WPA Awards & Fellows Information

Overview and Nomination Procedures for WPA Awards and Fellows

WPA gives annual awards for exceptional performance by Western Psychological Association members. The awards are conferred at the WPA conference in the spring. To be considered for the Outstanding Teaching Award, Early Career Research Award, Social Responsibility Award, and the Enrico E. Jones Award for Research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology a letter of nomination (may be a self-nomination) describing the qualifications of the nominee, along with a current Curriculum Vita of the nominee and two supporting letters, must be received by the deadlines indicated below.Â The nomination letter should include contact information for the people who provide letters of support. It is the responsibility of the nominator to assure that supporting letters are received by the deadline.

Nomination materials should be sent to Terry Cronan, Chair of the WPA Awards Committee, at tcronan@sdsu.edu. Materials must be received by January 3, 2025. Please let us know if you have any questions.

WPA Outstanding Teaching Award

The WPA Outstanding Teaching Award is given to a senior-level WPA member (minimum of 10 years in the field) who has demonstrated leadership in teaching and mentoring.Â Such evidence can come in the form of publications on teaching, grant awards for teaching, teaching awards from one's campus or regional, national, or international associations, and demonstrated effectiveness in teaching and mentoring of students. Normally, awardees will have distinguished accomplishments in more than one aspect of effective teaching.

WPA Early Career Research Award

The WPA Early Career Research Award is given to a WPA member relatively early in her/his career (10 years or fewer post-doctorate) who has demonstrated outstanding promise in research.Â Such promise can be demonstrated through success in publishing articles, chapters, and books and through success in obtaining grants for research.

WPA Social Responsibility Award

The WPA Social Responsibility Award is given to a WPA member (minimum of 10 years post-doctorate experience) in recognition of substantial and influential work that facilitates peace, freedom, social justice, community development, and/or protection of the earth's natural environment.

WPA Enrico E. Jones Award for Research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology

This award honors the late Professor Enrico E. Jones of the University of California at Berkeley. The purpose of this award is to recognize the scholarship of a WPA member who is an early career psychotherapy researcher (10 years or fewer post-doctorate), broadly defined as research in clinical psychology that has applications to psychotherapy.

WPA Lifetime Achievement Award

This award recognizes the lifetime of outstanding achievements in teaching, research, and professional involvement by a WPA member. A letter of nomination (may be a self-nomination) describing the qualifications of the nominee, along with a current Curriculum Vita of the nominee and a support letter, must be sent to WPA President.

WPA Distinguished Service Award

This award is given to a WPA member who has made outstanding contributions to the mission and goals of the Western Psychological Association. Only members of the WPA Executive Board are allowed to make nominations for this award.

WPA Fellows

The WPA Fellows Program honors members of WPA who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to psychology through research, teaching, or service to the profession. WPA Fellow status can be awarded on the basis of nomination, including self-nomination. WPA Fellow candidates must have at least 10 years of post-doctorate contributions.

Fellow status is also awarded automatically upon request to WPA members who are existing Fellows in the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science, and to members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences or the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Nominations

Nominations require a letter of nomination (self-nominations are fine) describing the nominee's qualifications, along with a current Curriculum Vita of the nominee and two supporting letters. The nomination letter should include contact information for the people who provide letters of support. The nominator is responsible for ensuring that supporting letters are received by the deadline.