The AERA Awards Program celebrates the best in education research—honoring scholars and changemakers whose work drives innovation in research and transforms classrooms, communities, and policy. Spanning all career stages and disciplines, these awards—across 14 categories— recognize groundbreaking thinkers and trailblazers who push boundaries, expand our understanding of education, and inspire the next generation of scholars. As one of the field’s highest honors, the program uplifts a vibrant community of researchers whose insights shape practice and society, connecting rigorous scholarship to real-world impact.
Questions about the AERA Awards Program can be directed to governance@aera.net.
The Call for Nominations for 2026 AERA Awards is now open. The deadline is October 15, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT. Award winners will be announced in early 2026 prior to the AERA Annual Meeting.
Established in 2006, the Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award recognizes individuals within AERA for distinguished research, professional practice, and activities that advance public understanding of gender and/or sexuality at any level in the education community.
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The Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award is the premier acknowledgment of outstanding achievement and success in education research. It is designed to publicize, motivate, encourage, and suggest models for education research at its best.
This award is granted annually in recognition of an individual who has worked to enact or implement policies that are well grounded in education research, or who has been at the forefront of efforts to increase recognition and support for education research.
The Dr. Felice J. Levine Distinguished Contributions to Mentoring in Research and Leadership Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring students and early career scholars to become exemplary researchers and leaders who contribute to the knowledge base of our field. This award is bestowed on a senior researcher at least twenty years after receiving their doctorate.
Established to honor an individual in the early stages of their career no later than 10 years after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is granted for study in any field of educational inquiry.
This award is presented jointly by AERA and ACT in recognition of outstanding applied or theoretical research in the field of testing and measurement. The award is meant to acknowledge a body of research of an empirical, theoretical, or integrative nature rather than a single study.
Established in 2016, this award recognizes a person who has made noteworthy contributions to reporting on findings, bodies of research, or scholarship in the field of education research in any medium of public communication. The award honors a media professional whose work exemplifies promoting a broader vision of the value of education research to society.
This award is presented to an education research scholar or scholars in recognition of collaborative project(s) between researchers and practitioners that have had sustained and observable effects on contexts of practice.
The Outstanding Book Award was established to acknowledge and honor the year’s best book-length publication in education research and development.
This award honors scholars exemplary in their capacity to communicate the importance of education research to the broad public, including education communities. It recognizes scholars who have excelled in conveying important findings and research to wide audiences and who have demonstrated the capacity to deepen understanding and appreciation of the value of education research in the public sphere.
The Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award is presented annually in recognition of the most outstanding article published in an AERA journal. Articles published in any one of the following AERA journals are eligible for consideration: AERA Open, American Educational Research Journal (AERJ), Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), Educational Researcher (ER), or Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics (JEBS), except those articles that emanate from AERA public lectures.
This award is given in recognition of an outstanding review of research article appearing in the Review of Research in Education or the Review of Educational Research.
Presented to a senior-level scholar, usually 20 years or more after receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
Presented to a scholar who is within the first decade of their career after receipt of a doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
Presented to a scholar in mid-career who is beyond the first level of professional appointment and for whom 10 or more years have passed since receipt of the doctoral degree, this award is intended to recognize (a) scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minority populations, and (b) minority scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
Established in 2004, the Social Justice in Education Award honors an individual who has advanced social justice through education research and exemplified the goal of linking education research to social justice.