Nominations are open for the 2026 ARNOVA Awards cycle.
Deadline: July 31, 2026

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.

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.

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.

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.

Research Awards

RGK-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.

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.

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.

Lester Salamon Prize

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.

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.

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.

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