Distinguished Public Service Award (DPSA)

The purpose of the Distinguished Public Service Award (DPSA) Committee is to acknowledge work by (a) non-AAAL member(s) that raises public awareness of important social issues involving language through the AAAL Award for Distinguished Public Service.

The award is given to an individual or team of non-AAAL members, including but not limited to, writers, politicians, and other high-profile figures. Should the award be given to a team, the team will decide which individual will accept the award on the team’s behalf. The award will be in the form of a monetary award of $1000 to the individual or designated entity.

Eligibility

Criteria for eligibility include but are not limited to the following:

  • The awardee(s) cannot be a member of AAAL currently or within the past five years.
  • To avoid any appearance of endorsement, individuals running for public office may not be nominated.

The 2025 award nomination is closed. For questions about the Distinguished Public Service Award, email info@AAAL.org.

Timeline

  • March: Call for nominations announced
  • June 1: Nomination Deadline
  • June – July: Committee undertakes review and deliberation
  • July 15: Committee notifies the AAAL Business Office of the award results
  • July 31: Deadline for President to notify the winner

Recipients