ASAE’s Power of Associations Awards recognize association programs, activities and initiatives that advance America and the world. These programs may be local, statewide, national or international in scope, and the judges will want to read about and understand how the program moved  the association beyond its “everyday” best practices to truly benefit society.

There are five Power of Associations award categories in which programs can win a Gold Award or Silver Award. Judges are not required to select a specific number of winners from each category. The Gold Award winners will automatically enter the judging pool for an ASAE Summit Award; six Summit Awards are given each year. The category descriptions can be found here. View the application guide. The overarching criteria on which winning entries are selected are:

Reach of Project or Program
Award-winning entries offer original or effective solutions to today’s societal or business problems.  Such programs often involve the association’s members and/or volunteers and have a broad impact on an industry, profession or affected community.  These programs may be local, national, or international in scope.

Embodying the Power of Associations
Award-winning entries demonstrate how the initiative embodies The Power of Associations by leveraging their available resources to address an identified need. Programs will tell the story of how associations were able to go above and beyond their everyday, core mission to achieve extraordinary, measurable results.

Objectives and Outcomes
Award-winning entries share measurable outcomes along with how those outcomes were met. Results should be as tangible as possible. They could demonstrate how the program or project, for example, illustrates an association’s vision for success, elevates the profession’s or industry’s image, protects the interests of members, can be an easily replicated model for other organizations and/or showcases the important work of associations. It is especially important to demonstrate objectives and outcomes in an application. If your program does not yet have tangible objectives and outcomes, consider whether it is time to submit for a Summit Award.