AAMG Awards

AAMG Distinguished Service Award

The most prestigious award for individuals in the US academic museum profession, the AAMG Distinguished Service Award recognizes significant and sustained contributions to the academic museum field over a career of 20+ years. It honors those who exemplify the leadership and service to which the field aspires.

The award is given at the discretion and presented by the AAMG Board of Directors based on an individual’s cumulative contributions to their institution, the museum profession, and the museum community at large—including their work to innovate, enrich, and expand how academic museums serve their campus and communities. Factors for consideration may include the nominee’s record of work, related volunteer, board, and community service, publications or scholarship, advocacy, mentorship, and previous recognition and awards.

Eligibility

• Nominee should have at least 20 years’ experience in the academic museum field or related fields. Affiliation with museums should be long-term, sustained, and an integral part of the nominee’s career.
• Nominee may be an active or retired academic museum professional.
• Nominee may be from or based in any country but must demonstrate significant contributions to US academic museums and/or the US academic museum field.
• Nominations for the AAMG Lifetime Achievement Award must be submitted by someone who knows the nominee well; self-nominations are not accepted.
• Nominee should be a member of AAMG.

The primary step of the nomination process is submitting an application form, which is received and discussed by a review committee before proceeding. It requires a 500-word synopsis of the person’s contributions to the field, URL to a CV or more information on the candidate, and three references. 

*Please note this is a confidential process and it is recommended that the nominee not be told about the nomination until it has been accepted.

Nominations Due: April 8, 2025

Timeline & Additional Information

Click here to apply to the AAMG Distinguished Service Award Application

Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on April 8, 2025 for consideration. An official announcement of the recipient will be made in May 2025. The recipient will receive a complimentary, nontransferable registration to attend the 2025 AAMG Conference, though attendance at the conference is not required.

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AAMG Champion of Belonging

AAMG Champion of Belonging recognizes individuals in the US academic museum profession who are making an impact in creating a sense of belonging in their institutions, communities, and/or the museum field. Awards recognize a specific achievement or body of work that has benefited the honoree’s academic institution, community, or the broader academic museum field related to the 2025 AAMG annual conference theme, belonging.

Honorees’ work may be in any area of academic museum operations (administration, collections management, community engagement, curation, development, education, equity and culture, exhibitions, human resources, leadership and management, marketing and communications, public relations, research and evaluation, registration, security, technology, etc.) or any area impacting the museum field. Multiple individuals may be recognized in a given year.

Eligibility

• Nominee is an individual and should have at least five years of experience in the academic museum field at the time of submission.
• Nominee must be active in the academic museum field through current employment, volunteer service, and/or enrollment in an academic museum program.
• Nominee developed or implemented an innovative project, program, or exhibition that addressed this year’s conference theme of “belonging” and positively impacted members of the academic community and/or the public at large. (Examples being a teaching methodology, publication, or professional development opportunity)
• Nominee demonstrates the impact of their specific project or program related to “belonging.”
• Nominee may be from or based in any country but must demonstrate contributions to US academic museum(s) and/or the US academic museum field.
• Nominee should be a member of AAMG.
• Self-nominations are accepted.

Nominations Due: April 8, 2025

Timeline & Additional Information

Click here to apply to the AAMG Champion of Belonging Award Application

The application requires a 500-word synopsis of the person’s contribution to creating belonging at their academic museum, community, or the broader field that is significant and evidenced through the recipients. It also requires two references who can speak to how this person created belonging through this outlined project or effort.

Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on April 8, 2025 for consideration. An official announcement of the recipient will be made in May 2025. The recipient will receive a 25% nontransferable discount on registration to attend the 2025 AAMG Conference, though attendance at the conference is not required.