Embedded Files
BFI tracks eligibility, supports application materials (where possible), and promotes the dissemination of the nominees' research work instead of running active campaigns for the following society fellowships, prizes, and awards.
Expand any item for the full requirements.
Econometric Society Fellows
Election as a Fellow is the Econometric Society's recognition of important contributions to economics, and Fellows are the highest authority in the Society.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Any member of the Society
Nomination Deadline: April 15 for nominations and endorsements
Scale: Recent classes range from ~25 to 40 new Fellows per year
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The Econometric Society advances economics as a quantitative, theory-and-evidence discipline. It publishes Econometrica, Quantitative Economics, and Theoretical Economics, runs regional meetings in six world regions, and holds a World Congress every five years. Fellows have been elected since the early 1930s. More than 1,250 people have received Fellow status, and about 90 recipients have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in economics.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO NOMINATE
Any member of the Society can initiate a nomination. Candidates may also reach the ballot through the Fellows Nominating Committee, which the President appoints each year, and those committee members develop their own slate of nominees between January and April 15.
WHO ENDORSES
Nominations require a minimum of 10 endorsements, 5 of which must be Fellows, to appear on the nomination ballot. Only 10 endorsers will be listed on the ballot; however the other endorsers will be counted and saved in the Society's database.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
Nominations are accepted only through the Society's electronic nomination form. If a candidate has already been nominated that year, the system blocks a duplicate and the second person can become an endorser by contacting the Society. The form asks for the nominee's name, position, email, a record of service to the Society, a bibliography, and a brief nomination statement (125 words max). Service means editorial work, conference organization, or committee membership. It explicitly excludes publishing in Society journals, presenting at its conferences, and refereeing. The initiator then invites endorsements.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
The form can be revised as many times as needed until nominations close on April 15. Active Fellows then vote by electronic ballot, and the new class is announced later in the year.
Official source: econometricsociety.org
Fischer Black Prize
Awarded biennially to the top finance scholar under 40 for a body of original research relevant to practice.
KEY FACTS
Award: $50,000
Who Nominates: No public nominations; selected by an AFA committee and board
Application Deadline: None publicly listed
Eligibility: Under 40, or under 45 if the PhD came after age 35
ABOUT THE PRIZE
Established in 2002 and first awarded in 2003, the prize honors a body of work that best exemplifies Fischer Black's hallmark of original research relevant to finance practice. In years when no candidate meets the standard, no award is made, as happened in 2005. The prize is awarded biennially at the annual AFA meeting.
UCHICAGO'S RECORD
Faculty at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business have won the award four times: Raghuram Rajan (2003), Tobias Moskowitz (2007), Amir Sufi (2017), and Ralph Koijen (2019). Affiliations are as of the year of the award. No other institution has more than two winners. Past winners have also sat on the Selection Committee.
Official source: afajof.org/fischer-black-prize
NBER Faculty Research Fellow
The key early-career NBER credential. Appointment signals that the leadership of a research program regards a junior scholar's work as first-rate.
KEY FACTS
Appointed By: The NBER President
Recommended By: Program directors and steering committees
Application Deadline: Call for nominations in January or February
ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT
Faculty Research Fellows are typically junior scholars. Research Associate status requires tenure, and most new Research Associates are promoted Faculty Research Fellows. There are usually somewhere around 320 to 350 fellows at any time. All affiliates must hold a primary faculty appointment at a North American college or university. Appointments are made in the spring following the end of the recommendation cycle.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO NOMINATE
There is no application. The directors of NBER's research programs recommend appointments after consulting steering committees made up of leading scholars in each field, and the NBER president makes the appointments.
TIMING
The call for nominations goes out in the winter and appointments are announced in the spring, so the useful internal conversation happens in the autumn, before the call rather than after it.
Official source: nber.org/affiliated-scholars
American Statistical Association
The ASA recognizes members of established reputation who have made outstanding contributions to some aspect of statistical work, a designation it has awarded for roughly a century.
KEY FACTS
Founded: 1839
Who Nominates: Any ASA member
Application Deadline: March 1, 11:59 p.m. ET
Eligibility: Capped at one third of one percent of members, about 40 to 60 a year
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
The ASA is the largest professional association of statisticians in the United States. Its Fellow designation is the association's principal career honor, awarded at the Joint Statistical Meetings each summer.
WHO ENDORSES
ELIGIBILITY
The nominee must have been an individual ASA member for at least five of the last six years. Nominations that fail this test are removed from consideration after the deadline, so eligibility should be verified with the ASA awards office before any drafting starts. A nominator or supporter may take part in no more than two nominations in a single year. Most relevant for faculty whose work is methodological: econometric theory, causal inference, statistical methods for policy evaluation.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
The online nomination form, including the supporting statements section, a comprehensive CV. Letters from three additional supporters, each no longer than two pages in 12-point type and addressed to the Committee on Fellows. No individual may take part in more than two nominations in a year, so endorser capacity has to be scheduled across the cycle.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
The submission system closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 1 and will not accept a saved nomination after that moment. A nine-member Committee on Fellows reviews roughly 120 nominations and may elect no more than one third of one percent of the membership. New Fellows are honored at that summer's Joint Statistical Meetings.
Official source: amstat.org/your-career/awards/asa-fellows
Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE)
The highest honor the US government confers on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, and at NSF it is drawn entirely from recent CAREER awardees.
KEY FACTS
Conferred by: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Nominated by: Federal agencies, not institutions
NSF pathway: Up to 26 nominees a year, from CAREER awardees
Prerequisite: A recent NSF CAREER award
ABOUT THE AWARD
PECASE recognises innovative research at the frontiers of science alongside community service demonstrated through scientific leadership, education or outreach. Awards are initiated by the participating federal agencies rather than by universities. Each year NSF selects its PECASE nominees from among the most meritorious recent CAREER awardees, up to twenty-six of them, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy makes the final selection and announcement. An institution has no route in.
ELIGIBLITY
Recipients must be US citizens, nationals or permanent residents, and NSF allows an optional PECASE eligibility statement to be filed as a single-copy document with the CAREER proposal. Each winner receives a citation, plaque, and funding from their agency for up to five years.
Official source: https://www.nsf.gov/honorary-awards/pecase
John Bates Clark Medal
Awarded annually by the AEA to the American economist under 40 judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.
KEY FACTS
Awarded by: American Economic Association
Selected by: The AEA Electoral College
Application Deadline: Nominations due in late Fall
Scale: 1 awardee per cycle, 2 for joint-work
ABOUT THE JOHN BATES CLARK MEDAL
One of the most distinguished awards offered to an economist in any subfield who has made the most significant contributions to the knowledge and thought process of economics.
WHO ENDORSES
The American Economics Association (AEA) reaches out to department heads and members of the economics community to solicit nominations for the John Bates Clark Medal.
ELIGIBILITY
Nominees can only be accepted for the Medal if they are under the age of 40 throughout the entire calendar year that the award will be given. The nominee must be living in the U.S. at the time of the award, but U.S. citizenship is not required.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
Department heads prepare nomination packages, including a brief nomination letter, an up-to-date CV for the nominee, and the nominee's date of birth to verify the nominee's age eligibility. Nominations are typically accepted between late summer and November 1. Completed nominations are reviewed by AEA's Honors and Awards Committee and their Executive Committee, who then announce the winner the following April.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
The nomination window opens once annually and the awardee is announced in the spring, typically in April.
Official source: https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/honors-awards/bates-clark
Society of Labor Economists
SOLE's Fellows are recognized for contributions of unusual distinction to the field of labor economics.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Initiated by current SOLE Fellows
Application Deadline: Annual; announced at the spring or summer meeting
Field: Labor and demographic economics
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
SOLE is the field society for labor economics. It publishes the Journal of Labor Economics, holds an annual meeting, and co-hosts the World Labor Conference. Alongside the Fellows designation it awards the Mincer Award for lifetime contributions, the Rosen Prize for early-career contributions, and the Lazear Prize.
WHO ENDORSES
One initiating SOLE Fellow, after which the existing Fellows elect. UChicago has several faculty who are eligible initiators, and identifying the right one is most of the work.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO NOMINATE
Nomination is initiated by a current SOLE Fellow, and the existing Fellows elect the new class. UChicago has several faculty who are eligible initiators, which is what makes this a workable direct track rather than an advocacy one.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
The nomination materials and the exact annual calendar are distributed to members through the SOLE member portal rather than posted publicly. In practice a nomination rests on a concise summary of the candidate's distinctive contributions to labor economics and the endorsement of the initiating Fellow. BFI confirms the current cycle's requirements with SOLE each year.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
New Fellows are elected by the existing Fellows and announced at the Society's annual meeting or, in World Labor Conference years, at that conference in June.
HOW BFI HELPS
BFI identifies the right current SOLE Fellow at UChicago to initiate the nomination, drafts the nomination summary on their behalf, and verifies the year's materials and deadline directly with the Society.
Official source: sole-jole.org/sole-fellows
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
One of the oldest learned societies in the United States, honoring excellence in the field and a record of continued accomplishment across sciences, humanities, the arts, and public life.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Current Academy members only
Application Deadline: Nominations in the spring, new members announced in April
Structure: 31 sections across 5 classes
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy elects members in thirty-one sections organized into five classes, covering the mathematical and physical sciences, biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, humanities and arts, and leadership in business, public policy, and institutions. Economists sit in the social and behavioral sciences class. The Academy also publishes Daedalus and runs multidisciplinary policy research.
WHO ENDORSES
Two current Academy members, at different institutions from each other. One may be an International Honorary Member. Because the Academy accepts nominations only from members, the endorsers are the entire mechanism here.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO NOMINATE
Nominations may be submitted only by previously elected members. The Academy does not accept outside nominations and does not welcome solicitation by individuals on their own behalf or by their institutions.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
Two member nominators, no more and no fewer. They must be at different institutions from each other, and one may be an International Honorary Member. A short citation of accomplishment and a roughly 100-word professional evaluation of the candidate's work and impact.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
Nominations are gathered in the spring and voted in two rounds: a Preliminary Evaluation Ballot sent separately to each of the thirty-one sections, then an Appraisal List ballot distributed to all voting members. New members are announced each spring. Confirm the current year's dates through the Academy, since the window shifts.
IMPORTANT NOTE
The American Association for the Advancement of Science also elects Fellows, but under different rules: three previously elected AAAS Fellows must sponsor, only one may share the nominee's institution, the nominee must have been a continuous AAAS member for four years, and the deadline falls in mid-April.
HOW BFI HELPS
BFI identifies two eligible Academy members willing to nominate, one internal where appropriate and one at a peer institution, drafts the citation and evaluation for their review, and assembles the publications list and biographical materials.
Official source: amacad.org/election-process
National Academy of Sciences
Election recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, and is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Academy members only, and not from their own institution
Application Deadline: None; final ballot at the April annual meeting
Scale: 120 members and 30 international members a year
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The NAS is a private, non-profit society of about 2,700 members and 550 international members, of whom roughly 200 have won Nobel Prizes. Members are affiliated with a section inside one of six classes. Economists sit in the behavioral and social sciences class. Alongside the NAE and NAM, the Academy provides independent scientific advice to the federal government.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
No application process: Academy members may submit formal nominations, but are not able to nominate candidates from their own institution.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
Nominations move through an informal section ballot, then a formal section ballot requiring support from two thirds of section members, then review and ranking by a class membership committee. A preference ballot goes to the full membership in March, and members present at the April annual meeting vote the final ballot. Candidates who are not elected are automatically reconsidered the following year. Members must be US citizens. Others are elected as international members.
HOW BFI HELPS
BFI tracks which senior faculty are plausible candidates, keeps CV and 250-word statement material ready, and concentrates on cultivating the relationships with NAS economists at peer institutions who are the only people able to nominate.
Official source: nasonline.org/membership/nomination-election
American Philosophical Society
The oldest learned society in the United States, founded by Benjamin Franklin to promote useful knowledge, electing across the sciences, humanities, and public life.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Existing members, through the members-only portal
Application Deadline: Elected in the spring, announced between April and May
Scale: Usually fewer than 30 resident members a year
ABOUT THE SOCIETY
The APS has roughly 1,000 elected members, about 820 resident and 160 international, and has elected fewer than 5,900 people in its entire history. Membership is organized into five classes. Economists are elected in Class 3, the social sciences.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
New members are nominated by existing members and elected by the membership, with nominations handled inside the members-only portal. Nominating members work from the Society's internal forms. The APS is deliberately interdisciplinary, and its ballots are read by historians and biologists as well as social scientists.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
Nominations are gathered and voted by the membership over the year, with the new class announced each spring and inducted at the Society's semi-annual meetings in Philadelphia.
Official source: amphilsoc.org/elected-members
American Finance Association
The AFA's Society of Fellows recognizes members whose cumulative research has made a distinguished contribution to financial economics.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Nominating Committee, drawing on existing Fellows
Application Deadline: None; election before the January annual meeting
Scale: Up to two new Fellows a year
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
The AFA has more than 12,000 members and publishes the Journal of Finance. Its Society of Fellows was created by the Board in January 2000 to recognize distinguished contributions to the field. All past and future AFA presidents become Fellows automatically, on the reasoning that the presidency is itself awarded for contribution to finance.
WHO ENDORSES
Existing AFA Fellows. The Nominating Committee solicits names from them and the current Fellows elect. UChicago has twelve current Fellows.
ELIGIBILITY
Nominees must be AFA members in good standing. A lapsed membership should be reactivated before a name is put forward. Beyond that the criterion is cumulative research contribution, not service.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
There is no open submission. The Nominating Committee solicits names from the existing Fellows and the membership and assembles a slate of no more than five candidates. The current Fellows then elect, and the bylaws permit at most one new Fellow in a year. The immediate past president runs the election ahead of the January annual meeting. Committee members recuse themselves from voting on candidates at their own institution or on recent co-authors.
Official source: afajof.org/fellows
MacArthur Fellowship
An $800,000 no-strings award that is not a prize for past work but an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Invited, confidential nominators only
Award: $800,000, paid quarterly over five years
Scale: Typically 20 to 30 fellows, announced in the fall
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards fellowships to individuals rather than projects, across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and public life. There are no reporting requirements and no restrictions on how the money is used. Fellows learn of the award only when they are notified.
WHO ENDORSES
Program staff build a file for each nomination, drawing on the nominator's letter, independent research, expert evaluation letters, and samples of the nominee's work. A confidential selection committee of about twelve people from across the arts, sciences, and professions reviews the files over several stages and recommends a class to the Foundation's President and Board. The class is announced in late September or early October.
ELIGIBILITY
Exceptional creativity, demonstrated by a track record of significant achievement. Clear promise of important future advances. The Foundation states plainly that this is not a lifetime achievement award, and that it is looking for people on the verge of a discovery or a game-changing idea. Particular weight goes to candidates for whom the award would remove a real constraint on their most original work. Recipients must be US citizens or residents and may not hold elective office or senior government positions as defined by statute.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Foundation states that it is best for individuals to remain unaware that they have been nominated.
Official source: macfound.org/programs/awards/fellows/about
AEA Distinguished Fellow
The American Economic Association's recognition of the lifetime contributions of economists of high distinction in the United States and Canada.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: No external nomination channel
Application Deadline: Internal, closed deadline; decisions announced in April; fellows honored the following January
Scale: Up to four elected per calendar year
ABOUT THE AWARD
Past presidents of the AEA and Walker Medalists are Distinguished Fellows by virtue of those roles. Beyond them, no more than four additional economists may be elected in any calendar year, drawn from economists of high distinction in the United States and Canada. The award is explicitly for lifetime contribution.
HOW SELECTION WORKS
Distinguished Fellows are selected by the AEA Nominating Committee together with the voting members of the Executive Committee, sitting jointly as an electoral college. There is no public call for nominations and no packet an institution can submit. The electoral college deliberates in the spring. Recipients are announced with the AEA's other spring awards in April and honored at the annual meeting the following January, alongside the John Bates Clark Medal and the AEJ best paper awards. Each recipient receives a written citation describing their contributions to the field.
Official source: aeaweb.org/about-aea/honors-awards/distinguished-fellows
National Academy of Education
Election recognizes outstanding scholarship or leadership related to education, and members serve on the Academy's study panels.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Current Academy members only
Nomination Timing: Once a year; members announced annually
Scale: 300+ members, international associates, and emeriti
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The NAEd advances high-quality education research and its use in policy and practice. Members serve on expert study panels addressing pressing questions in education, and the Academy administers the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral and Dissertation Fellowship programs. Recent classes have run to roughly twenty new members.
RELEVANT RESEARCH TOPICS
Most relevant for faculty whose work sits in the economics of education: school effectiveness, teacher labor markets, human capital, education policy evaluation. Election is based on scholarship or leadership related to education, which widens the pool beyond people who publish exclusively in education journals.
TIMELINE AND SELECTION
The nomination window opens once annually and the elected class is announced annually (dates vary).
Official source: naeducation.org
International Association for Applied Econometrics
Fellows of the International Association for Applied Econometrics, elected annually by active IAAE Fellows.
KEY FACTS
Who Nominates: Active IAAE Fellows and IAAE members
Nomination Timing: Nominations are due by mid-September; election late September; announcement in October/November
Scale: No stated cap; threshold-based election (30% of votes cast)
ABOUT THE AWARD
Fellowship in the IAAE recognizes economists with a substantial record of publication in leading econometrics journals, or in top general economics and statistics journals where the work contains significant applied econometric content. Fellows are also expected to serve as models of professional conduct and work ethic for the broader research community.
HOW SELECTION WORKS
A Nominating Committee of three IAAE directors and one Fellow reviews nominations submitted by active Fellows and IAAE members and compiles the ballot. The full slate of active Fellows then votes; a nominee is elected if they receive at least 30% of votes cast. Elections follow an annual cycle: the Nominating Committee finalizes the ballot by mid-September, voting runs through the end of September, and new Fellows are announced in October or November.
Official source: https://www.appliedeconometrics.org/election-procedure
Infosys Prize
Gold medal, cash prize of $100,000, and citation given to a researcher who is 40 years old or younger for an achievement, invention, or innovation and promise of future research success and impact.
KEY FACTS
Awarded by: Infosys Science Foundation
Award: A gold medal, citation, and $100,000 cash prize
Who Nominates: By invitation only; invitations are emailed to selected members of the Foundation's nomination council
Nomination Deadline: TBA; Expected Spring 2027
Eligibility: 40 years or younger; person residing in India or of Indian origin living internationally whose work impacts India or humanity at large OR a person living internationally whose work impacts India
ABOUT THE PRIZE
The Infosys Science Foundation accepts international nominations. The prize is typically awarded annually to one winner in each of the six categories: Economics, Engineering & Computer Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Recipients of the prize who are non-residents of India must spend 30 days at a host institution. See the official source below for announcements of current age eligibility and submission dates.
WHO ENDORSES
The Foundation sends invitations to the Foundation's nomination council. Only those who receive an invitation to nominate can endorse the nominee.
ELIGIBILITY
The prize is awarded to early career researchers (40 years or younger). Additionally, researchers must meet one of two criteria: be a person residing in India, or of Indian origin living internationally whose work impacts India or humanity at large; OR a person living internationally whose work impacts India.
NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS
Nominations are by invitation only (self-nominations are prohibited). Endorsers provide a nomination package. Nominations are valid for three cumulative years.
Official source: https://www.infosysprize.org
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