AEA Research on Evaluation Award

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Award Description

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.

Required Nomination Materials

For hardcopy submissions, five copies of each of the following materials must be sent via landmail to the AEA office in a SINGLE package. Electronic submissions must contain each of the following materials combined into ONE electronic file. Submitted materials are not returned.

1. Nomination Form: Please review all of the required nomination materials before completing the Nomination Form which can be found on the Submission Instructions page (See below).
2. Nomination Summary: Include a 150-word summary of the nomination
3. Nomination Justification: A statement from either the nominee or nominator justifying the award nomination. This should illustrate the nominee’s consistent utilization of the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators (maximum of 10 pages).
4. Letters of Support: At least two and no more than five statements from colleagues, focusing on the criteria for the award, and in support of the nomination.
5. Supporting Documentation:
   • A vita or resume (maximum of 10 pages).
   • Up to three publications and reports. The committee asks that nominators balance quality and brevity when considering documents for submission. Please select publications and reports that demonstrate the quality of the nominee and avoid submitting documents that duplicate the contribution of other documents. Publications and reports provided should illustrate the nominee’s consistent utilization of the AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators.

Submission Instructions

Once you have review the Required Nomination Materials above please review the award Submission Instructions.

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