We are proud to recognize people who make exceptional contributions to the study of social and personality psychology in health contexts.

Applying for the 2027 Awards Cycle

All nominations are due by October 1, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. While non-SPHN members are eligible for nomination for most awards, active SPHN membership is required to accept any award. Award decisions will be communicated to nominees by early January 2026, and winners will be formally announced at the 2027 SPSP Health Preconference in Philadelphia, PA (February 2027).

Applications can be submitted via the submission portal linked here.

For questions about the awards or eligibility, please contact the SPHN President, Nao Hagiwara (nh6ty@virginia.edu).

Early Career Award

Description. The SPHN Early Career Award honors an early career scholar who has made exceptional contributions to research and/or practice that integrates social/personality and health psychology. Prior nominees who are still eligible are welcome and encouraged to reapply with updated materials. The recipient of the award will be announced at the 2026 SPSP health preconference, and the winner will be formally recognized with the opportunity to give an invited research talk at a SPHN event and/or webinar.

Eligibility: Potential awardees can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual who is familiar with their work. Scholars are eligible to be nominated for this early career award if they have earned a doctoral degree within the past 10 years (i.e., not before February 11, 2017). The Early Career designation allows for up to 10 years of postdoctoral experience in total, rather than requiring 10 continuous years. Career interruptions (e.g., those due to personal illness, family leave, or other circumstances) may be excluded from this calculation. Nominees are not required to explain or provide documentation about career interruptions.  

Nominations should include the following materials:

• CV

• 1–2-page statement describing the nominee’s research contributions, with particular emphasis on the integration of social/personality and health psychology, and noting any past participation in the SPSP Health Preconference and/or Social Personality & Health Network activities

•  2–3 representative publications

Awardees are selected by an Early Career Award selection committee appointed by the SPHN executive committee. The awardee may be invited to serve on a subsequent Early Career Award selection committee.

Diversity in Research Award

Description. The SPHN Diversity in Research Award recognizes individuals whose research program demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing the study of diversity in social and personality psychology in health contexts and to promoting favorable health outcomes among underrepresented groups. The recipient’s research should meaningfully broaden our understanding of underrepresented populations and experiences in social, personality, and health research and demonstrate the importance of diversity for advancing the field. Previous nominees who remain eligible are welcome and encouraged to reapply with updated materials. The 2027 award recipient will be announced at the SPHN preconference and formally recognized with an opportunity to deliver an invited research talk at a future SPHN event and/or webinar.

Eligibility:  Potential awardees may self-nominate or may be nominated by another individual familiar with their work. The award is open to individuals at all career stages. Priority will be given to scholars who have established a clear program of independent research over five or more years that addresses issues of diversity and advances the inclusion and understanding of underrepresented groups in social, personality, and health research. Early-career scholars are strongly encouraged to also apply for the SPHN Early Career Award.

Nominations should include the following materials:

• CV

• 1–2-page statement describing the nominee’s research program and contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion in social, personality, and health research, and noting any past participation in the SPSP Health Preconference and/or Social Personality & Health Network activities

• Up to 3 representative publications

Awardees are selected by a Diversity in Research Award selection committee appointed by the SPHN executive committee. The awardee may be invited to serve on a subsequent Diversity in Research Award selection committee.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

Description: The SPHN Outstanding Dissertation Award recognizes an individual whose dissertation makes an outstanding contribution to the scientific study of social and personality psychology in health contexts and advances efforts to promote favorable health outcomes. Award-winning dissertations address important and timely questions, are grounded in strong theoretical rationale, and employ rigorous and systematic methods. An outstanding dissertation demonstrates a meaningful contribution to the field, is clearly and effectively written, and has strong potential for publication in a leading journal.

Eligibility: Potential awardees may self-nominate or may be nominated by another individual familiar with their work. A cover or nominating letter is not required and will not be considered in the evaluation process. Nominees must be members of the Social Personality & Health Network, but may join the Network at the time of nomination. To be eligible, dissertations must have been completed within the previous two years (August 15, 2024–August 14, 2026). The dissertation completion date is defined as the date of the oral defense, as officially recorded by the nominee’s institution.

Nominations should include the following materials:

• Blinded abstract or 1-page executive summary of the dissertation. Nominees may submit the dissertation abstract as is or, alternatively, provide a 1-page executive summary with additional detail about the project and its relevance to social/personality and health psychology.

• Blinded copy of the dissertation, with all identifying information removed.

Award recipients are selected by a Dissertation Award Selection Subcommittee appointed by the SPHN Executive Committee. The award recipient may subsequently be invited to serve on a future Dissertation Award Selection Subcommittee. The selection process consists of two stages. First, the Selection Subcommittee will evaluate the blinded dissertation abstracts or executive summaries and identify the top three submissions. The full dissertations for these three finalists will then be reviewed to determine the award recipient.