Call for AARC 2025 Division Awards

Each year, AARC proudly recognizes the outstanding contributions of professional and student members through its awards program. This year, six awards will be presented—including a newly established award recognizing excellence in international collaboration. Recipients are selected based on their achievements in scholarship, mentorship, and assessment and evaluation efforts that advance the counseling profession. Awardees will be recognized at the upcoming annual AARC conference (Daytona Beach, FL, September 12-13, 2025). 

AARC’s 2025 Division Awards include: 

Exemplary Research Practices Award: Professional 
With this award, AARC seeks to acknowledge the rendering of meaningful scholarship with particular significance for the counseling profession. The Exemplary Research Practices Award goes to a professional member who has shown dedication to the mission of AARC through their record of scholarship. Specifically, awardees will have contributed to the advancement of the counseling field through rigorous research projects, impactful publications, and/or the use of innovative research methods. Nominees should have contributed significant scholarly products (peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, books, presentations, development of a research lab, grantsmanship) to the counseling field, commiserate with their level of experience in the profession. This award acknowledges best practices in research and a commitment to sound, meaningful scholarship. Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

Exemplary Research Practices Award: International Collaboration 
With this award, AARC seeks to recognize the vital role of intercountry research in advancing the counseling profession. The Exemplary Research Practice Award: International Collaboration honors professional members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to intercountry research partnerships that enrich the global counseling community. The awardee will be a researcher or research team who has engaged in sustained, collaborative research efforts across national contexts. These efforts will have resulted in meaningful scholarly contributions—such as co-authored publications, conference presentations, international grant projects, and/or the development of cross-nation research infrastructure. Through such partnerships, the individual or team will have promoted knowledge exchange, cultural responsiveness, and innovation in counseling research. Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

Exemplary Assessment and Evaluation Practices Award: Professional 
With this award, AARC seeks to acknowledge the rendering of meaningful assessment and/or evaluation practices with particular significance for the counseling profession. The Exemplary Assessment and Evaluation Practices Award goes to a professional member who has shown a dedication to the mission of AARC through the use of rigorous assessment and/or evaluation practices. Specifically, awardees should have contributed to the advancement of the counseling field through the use of assessment instruments to inform practice, development of new assessment instruments, application of program evaluation strategies, advocacy efforts related to the use of assessments, or projects that include community-based evaluation and/or needs assessments. This award acknowledges best practices in the use of assessments and/or evaluation efforts that have made significant contributions to the field of counseling. Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

Exemplary Mentorship Award
With this award, AARC seeks to acknowledge the exemplary mentorship practices of a professional member who has shown dedication to the mission of AARC by investing in future researchers, academics, and counseling professionals. The Exemplary Mentorship Award recognizes mentorship activities that go above and beyond the awardee’s job description for the sole benefit of current students, former students, and early career professionals. Awardees will have contributed to advancing future scholars through their exemplary mentorship activities (e.g., guidance, support, encouragement, research opportunities, leadership opportunities, and advisement). Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

Exemplary Research and Assessment Award: Doctoral-Level Student 
AARC, through its Doctoral Level Exemplary Research and Assessment Practices Award, recognizes doctoral-level students who have shown a dedication to the mission of AARC through their use of assessment and/or evaluation practices, or their contributions as a scholar in the counseling field. The Doctoral Level Exemplary Research and Assessment Practices Award goes to a doctoral-level student who has shown a dedication to the mission of AARC through their use of assessments to inform practice, experience in individual or program evaluation, experience in needs assessments, development of a new assessment instrument, work in a research lab or on a research team, authoring or co-authoring a research paper that advances the field, or engaging in community-based research efforts. Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

Exemplary Research and Assessment Award: Master’s-Level Student 
AARC, through its Master’s Level Exemplary Research and Assessment Practices Award, recognizes a master’s-level student who has shown a dedication to the mission of AARC through their use of assessment and/or evaluation practices, or their contributions as a scholar in the counseling field. The Master’s Level Exemplary Research and Assessment Practices Award goes to a master’s-level student who has shown a dedication to the mission of AARC through their use of assessments to inform practice, experience in individual or program evaluation, experience in needs assessments, development of a new assessment instrument, work in a research lab or on a research team, authoring or co-authoring a research paper that advances the field, or engaging in community-based research efforts. Nominees are required to be members of AARC. Information on nomination requirements can be found HERE

If you would like to nominate yourself or a deserving student or colleague for one of these awards, please email your nomination packet as a combined PDF file to Peitao Zhu, AARC Member-at-Large Awards, ([email protected]) by June 1, 2025.