Eligibility Requirements

Nominees for this award must be:

• Physical therapist students or physical therapist assistant students who are current members in good standing of the association and by the start of the annual Honors and Awards nomination process are enrolled in the final year of study in a CAPTE-accredited PT or mPTA program (or for PTA programs with a part-time curriculum, the final year of the curriculum), based on each institution's determination of the minimum number of credit hours required for final year status, and are within 12 months of completing all requirements for graduation from the program in which they are enrolled
• Nominated by a PT or PTA program accredited by CAPTE. Students are not eligible to nominate themselves.
• The only nominee from the PT or PTA program in which they are enrolled. Only one physical therapist student and one physical therapist assistant student may be nominated from each academic institution.

Criteria for Selection

Nominees for this award must demonstrate:

• Superior scholastic performance.
• Past productivity.
• Evidence of potential contribution to physical therapy.
• Service to the American Physical Therapy Association.

A strong application should demonstrate the following:

Academic honors, awards, scholarships, and honorary societies.

• Healthcare related.
• Non-healthcare related.
• School related.

Extracurricular activities (include leadership positions, offices held, and participation on committees.

• Healthcare related.
• Non-healthcare related.
• School related.
• APTA member activities.
• Meetings attended
• Component level.
• National level.
• Other.

Evidence of potential contributions to the physical therapy profession.

• Publications.
• Presentations.
• Research.
• Other.

Employment experience.

• While enrolled in PT/PTA school
• Relevant experience prior to PT/PTA school

Letters of support that are positive, cite specific examples of professional accomplishments, and provide additional information on depth, scope, and quality in a convincing manner.

What Recipients Receive

A monetary award will be granted to each physical therapist professional education student recipient and to each physical therapist assistant education student recipient.

Student recipients will receive an award presented by APTA's Board of Directors at an APTA national event with monetary awards mailed directly to recipients. An official announcement will appear in an association publication.

Submission Requirements

Nominees for the award will be selected by the faculty and the student body of the program in which the nominee is enrolled.

During the online process, the following documents will be required for upload (note these forms will be available when the application process opens):

• Completed student application form.  
• Current enrollment verification form.  
• Student essay as explained in the application form.
• Two letters in support of the nomination, one from a representative of the student body and one from a representative of the faculty, that specifically focus on a nominee's worthiness for this award, not to exceed two pages each (Note: If more than two letters of support are received, only the first two will be considered. The nominator will be asked to remove additional letters.).

Submit a Nomination

The nominations call for the Honors and Awards program is open Sept. 1- Dec. 1. Nominations must be submitted through our online portal by Dec. 1; late submissions will not be considered. Selected recipients and their nominators will be notified in May.

Additional Resources

For questions regarding the nomination process or the award, please contact APTA Honors and Awards.