APA Recognition Program
Formal Awards Program
Employee Recognition is one of APA's core values. There are three types of formal awards at APA: Raymond D. Fowler, Core Values, and Service All Star. Nominations are accepted at any time, though there are deadlines for each award cycle. Once a nomination is submitted, it is reviewed by HR, sanitized by SWEO to remove identifying names and job titles, and scored by a panel of past RDF award recipients on a scale of 1-10. Winning nominations must receive a score of 7+. The nomination with the highest score will receive the award. In the case of a tie, both people will receive the award.
All Star Awards
This award recognizes employees who go above and beyond to benefit a coworker, APA member, team/department, or the association as a whole. Up to three awards are given each quarter. Nominations are due on the last business days in March, June, September, and December. Recipients will be announced mid-way through the following month.
Recipients will receive a check for $250.
Core Values Awards
APA has 10 core values, once for each month except July and August. They are:
- Decency and Fairness (January)
- Teamwork (February)
- Flexibility and Resilience (March)
- Individual Differences (April)
- Employee Development (May)
- Collaborative Decision Making (June)
- Open Communication (September)
- Health & Well-Being (October)
- Employee Recognition (November)
- Organizational Knowledge (December)
Nominations must be submitted by the last business day of the given month. Recipients will be announced in APA Today mid-way through the following month.
Recipients will receive a check for $250.
Raymond D. Fowler Award
Raymond D. Fowler was president of APA and served as APA's executive vice president and chief executive officer 1989-2003. He made important contributions to APA and the field of psychology and the award carries on his important legacy. This award is APA’s most prestigious and recognizes an employee whose work ethic encourages productive and cooperative relationships in the workplace or with governance and shows a clear dedication to advancing APA’s mission.
Nominations are typically due at the end of August. Nominees must have been employed at APA for a minimum of five years. If you would like to nominate someone for the RDF Award, you should write a nomination letter and solicit three letters of support from different people. At least three of the four total letters must be from people outside the nominee's immediate workgroup.
RDF Award recipients are announced at the All Hands Meeting. They will receive a check for $1,000 and a framed certificate.
Nominating Pro Tips
- You must be an APA employee to submit a nomination.
- Only APA employees can be nominated.
- Members of ELT and employees who have previously received the RDF award are NOT eligible to receive awards.
- A successful nomination is one that is well-written, detailed, and clearly explains why the person should receive the award. Be sure to make connections between the award criteria listed in the form and the employee's performance.
- We ask that if a group wants to nominate someone that you work together on ONE nomination. Please DO NOT submit multiple nominations for the same person. It will NOT increase their chances of receiving the award. Because all nominations are sanitized of names or other identifying language, the scoring committee will not know that the same person received more than one nomination. It is better for your group to work together on one outstanding nomination.
Have questions? Contact SWEO.
2nd Quarter Service All Star Award - due June 30
June Core Value Award - Individual Differences - due June 30
2022 Raymond D. Fowler Award nominations - due August 31
Milestone Recognition
APA gives special recognition to employees celebrating milestone anniversaries. Milestone years start at 5 and go up in increments of 5. View the full list of employees celebrating milestone anniversaries and be sure to congratulate them!
Recognition Events
The Staff Awards and Recognition Team coordinates annual recognition events. These events invite employees to learn more about the importance of recognition and APA awards, connect with other employees, and send gratitude grams to their colleagues.
July 2021 Recognition Week
- Your next chance to send virtual gratitude grams is July 12-16, 2021. Click the button below to send a gram. They will be delivered via email on Monday, July 19, 2021.
- Join us for a trivia event 12:30-12:55 pm, Thursday, July 15 to connect with your colleagues and have some fun. Register today!
Gratitude grams can be sent between July 16-20, 2021
Connect with your colleagues and have some fun on July 15, 2021 at our trivia event
Recognize your colleagues all year long
- Send an email thanking your colleague for their great idea, work on a project, and more.
- Give a shout out during a team meeting. Some people prefer private recognition only, so keep this in mind before choosing this option.
- Nominate your colleague for an award.
- Use the Praise function in Microsoft Teams to recognize a colleague privately in a chat. Open a private chat and click the Praise icon (small circle with a ribbon at the bottom).