Apply for APLU’s 2026 Institutional Awards

The application process for APLU’s 2026 institutional awards is open with deadlines to apply fast approaching for some awards. APLU members are urged to strongly consider having your institution apply for an award in community engagement, innovation and economic prosperity, comprehensive internationalization, public impact research, and student success.

Winners will be prominently announced during the APLU Annual Meeting in November where they will also be able to present their strategies for success to other public and land-grant university leaders.

Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) Awards
APLU member institutions that have earned APLU’s IEP Designation qualify for the IEP Awards competition as world-class leaders in economic engagement. The awards promote universities’ significant contributions and achievements in developing innovation and entrepreneurship, talent, and place in their region, and in building connections across these types of contributions.
***Application Deadline: April 30, 2026***

International Impact Award
The APLU International Impact Award recognizes innovative and impactful global engagement efforts at a member institution. The institutional impact of these efforts can be shown through local/global community engagement, global teaching and learning, and/or research.
***Application Deadline: July 8, 2026***

Public Impact Research
The APLU Public Impact Research (PIR) Award recognizes an APLU member that has implemented one or more impactful PIR efforts that have produced exceptional outcomes. PIR is a broad term used to describe how university research improves lives and serves society at the local, regional, national, and global levels. Criteria for the award include a connection to public need, leveraged resources, evidence of impact, and sustainability.
***Application Deadline: June 26, 2026***

Excellence in Student Success Award
The Excellence in Student Success Award recognizes institutions demonstrating a comprehensive, systemic commitment to advancing student success. Through sustainable and innovative initiatives, these institutions enhance degree completion, improve outcomes, and reduce barriers to educational attainment.
***Deadline: July 3, 2026***

Peter McPherson Lifetime Award
The Peter McPherson Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual whose career has been dedicated to the service and leadership of public and land-grant universities. Candidates should have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in advancing the mission of public and land-grant universities, including student success; research and discovery; and community and economic engagement. Please note that nominees for this individual award must be a former, not active, president or chancellor of an APLU member institution.

C. Peter Magrath & W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Awards
The APLU C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award provides national recognition for the outstanding community-university engagement work of public and land-grant universities. The Magrath Award winner receives a $20,000 grand prize and is chosen from four finalists that are regional Kellogg Award recipients selected in partnership with the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC). Both the Magrath and Kellogg Awards recognize universities that have enhanced their learning, discovery, and engagement missions by becoming more integrated with their communities.
***Application for 2026 Community Engagement Awards Now Closed***