Distinguished Career Award
Description
The Distinguished Career Award recognizes mid- and advanced-career professionals (10 or more years since earning their doctorate or entering their relevant professional career) who have made sustained and/or substantial contributions to the science of existential psychology.
The winner receives a one-time award of $1,000 and a commemorative plaque, and is invited to receive the award at our annual Existential Psychology Preconference at SPSP.
The winner is also invited to produce a brief article (1,500-3,000 words) to contextualize the work and illustrate how their contributions have advanced the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology.
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Eligibility
Nominees for the award:
Do not need to be a member of ISSEP at the time of submission and review of nominations.
Must be 10 or more years since earning their doctorate or entering their relevant professional career.
Must not have previously won this award.
How to Apply
Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. A nomination should include the following materials:
A cover letter (2-page max) describing A) how the candidate’s contributions have advanced the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology, and B) how the ISSEP Distinguished Career Contributions Award would both recognize this important leader in the field and help promote our field by drawing attention to some of the most important contributions to the science of existential psychology.
The nominee’s current CV.
To submit a nomination, send all three documents as email attachments to info@issep.org with the subject line “Nominating [name] for the Distinguished Career Contributions Award.”
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Past Recipients
2025
TBA
2024
Dan P. McAdams, Northwestern University.
2023
Ed Deci, University of Rochester.
Rich Ryan, Australian Catholic University.
2022
Jeff Greenberg, University of Arizona.
Tom Pyszczynski, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Sheldon Solomon, Skidmore College.
Contact
For inquiries and information, please contact info@issep.org.
Early Career Award
Description
The Early Career Award recognizes early-career professionals (earned their doctorate, or entered their relevant professional career, within the last 10 years) who have made sustained and/or substantial contributions to the science of existential psychology.
The winner receives a one-time award of $1,000 and a commemorative plaque, and is invited to receive the award at our annual Existential Psychology Preconference at SPSP.
The winner is also invited to produce a brief article (1,500-3,000 words) to contextualize the work and illustrate how their contributions have advanced the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology.
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Eligibility
Nominees for the award:
Do not need to be a member of ISSEP at the time of submission and review of nominations.
Must have earned their doctorate, or entered their relevant professional career, within the last 10 years.
Must not have previously won this award.
How to Apply
Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. A nomination should include the following materials:
A cover letter (2-page max) describing A) how the candidate’s contributions have advanced the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology, and B) how the ISSEP Early Career Contributions Award would both recognize this important leader in the field, encourage their further development and standing as a leader in the field of existential psychology, and help promote our field by drawing attention to some of the most important contributions to the science of existential psychology.
The nominee’s current CV.
To submit a nomination, send all three documents as email attachments to info@issep.org with the subject line “Nominating [name] for the Early Career Contributions Award.”
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Past Recipients
2025
TBA
2024
Samantha Heintzelman, Rutgers University
2023
Eranda Jayawickreme, Wake Forest University
2022
Daryl Van Tongeren, Hope College.
Contact
For inquiries and information, please contact info@issep.org.
Outstanding Student Award
Description
The Outstanding Student Award recognizes undergraduate or graduate students in their activities, engagement, and contributions to research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology.
The winner receives a one-time award of $500 and is invited to receive the award at our annual Existential Psychology Preconference at SPSP.
The winner is also invited to give an interview with ISSEP, to share about their interests, passions, and experiences contributing to the science of existential psychology.
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Eligibility
Nominees for the award:
Do not need to be a member of ISSEP at the time of submission and review of nominations.
Must not have previously won this award.
How to Apply
Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. A nomination should include the following materials:
A brief statement (up to 1 page) describing the student’s activities, engagement, and contributions. The statement should also explain how the Outstanding Student Award would encourage the student’s further development and interest in the field of existential psychology.
The nominee’s current CV.
To submit a nomination, send the abovementioned documents as email attachments to info@issep.org with the subject line “Nominating [name] for Outstanding Student Award.”
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Past Recipients
2025
TBD
2024
Megan Edwards, University of Missouri.
2023
Dylan Horner, University of Arizona.
2022
Jonah Li, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Contact
For inquiries and information, please contact info@issep.org.
Best Paper Award
Description
The Best Paper Award recognizes excellence in papers published in the previous calendar year which advance the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology.
The foremost author of the winning papers receive a one-time award of $500 and is invited to receive the award at our annual Existential Psychology Preconference at SPSP.
The winners are also invited to produce a brief article (1,500-3,000 words) to contextualize the work and illustrate how the paper advanced the research, communication, and/or application of the science of existential psychology.
The deadline to nominate is November 15th each year.
Each annual cycle, four “Best Paper” prizes will be awarded—one in each of the following four categories:
ISSEP General Existential Psychology Best Paper Award. ISSEP’s General category recognizes research advances in the science of existential psychology, generally. These papers may apply the science of existential psychology to any aspect of “being” and “becoming,” including such key existential concerns as: freedom, authenticity, and moral responsibility; awareness of mortality; culture, self, and identity; isolation, uncertainty, and shared reality; the quest for meaning and purpose in life; etc. These papers may study any cultural context, may be conducted by researchers located in any nation/region, and do not need to be interdisciplinary
ISSEP Cross-Cultural Existential Psychology Best Paper Award. It has become clear that the field of psychological science has been over-representing the cultures of Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) nations in its theory and research, despite the fact that most people in the world are not WEIRD (Henrich et al., 2010; Rad et al., 2018). This is almost certainly the case in the science of existential psychology as well. Thus, ISSEP’s Cross-Cultural category recognizes papers that adopt a cross-cultural theoretical and methodological approach to the science of existential psychology, such as including samples of participants in non-WEIRD cultural contexts.
ISSEP International Existential Psychology Best Paper Award. The most prominent journals in psychological science have published work almost exclusively (70%+) by researchers based in North America and about population samples in North America, despite that regional context representing less than 5% of the world’s population (Arnett, 2008; Thalmayer et al., 2021). This is almost certainly the case in the science of existential psychology as well. Thus, ISSEP’s International category recognizes papers led by research teams based at institutions outside of North America.
ISSEP Interdisciplinary Existential Psychology Best Paper Award. Interdisciplinary engagement is sure to enrich the field’s ideas and methodological approaches. Thus, ISSEP’s Interdisciplinary category recognizes papers that blend the theory and methods of existential psychology with those of other disciplines, e.g., developmental psychology, cognitive and affective science, sociology, anthropology, cultural evolution, history, political science, communications, economics, business studies, sports and athletics, religious studies, and philosophy, among others.
Eligibility
The designated foremost author:
Does not need to be a member of ISSEP at the time of submission and review of nominations.
Must not have previously won this award.
The paper:
Must be published in the current or previous calendar year. For example, if it is currently 2024 you may nominate any paper that was published during the 2024 or 2023 calendar year.
Papers that are accepted but still “in press” are not eligible.
If the nominated piece does not include an abstract, a 150 word abstract must also be submitted.
How to Apply
Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. A nomination should include the following materials:
A PDF of the nominated paper.
A brief nomination statement (up to 1 page) describing how the paper represents excellence in one or more of our four “Best Paper” award categories (general, cross-cultural, international, interdisciplinary).
To submit a nomination, send the abovementioned documents as email attachments to info@issep.org with the subject line “Nomination for Best Paper Award.”
Deadline to nominate is November 15th.
Past Recipients
2025
TBA
2024
Mengdi Huang & Fan Yang, University of Chicago.
Huang, M., & Yang, F. (2023). Self-transcendence or self-enhancement: People’s perceptions of meaning and happiness in relation to the self. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 152, 590-610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001297
2023
Ed O’Brien, University of Chicago.
O’Brien, E. (2021). A mind stretched: The psychology of repeat consumption. Consumer Psychology Review, 4, 42-58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/arcp.1062
2022
Joshua D. Perlin, University of Florida.
Perlin, J. D., & Li, L. (2020). Why does awe have prosocial effects? New perspectives on awe and the small self. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15, 291-308. DOI: 10.1177/1745691619886006
Contact
For inquiries and information, please contact info@issep.org.