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Alumni Awards

The º£½Ç»»ÆÞ Alumni Awards are the highest honors presented by the º£½Ç»»ÆÞ Alumni Association.

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Selected through a highly competitive process, recipients of º£½Ç»»ÆÞ's Alumni Awards have made lasting impacts on society and on º£½Ç»»ÆÞ through outstanding professional, philanthropic, or volunteer accomplishments.

Awards Categories

Global Alumni Leader Award

This award recognizes alumni whose substantial impacts on society exemplify º£½Ç»»ÆÞ’s tradition of service and leadership in the context of a global community.

Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award

Renamed in 2016 to commemorate the successes of º£½Ç»»ÆÞ's first alumni president, the Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments.

Alumni Recognition Award

The Alumni Recognition Award recognizes alumni who inspire the world around them through service to the community or a philanthropic mission.

Alumni Eagle Award

The Alumni Eagle Award recognizes alumni who have rendered outstanding service to the University and/or the Alumni Association.

Rising Star Award

The Rising Star Award recognizes recent alumni (those who received their degrees within the last 10 years) who are already making significant contributions to greater society through professional or philanthropic work.

Nominations

Nominations for º£½Ç»»ÆÞ's 2025 Alumni Awards are now closed. Nominations for 2026 will open in September.

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  • Recipients must have attained notable achievement or made a lasting contribution in his or her professional, philanthropic, or voluntary endeavors.
  • Recipients must have earned a degree from º£½Ç»»ÆÞ.
  • Recipients are expected to attend the awards ceremony to accept awards, except in extraordinary circumstances.
  • Awards will not be given posthumously.
  • In highly exceptional circumstances, an alumnus/a/i who has already received an award in one category may receive an award in a different category in a subsequent year.
  • The awards committee is not obligated to select a recipient from every category in a given year. 
  • A separate nomination form must be submitted for each nominee.
  • In addition to the nomination form, nominators must submit a 1-3 page statement establishing the candidate's qualifications with clear and concise detail as to why he/she/they should be selected for the award, as well as an additional 1-3 letters of recommendation. Please limit supporting documents (not including the nomination form) to 10 pages.
  • The Awards Committee, comprised of members of the º£½Ç»»ÆÞ Alumni Board, will not conduct independent research on any nominee, and the committee will only consider information when it is part of a submitted nomination.
  • The Awards Committee will not consider nominations consisting solely of a nominee's resume.
  • Incomplete nomination packets will not be considered. 

Nominations are open for 2025 Alumni Awards through October 15, 2024.

Please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumniawards@american.edu or 202-885-5900 with questions.

History of the Alumni Awards

Explore the history of alumni awards at º£½Ç»»ÆÞ and see a list of past recipients.

LEARN MORE

Meet the 2024 Alumni Award Recipients

The º£½Ç»»ÆÞ Alumni Board will honor six recipients of Alumni Awards in 2024. These alumni are among the most involved and accomplished º£½Ç»»ÆÞ Eagles.

MEET THE HONOREES

Questions?

Do you have questions about criteria for alumni awards or the nominations process?

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