets members of historically underrepresented racial-ethnic groups, interested in the study of public opinion and survey research methodology.
The Student-Faculty Diversity Pipeline Award is intended to recruit faculty-student “pairs” interested in becoming AAPOR colleagues. The Award targets members of historically underrepresented racial-ethnic groups, interested in the study of public opinion and survey research methodology. AAPOR believes that the scholarly and practical understanding of our discipline is enhanced by the presence and involvement of different perspectives and creative thought. Such diversity and inclusion leads to consequential research, improved interdisciplinary collaboration, and a greater ability to address, understand, and solve problems related to public opinion and survey research methodology. This Award is for students and faculty who identify as: American Indian or Alaska Native; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and Hispanic or Latino.
The 2023 award is for waived conference registration and annual membership fee for the student and faculty, and up to $800 cash awarded to the pair to support travel expenses to attend the annual conference.
Eligibility:
The Award supports faculty-student “pairs” and at a minimum, the student or faculty member should identify as belonging to the targeted population. Students must apply for the award, and there must be a faculty member willing to attend the conference. There is no requirement that the faculty member and student come from the same institution.
Eligible awardees must be full or part-time students (including Post-Doctoral students) enrolled in college or university programs. Both the student and faculty should have an interest in, teach or use, survey and/or public opinion research methods. Awardees must be willing to attend the All-Chapter Reception, Awards Banquet and additional networking events held during the AAPOR Conference to be determined.
Preference will be given to:
- Student-faculty “pairs” where both individuals belong to the targeted population
- Students and faculty who are not members of AAPOR or regular conference attendees
- Students or faculty who have submitted a paper, poster, or panel for presentation
Application Process:
The application process consists of three steps: (1) An award application form , (2) a letter of support from the faculty member, and (3) the faculty member’s CV.
NOMINATION DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED TO MARCH 31, 2023
The Student Poster Award
The Student Poster Award winner is announced each year at the annual conference. To be eligible for the award, students must have their poster abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference. The award committee will consider all posters that relate to the study of public opinion, whether they focus on theory, substantive findings, research methods, and/or statistical techniques used in such research.
The Student Poster Award winner is announced each year at the Annual Conference.
To be eligible for the award, students must have their poster abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference. The award committee will consider all posters that relate to the study of public opinion, whether they focus on theory, substantive findings, research methods, and/or statistical techniques used in such research.
A single prize of $100 will be awarded to the poster judged the “best” overall based on the content of the poster, the quality of the visual display of information on the poster, and the ability of the student to successfully and succinctly present the subject matter in the poster. A panel of public opinion researchers from AAPOR’s membership, drawn from academic, commercial, government, and non-profit sectors, will judge the posters. The winning poster will be announced at the conference.
Poster presenters must be current students (graduate or undergraduate) at the time of the abstract submission, or must have received their degree during the preceding academic year. The research must have been substantially completed while all authors were enrolled in a degree program.
Note that posters accepted for presentation must include all information required by the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics & Practices.
The Monroe G. Sirken Award in Interdisciplinary Survey Research Methods
The Monroe G. Sirken Award in Interdisciplinary Survey Research Methods is given annually to a distinguished survey researcher for contributions to interdisciplinary survey research that improve the theory and methods of collecting, verifying, processing, presenting or analyzing survey data.
The Monroe G. Sirken Award in Interdisciplinary Survey Methods Research was established in 2014 to recognize a distinguished researcher for contributions to interdisciplinary survey research that have improved the theory and methods of collecting, verifying, processing, presenting, or analyzing survey data. The inaugural award was presented to Norman Bradburn at the 2015 Joint Statistical Meetings. Subsequent awardees were Eleanor Singer in 2016, Michael Brick in 2017, Colm O’Muircheartaigh in 2018, and Judith Lessler in 2019.
Under an agreement reached in 2017, the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) joined the American Statistical Association (ASA) as co-sponsor of the award. Under the agreement, the award will follow a four-year cycle, with ASA hosting the award for two years, AAPOR hosting the award the next two years, and so on. The focus of the award will shift with the host. During the ASA years the award will recognize the contributions of individuals who have improved the utility and efficiency of sample surveys by applying the theories and methods of the statistical and computer sciences. When AAPOR presents the award, contributions applying the theories and methods of the social, psychological, and cognitive sciences will be emphasized. The awardee, selected by a joint ASA-AAPOR committee, will give the Sirken Lecture (an invited paper) at the host society’s annual meeting and receive a $5,000 honorarium.
Nominations
The award and lecture are presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings or the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research the following year.
Nominations require the following:
- Nominating letter
- Candidate’s CV
- Three letters of support – not to exceed two pages each
- Candidate’s short bio
- Candidate’s headshot