American Evaluation Association (AEA) Awards

Presented to a promising new evaluator during the first five years after completion of his or her Masters or Doctoral degree or within five years of entering the evaluation profession and whose work is consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards.

• Promise will have been demonstrated in early notable and substantial accomplishments.
• Contributions may include evidence of early involvement in professional activities and successful leadership.
• Contributions should have extended beyond the accomplishment of one or two evaluations of quality.
• This award is open to new evaluators in any area of evaluation (Examples: Health, International Development, Education)

Presented to a member of AEA who has been particularly instrumental in promoting the interests and operations of the American Evaluation Association and whose work is consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards.

• This award is given for sustained and valuable service to AEA as an organization. Sustained and valuable service to AEA is the promotion of efficient, effective, responsive, transparent, and socially responsible association operations; the promotion of high-quality evaluation practice and professional leadership; and/or the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the association.
• Contributions might be prolonged involvement and/or leadership on AEA committees, task forces, working groups, topical interest groups or particularly influential roles at pivotal times in the organization's history.

Presented to an individual whose written work on evaluation theory has led to fruitful debates that advance our thinking on the assumptions, goals, and practices of evaluation and whose work is consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards.

• Awarded for theoretical contributions that unpack foundational concepts and that have been substantial in their influence on the practice and profession of evaluation.
• The award recognizes a major contribution that reaches beyond a specific evaluation model or approach.
• Contributions should be demonstrated to have been substantial in nature, although they need not necessarily have been broad in impact, e.g., they may have been limited to some aspects of evaluation or to one field of application.
• This award is open to an evaluator in any area of evaluation (Examples: Social Work, Organizational & Leadership Development, Education, the Sciences).

This award is given for the successful completion, within the past five years, of a single evaluation project that can stand alone as an example of high-quality evaluation, both in methodology and usefulness of findings. This evaluation must be consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards.

• This evaluation should be an exemplar both in terms of methodology and in usefulness of findings.
• This evaluation could serve as a potential model for other evaluators doing similar kinds of work.

Presented to an evaluator – practitioner or scholar – who has made a significant contribution to the study of evaluation. Significant contributions may be evident by high-quality publications in peer-reviewed evaluation journals, technical reports, or other types of publications or by the influence they have extended on subsequent evaluation work. Work will be exemplified by a systematic and rigorous study of evaluation of exceptional methodological quality. Their work will also be consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards. Work will have increased the empirical knowledge of the factors and conditions that influence (a) evaluation practice or (b) the understanding of evaluation theory and practice. This empirical knowledge may include, but not be limited to:

• Exemplars for how research can make evaluation more useful (e.g., evaluation findings, the evaluation process, etc.),
• Exemplars for how research can improve evaluation practice,
• The links between evaluation theory and practice,
• Development of new approaches to evaluation, 
• Development of new approaches that show greater community engagement and community impact, and the understanding of evaluation as a method to gather credible evidence.

Evidence of the significance of contributions should not be limited to traditional publications. Instead, additional/alternative forms of evidence that have reached a wide audience of evaluators are encouraged to be included in the nomination. Contributions should be demonstrated to have been substantial in nature, although they may have been limited to some aspect of evaluation as the object of inquiry.

Presented to an evaluation practitioner who has made substantial cumulative contributions to specific area/s of evaluation practice and whose work is consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards.

• The award is given to an evaluator whose contributions to the field of evaluation have been influential, substantial, and sustained over a number of years (not a one-hit wonder).
• The award is not intended as recognition for a single achievement or for experience as a practitioner; The award seeks to recognize influence on practice.
• Influential evaluation practice is defined as leading or conducting evaluations of the highest possible quality and utility as well as demonstrating the ability to communicate to other evaluators the how-to of their evaluation practice.
• The award recognizes practitioners who are not original theorists/scholars; rather, the awardee is likely to have translated for practice a theory or demonstrated application of theory (e.g., Patricia Rogers, who received the award in 2005, has explained and illuminated program theory).
• The awardee should be someone members see as influencing practice.The award honors an evaluator who is widely known as a go-to-person on application of a specific topic/approach/or method. They should be someone whom members recognize.Their work has added value to the discourse on practice. The awardee has contributed to practice beyond conducting their own quality evaluation work and their influence has reached beyond the walls of their workplace.This award should not be given  to someone just because their clients see them as a good practitioner.
• The influence must have substance! Evidence that demonstrates the influence on the performance of evaluation can be demonstrated/documented in various forms, including or a combination of: publications, trainings, podcasts, books, conference presentations, blogs, stakeholder feedback. The emphasis should be on the nature or extent of influence more than the vehicle (e.g., a primary originator or author of the Guiding Principles). 
• The awardee’s influence on practice could be focused in a particular area of evaluation, not necessarily general (for example: human services, programs serving Indigenous peoples, non-profits, independent consulting).

Presented to an individual or group whose evaluation work is highly influential in governmental contexts and who has been particularly instrumental in furthering the interests of evaluation through advocacy, sponsorship, management, or use of evaluation in government, including local, state and federal government, and whose work is consistent with the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, AEA Evaluator Competencies, AEA Cultural Competence Statement, and the Program Evaluation Standards. 

• The award reflects efforts to advance the profession and practice of evaluation in local, state, and/or federal government.
• The award may reflect either sustained contributions over time, or a singular achievement.
• The contributions to evaluation may reflect a range of activities, such as advocacy, sponsorship, management, or increased use.

The Ricardo Millett Award for Racial Equity in Evaluation is established to honor the pioneering work and legacy of Ricardo Millett in evaluation equity and inclusion. This award recognizes individuals that have made significant contributions to advancing racial equity through innovative and impactful evaluation practices. Through this Ricardo Millett Award, AEA is focused on supporting the inspiration of current and future generations of evaluators to pursue innovative, impactful, and community-centered evaluation practices that promote equity and social justice. Award Criteria: Commitment to Racial Equity: Demonstrates a strong commitment to promoting racial equity and addressing systemic racism through evaluation practices. Impactful Evaluation Practices: Utilizes evaluation methodologies that have led to significant positive changes in policies, programs, or practices affecting racially marginalized communities. Community-Centered Approach: Engages with and includes the voices of racially marginalized communities in the evaluation process, ensuring their perspectives and experiences are central to the work. Leadership and Advocacy: Exhibits leadership in advocating for racial equity within the field of evaluation and beyond, inspiring others to take action. Innovative Contributions: Introduces and implements innovative evaluation methods or frameworks that advance racial equity.