A. Thomas Kirsch Award for Southeast Asia Studies

The A. Thomas Kirsch Award for Southeast Asia Studies is an annual award established in memory of A. Thomas Kirsch, a pioneer in Thai studies and cherished professor of anthropology at Cornell University, to support graduate student members of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) engaged in the study of Southeast Asia.

AAA Leadership Fellows

Awarded annually and established to provide a unique opportunity for anthropologists early in their careers to learn about AAA and leadership opportunities and to encourage future leadership in the association. A $500 travel subsidy will be provided to attend the Annual Meeting.

Ina Rosenthal-Urey Mentorship Award

Established by a gift from Elizabeth Briody and Marc Robinson, this award pairs undergraduate anthropology majors with mentors from both academia and practice, who will support them in learning about their educational and career options after graduation. Mentees also receive a $500 award and complimentary AAA membership.

Carole H. Browner Latin American Studies Fellowship Fund for Travel (LASFFT)

This award, made possible by a gift from Carole H. Browner, establishes a restricted need-based fund to be used solely for the purpose of supporting the travel for graduate and undergraduate students from Mexico, Central, and South America to the American Anthropological Association (AAA) annual meeting.

David M. Schneider Award

Throughout his life, David Schneider's work on kinship, culture theory and American culture was provocative and iconoclastic. This prize will be given annually in recognition of work that treats one or more of these topics in a fresh and innovative fashion.

Dissertation Fellowship for Historically Underrepresented Persons in Anthropology (formerly the Minority Dissertation Award)

The AAA invites minority doctoral candidates in anthropology to apply for a dissertation writing fellowship of $10,000 awarded annually.

Palestine-Israel Fellowship Fund for Travel (PIFFT)

PIFFT is designed to support Palestinian scholars. It may also support those dissenting Israeli scholars whose academic freedom is limited.

AAA Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Anthropology

This annual award was established in 1997 to recognize teachers who have contributed to and encouraged the study of anthropology. This award is made possible by a gift from Carole H. Browner.

Alfred Vincent Kidder Award for Eminence in the Field of American Archaeology

Established in 1950, this award is given biennially to an outstanding archaeologist specializing in the archaeology of the Americas.

Anthropology in Media Award (AIME)

This award given annually was established in 1987 to recognize the successful communication of anthropology to the general public through the media.

E. Ohnuki-Tierney Book Award for Historical Anthropology

To be considered for this biennial award, a book should be an outstanding example of scholarship that focuses on “culture as historical processes.”

Submissions will open Spring of 2026

Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology

This award is presented annually by the AAA to its members whose careers demonstrate extraordinary achievement that have well served the anthropological profession.

Gender Equity Award

This award recognizes individuals whose service to the discipline brings to light and investigates practices in anthropology that are potentially sexist and discriminatory based on gender presentation.

Thanks to the generosity of a few long-time supporters, starting in 2022, there will be a $1,000 cash prize awarded to the recipient(s). If there are multiple award recipients, they will split the cash prize.

Setha M. Low Engaged Anthropology Award

This award honors individual anthropologists (or multi-disciplinary groups or organizations with at least one anthropologist) or projects which have demonstrated a deep commitment to social justice and community engagement by applying anthropology to effectively address a pressing issue facing people and the planet.

This award is made possible by a gift from AAA Past President Setha M. Low.

SfAA/AAA Margaret Mead Award

This $1,000 award is presented annually to a younger scholar for a particular accomplishment such as a book, film, monograph, or service, which interprets anthropological data and principles in ways that make them meaningful and accessible to a broadly concerned public.

Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology

This biennial award was established to honor exemplary anthropologists for outstanding recent achievements that have contributed to the development of anthropology as an applied science and have had important impacts on public policy.