Nominations are open for the 2026 ARNOVA Awards cycle.
Deadline: July 31, 2026
Self-nominations are welcome.

Career Achievement Award

Distinguished Achievement and Leadership Award

Chair: Ram Cnaan, University of Pennsylvania

Recognizes a scholar or practitioner whose career has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and enduring contributions to nonprofit, philanthropic, and voluntary action research or practice. The award honors individuals whose work has significantly shaped the field and inspired future generations of scholars and leaders.

Prize: $1,000 honorarium.

Eligibility: Scholars or practitioners with a career of extraordinary leadership and enduring contributions to nonprofit, philanthropic, and voluntary action research or practice.

Evaluation Criteria: Career impact, leadership, enduring contributions to the field, influence on scholarship or practice, and inspiration of future generations.

Required Materials: Nomination letter and curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé.

Book Awards

Outstanding Book Award

Chair: Margaret Perez Brower, University of Washington

Recognizes an outstanding scholarly book published within the past three years that advances nonprofit, philanthropic, voluntary action, or civil society research, theory, or practice. Edited volumes are eligible. Textbooks and practitioner-oriented guides are not eligible.

Prize: $500 honorarium.

Eligibility: Scholarly books published within the past three years. Edited volumes are eligible. Textbooks and practitioner-oriented guides are not eligible.

Evaluation Criteria: Scholarly quality, originality, contribution to nonprofit and voluntary action research, theoretical or practical significance, and relevance to the field.

Required Materials: Publisher information.

Virginia A. Hodgkinson Book Prize

Chair: Margaret Perez Brower, University of Washington

Honors a book that successfully bridges rigorous scholarship and practical application. The award recognizes research that informs nonprofit policy, leadership, management, philanthropy, or practice and demonstrates relevance to practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.

Prize: $1,000 honorarium.

Eligibility: Books that bridge rigorous scholarship and practical application and demonstrate relevance to practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.

Evaluation Criteria: Strength of scholarship, usefulness to practice, relevance to nonprofit policy or leadership, accessibility to practitioners, and contribution to applied understanding.

Required Materials: Publisher information.

Peter Dobkin Hall History Book Prize

Chair: Nathaniel Wright, Rutgers University–Camden

Recognizes an outstanding scholarly contribution to the historical study of philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, voluntary action, and civil society. The award honors the legacy of Peter Dobkin Hall and encourages historical scholarship that deepens our understanding of the nonprofit sector's development and impact.

Eligibility: Scholarly books or contributions focused on the historical study of philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, voluntary action, and civil society.

Evaluation Criteria: Historical significance, depth of research, contribution to understanding the nonprofit sector’s development, scholarly rigor, and relevance to philanthropy, voluntary action, or civil society.

Required Materials: Publisher information.

Research Awards

ARNOVA President's Award

Chair: Tamaki Onishi, UNC Greensboro

Supports bold, innovative, and foundational research that has the potential to transform understanding of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, voluntary action, or civil society. The award is intended to encourage creative scholarship with significant long-term impact on the field.

Prize: $10,000 honorarium.

Eligibility: Research projects or scholarly work with the potential to transform understanding of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, voluntary action, or civil society.

Evaluation Criteria: Innovation, significance, intellectual ambition, potential long-term impact, and contribution to foundational understanding of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, voluntary action, or civil society.

Required Materials: A proposal (maximum 5 pages, single-spaced) and the proposer’s curriculum vitae (CV). The proposal and CV should be submitted together as a single PDF. The proposal should describe: (1) the concepts, issues, or problems to be explored; (2) the theoretical framework; (3) the character of and approach to the research; (4) data sources and methodologies, if applicable; (5) expected significance and contribution to understanding philanthropy, nonprofits, voluntary action, or civil society; (6) the author’s background and preparation to undertake the research; (7) a budget; and (8) a summary of literature the project will draw on.

Submission Terms: At least one proposal author must be an active ARNOVA member prior to the notification date. Award recipients are expected to pay and register for the Annual Conference to present their award research in the year following the award as a condition of acceptance. Award recipients are responsible for booking and paying for their conference accommodations. Recipients may be asked to serve on the committee the following year.

UMD Do Good Institute–ARNOVA Global Philanthropy Award

Chair: Seongho An, University of Central Florida

Supports innovative research on global philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and civil society. The award recognizes projects that advance comparative, international, or cross-national perspectives and contribute to understanding philanthropy and nonprofit action in diverse global contexts.

Prize: $10,000 honorarium.

Eligibility: Research projects focused on global philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, civil society, or comparative, international, or cross-national perspectives.

Evaluation Criteria: Research projects that advance comparative, international, or cross-national perspectives and contribute to understanding philanthropy and nonprofit action in diverse global contexts.

Required Materials: A proposal (maximum 5 pages, single-spaced) and the proposer’s curriculum vitae (CV). The proposal and CV should be submitted together as a single PDF. The proposal should describe: (1) the concepts, issues, or problems to be explored; (2) the theoretical framework; (3) the character of and approach to the research; (4) data sources and methodologies, if applicable; (5) expected significance and contribution to understanding philanthropy, nonprofits, voluntary action, or civil society; (6) the author’s background and preparation to undertake the research; (7) a budget; and (8) a summary of literature the project will draw on.

Submission Terms: At least one proposal author must be an active ARNOVA member prior to the notification date. The award prize will be paid by the award sponsor according to its terms and conditions. Award recipients are expected to pay and register for the Annual Conference to present their award research in the year following the award as a condition of acceptance. Award recipients are responsible for booking and paying for their conference accommodations. Recipients may be asked to serve on the committee the following year.

Dissertation and Proposal Awards

Gabriel G. Rudney Memorial Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Chair: Sung-Ju Kim, NC State University

Recognizes an exceptional doctoral dissertation that makes a significant contribution to nonprofit and philanthropic studies. Preference is given to work advancing areas central to Gabriel Rudney's scholarly legacy, including charitable giving, tax policy, and comparative nonprofit research.

Prize: $1,000 honorarium.

Eligibility: Doctoral dissertations that make a significant contribution to nonprofit and philanthropic studies, especially work related to charitable giving, tax policy, and comparative nonprofit research.

Evaluation Criteria: Originality, scholarly contribution, methodological rigor, significance to nonprofit and philanthropic studies, and relevance to charitable giving, tax policy, or comparative nonprofit research.

Required Materials: Dissertation manuscript, dissertation abstract, letter from dissertation chair, and curriculum vitae (CV).

Lester M. Salamon Memorial Award for Promising Doctoral Proposal

Chair: Yuan Cheng (Daniel), University of Minnesota

Recognizes an outstanding dissertation proposal that demonstrates exceptional promise for advancing nonprofit and civil society scholarship. The award honors Lester Salamon's legacy by supporting innovative research on nonprofit organizations, government-nonprofit relations, philanthropy, and global civil society.

Prize: $500 honorarium.

Eligibility: Doctoral dissertation proposals that demonstrate exceptional promise for advancing nonprofit and civil society scholarship.

Evaluation Criteria: Promise of the proposed research, originality, theoretical or practical significance, feasibility, methodological strength, and contribution to nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, government-nonprofit relations, or global civil society scholarship.

Required Materials: Dissertation proposal, proposal abstract, letter from advisor, and curriculum vitae (CV).

Conference Awards

Best Conference Paper

Chair: Emily Nwakpuda, UT Arlington

Recognizes the most outstanding paper presented at the ARNOVA Annual Conference. Papers are evaluated on their theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, significance to the field, and overall scholarly quality.

Eligibility: Papers presented at the ARNOVA Annual Conference.

Evaluation Criteria: Theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, significance to the field, originality, and overall scholarly quality.

This award is selected from papers presented at the ARNOVA Annual Conference. No separate nomination is required.

Best Poster

Chair: Shaun Khurana, University of Florida

Recognizes excellence in research communication through poster presentations at the ARNOVA Annual Conference. The award honors posters that effectively present important research findings, engage conference attendees, and contribute to scholarly dialogue.

Eligibility: Posters presented at the ARNOVA Annual Conference.

Evaluation Criteria: Clarity of research communication, visual presentation, significance of findings, engagement with conference attendees, and contribution to scholarly dialogue.

This award is selected from posters presented at the ARNOVA Annual Conference. No separate nomination is required.

Looking for previous ARNOVA award recipients? View the Awards Archive.