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Application deadline for 2026 Undergraduate Award for Outstanding Contributions to Access, Opportunity, and Excellence in Psychology

Fri, February 13, 2026 at

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2025-2026 Undergraduate Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Contribution to Access, Opportunity, and Excellence in Psychology.

This award was created by the PSY Opportunity and Excellence Committee to award undergraduate psychology students for their contributions to the advancement of access, opportunity, and excellence.

The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, February 13th, 2026 at 5 PM. If you are interested in applying and need more time to prepare your application, please reach out; we may be able to accommodate late submissions.

Submissions may be made by undergraduate students who are currently enrolled at MSU and have declared psychology as a (primary, secondary, or additional) major. The award winner will be notified by March 13th, 2026. The award is $500 and a certificate is provided to the student. We will honor the recipient at the Joseph White Lecture that will be held on April 3rd, 2026. Additionally, the winner will have their name and award displayed on the Psychology website. Complete information on the award, application requirements, and application form can be found below and attached to this email.

 

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With this award, the Department of Psychology seeks to recognize the outstanding contributions to the advancement of Access, Opportunity, and Excellence in Psychology undertaken by students who are psychology majors. 

Award Focus  

This award is given to a current psychology major based on the nominee’s record of service, research, advocacy, and training/teaching that examines or advances Access, Opportunity, and/or Excellence (AOE). Although applicants’ overall contributions to AOE will be considered, reviewers will prioritize contributions that are focused on AOE within psychology, generally, and within the Department of Psychology at MSU, specifically. 

Eligibility:

Nominees, including self-nominees, must be currently enrolled undergraduate students at Michigan State University with a declared major in psychology. Students who have previously won this award are not eligible to apply.

How to submit:

Nomination materials (see instructions) must be submitted electronically via the Undergraduate AOE Award Google Form. The review of applications and selection of the recipient will be undertaken by the Opportunity and Excellence Committee's Award Subcommittee. Submissions will be evaluated on the impact of the applicants’ service, teaching, or research on access, opportunity, and excellence, with special emphasis given to impacts within psychology, generally, and within the Department of Psychology at MSU, specifically. 

The Award:

The award winner will be notified by March 13th, 2026 and will receive $500 and a certificate suitable for framing.  

 

Instructions:

Submit nomination materials through the Undergraduate AOE Award Google Form. These should include:

  1. A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vita (CV) or resumewhere contributions to access, opportunity, and excellence (AOE) have been highlighted. If you need support on creating a resume or CV, please reach out to MSU Career Services: (517) 355-9510 or CareerServices@csp.msu.edu.
    1. When possible, contributions that have been made within psychology, generally, and within the department of psychology at MSU, specifically, should be indicated.
    2. Students can also include a relevancy statement about how their work contributes to AOE and psychology if work is outside of the psychology department.
  2. A 1-2 page nomination letterfrom a faculty/supervisor or self-nomination letter (Note: You can self-nominate and do NOT need to have a nomination letter from from faculty/supervisor).
    1. Describes the manner in which a nominee (or self) meets eligibility criteria.
    2. Details the nominee’s record of service, research, advocacy, and training/teaching that examines or advances access, opportunity, and/or excellence.
      • Where possible, contributions that have been made within psychology, generally, and within the department of psychology at MSU, specifically, should be highlighted.
    3. Up to three supporting materials may be appended (e.g., published or in-press manuscripts, conference posters or abstracts, letters of support, teaching or service materials [e.g., tutoring, peer mentoring, club leadership] or media products [e.g., podcasts, blog posts, news articles, etc.]). If unsure about whether your supporting material is appropriate for this announcement, please direct questions to Emma Crumby (crumbyem@msu.edu).