CALL FOR AWARDS (2026)
Nomination letters will be considered based on their alignment with the award criteria.
A brief biography of the nominee is not sufficient.
AEC Awards
Joan McCord Award
The Joan McCord Award recognizes a scholar who has made distinguished experimental contributions to criminology and criminal justice over the course of their career. Award recipients must have conducted significant experimental research that is in the tradition of Joan McCord and has important implications for policy and practice.
Award Criteria
- The nominee should have an established record of scholarly activity that has advanced the field of criminology and criminal justice using experimental methods.
- Must have consistently engaged in high-quality experimental criminological research.
- The nomination must demonstrate a tradition of experimental rigor, impact of the scholarship for practice, and the impact of the nominees work on the broader field of criminology.
- Self-nominations are NOT allowed.
Application Requirements
- CV of the nominee.
- A nomination letter no longer than two pages describing the contributions of the nominee to experimental criminology, the methodological rigor of their body of work, and the impact of their contributions for the field of criminology and policymakers.
Award decisions will be based on the strength of the qualifications and not on the number of nomination endorsements received for any particular candidate. Please have all nomination materials submitted to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.
Outstanding Early Career Experimental Criminologist Award
The Outstanding Early Career Experimental Criminologist Award recognizes exceptional early career scholarship. The nominee must be early in their career (up to 5 years removed from their doctoral program) and have a strong track record of performing high-quality experimental criminological research. Peer-reviewed publication record and/or grantsmanship work may be considered.
Award Criteria
- The researcher must be early in their career, having graduated from their doctoral program within the past 5 years.
- Must have consistently engaged in high-quality experimental criminological research.
- Nominations must detail the scholar’s consistent use of experimental methodologies, the early impact on the field of criminology and policy, and highlight the future the scholar has within the field.
- Self-nominations are NOT allowed.
Application Requirements
- CV of the nominee.
- A nomination letter no longer than two pages highlighting how the scholar has met the criteria outlined above, supported by two nominators.
Award decisions will be based on the strength of the qualifications and not on the number of nomination endorsements received for any particular candidate. Please have all nomination materials submitted to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.
DEC Awards
Jerry Lee Lifetime Achievement Award
The Jerry Lee Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to a scholar who has demonstrated a lifetime of achievement in the field of experimental methods. This award is dedicated to a scholar’s body of research and accomplishments throughout their career. Nominations should demonstrate a lifetime commitment to high quality scholarly activity and the production of exceptional contributions to the field of criminology.
Award Criteria
- The nominee should have a record of scholarly activity to include peer reviewed journal articles, books, final reports and executive summaries, and/or a record of grant/research project activity that has resulted in the generation of knowledge that has influenced the field of criminology and experimental/quasi-experimental methods.
- The nominee should have a record of working with practitioners and policymakers. The application must be able to demonstrate the nominee’s influence on the field in both scholarly achievements and policy and practice.
- The nominee should also have an exceptional record of mentoring younger scholars who have gone on to become influential in the field.
- Self-nominations are NOT allowed.
Application Requirements
- CV of the nominee.
- A nomination letter no longer than two pages addressing each of the award criteria noted above.
Award decisions will be based on the strength of the qualifications and not on the number of nomination endorsements received for any particular candidate. Please have all nomination materials submitted to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.
Award for Outstanding Experimental Field Trial
The Outstanding Experimental Field Trial award is given to a researcher, or team of researchers, in recognition of a rigorous and impactful experimental field trial. The field trial must demonstrate a rigorous experimental methodology implemented in partnership with criminal justice practitioners. A peer-reviewed publication derived from the field trial must be under review, accepted, or completed by the time of the nomination.
Award Criteria
- The results of the field trial must have been accepted/published in 2024 or 2025 to be considered for the 2025 award.
- The nomination must demonstrate experimental rigor, impact of the field trial for practice, and the impact of the results in the broader field of criminology.
- Self-nominations are allowed.
Application Requirements
- CV(s) of the researcher(s).
- A nomination letter no longer than one page describing the methodological rigor, impact for practitioners, and across the field of criminology.
- A copy of the publication.
Award decisions will be based on the strength of the qualifications and not on the number of nomination endorsements received for any particular candidate. Please have all nomination materials submitted to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.
Student Paper Award
The Student Paper Award is given for a single outstanding paper utilizing experimental methods to analyze criminology/criminal justice related topics/issues. The paper must be written by a graduate student enrolled in an internationally recognized Ph.D. program. It is required that the paper has been published or accepted for publication in an academic journal.
Award Criteria
- The nominee must be enrolled in a recognized Ph.D. program at the time of manuscript submission.
- The manuscript must have been accepted/published in 2024 or 2025 to be considered for the 2025 award.
- Co-authored papers may be submitted; however, the nominee must be the first author and must have contributed substantially to the paper. If the paper has multiple authors, co-authors may nominate the first author.
- The nomination letter must demonstrate the contribution of the paper to the field of experimental criminology.
Application Requirements
- A copy of the paper.
- CV of the nominee.
- A nomination letter no longer than one page addressing each of the award criteria noted above. The letter should indicate whether the paper has been published or whether it has been accepted for publication. Evidence of acceptance for publication should be included if the paper has not yet been published.
- If the paper is co-authored, the nomination letter must discuss each author’s contribution to the work.
Award decisions will be based on the strength of the qualifications and not on the number of nomination endorsements received for any particular candidate. Please have all nomination materials submitted to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.
AEC Fellows
The AEC is currently accepting nominations for AEC Fellows and Honorary Fellows!
Fellows are those who have successfully led randomized, controlled, field experiments in criminology. The award can be given to recognize efforts for a specific randomized controlled trial or a group of experiments leading to significant policy outcomes.
Honorary Fellows are those whose work has made substantial contributions to the advancement of experimental criminology, without actually conducting randomized field experiments.
Please submit your nominations for either fellow category to Kyle McLean at kdmclea@clemson.edu by 08/01/2026.