Awards

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In Honoring Others – We Honor Ourselves!

AIAA is honored to honor you—the very best! A primary goal of the Institute is to recognize those who are making earthshaking achievements that make us stand up from our seats and cheer. Since the inception of AIAA Honors and Awards Program, collectively we’ve recognized thousands of your colleagues for their meritorious achievements, technical contributions, committed service, section participation, and loyal membership.

Because shaping the future of aerospace is a community effort, AIAA is also flying high to partner with other societies for certain elite awards.

For a full compilation of our awards and past recipients, please download our Honors and Awards Book .

A complete listing of all AIAA Honors and Awards is noted below, or you can select an award category to learn more:

Premier

Lectureship

Educator

Publication

Student

Service

Best Paper

Technical Excellence

Membership Award
A Thomas Young Undergraduate Scholarship (No Longer Available)
Outstanding Activity Award
Space Transportation Design Competition
James A. Van Allen Space Environments Award
Opens: 10 July 2025 | Closes: 1 October 2025
Wright Brothers Lecture in Aeronautics Award
Opens: 10 July 2026 | Closes: 1 October 2026
Abe Zarem Educator Award
Opens: 1 March 2023 | Closes: 31 January 2024
Leatrice Gregory Pendray Scholarship
Public Service Award
Opens: 1 June 2025 | Closes: 15 August 2025
Willy Z. Sadeh Graduate Award
George M. Low Space Transportation Award
Opens: 10 July 2025 | Closes: 1 October 2025
Jeffries Aerospace Medicine and Life Sciences Research Award
Opens: 10 July 2025 | Closes: 1 October 2025
Lawrence Sperry Award
Opens: 1 June 2025 | Closes: 15 August 2025
AIAA Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson Scholarship
Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship
William Littlewood Memorial Lecture
Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Graduate Award in Aerospace Engineering
Best Paper – Propulsion and Energy Group
Intelligent Systems
Opens: 10 February 2027 | Closes: 1 June 2027
Communications Award

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