Funding Opportunities
The American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology
The American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology recognizes the work of a psychologist or group of psychologists that is impactful, innovative, and transformational.
APF Trustees and Honorary Trustees are not eligible to be nominated or to nominate others for an APF Gold Medal.
The American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology recognizes the work of a psychologist or group of psychologists that is impactful, innovative, and transformational. The award can be either for a body of work in a particular field that has led to change (e.g., Evelyn Hooker’s work leading to the removal of the diagnosis of homosexuality from the DSM or David Barlow’s work in the field of anxiety) or for one-moment-in-time psychology game changers. APF welcomes nominations from various interests and constituencies of psychology (e.g., academics, scientists, practitioners, and those in the public interest and/or applied arena). Gold Medal recipients will receive a $1,000 award and a $1,000 travel stipend to attend the annual APA Convention.
The Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology opened in 2022. Prior to 2022, the program was called the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement.
Eligibility
APF encourages nominations of psychologists whose outstanding psychological research and impact has not been sufficiently recognized and of psychologists from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.
- Psychologists with a doctoral degree at any stage are eligible to be nominated.
- Self-nominations are not permitted.
- Individuals who have previously been awarded an APF Gold Medal are not eligible to be nominated.
- APF Trustees and Honorary Trustees are not eligible to be nominated or to nominate others for an APF Gold Medal.
Application Instructions
All nomination requirements and instructions can be found on the nomination application packet.
Nomination Materials:
- nomination Statement
- nominee’s CV
- nominee’s full bibliography if not included in CV (optional)
- letter(s) of support (maximum of three)
Evaluation Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated on:
- impact
- innovation
- rigor
- fit within APF’s Visionary priorities and APF’s mission
Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.
Please review our program FAQs for important details on the application process.
Recent Recipient
Dr. Jennifer J. Freyd
Dr. Shinobu Kitayama
Past Recipients
2024
Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD
Shinobu Kitayama, PhD
2023
Eduardo Salas, PhD
Jillian C. Shipherd, PhD
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD
Dr. Joseph P. Gone
Dr. Lenore E.A. Walker, Ed.D, ABPP
2022
Adam M Leventhal, PhD, University of Southern California
Phillip C. Kendall, PhD, Temple University
Robert D. Enright, PhD, University of Wisconsin Madison
Robert Sellers, PhD, University of Michigan