ACM-AAAI Allen Newell Award

Allen Newell, one of the founders of artificial intelligence and the first president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), was a preeminent computer scientist – an A. M. Turing Award laureate who was also honored with the National Medal of Science – with a driving desire to understand the nature of the human mind.  He is best known for his landmark cross-disciplinary work in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and cognitive psychology, but he also made major foundational contributions in other areas of computer science, such as computer architecture and human-computer interaction.  In memory of his contributions, the ACM – AAAI Allen Newell Award is presented to an individual selected for career contributions that have breadth within computer science, or that bridge computer science and other disciplines.  Artificial intelligence will often be the linchpin of such contributions, but it need not be in general, as nominations centered on other areas of computer science are also welcome when they combine significant breadth and bridging with a high level of impact.  The award is presented each June at the ACM Awards Banquet and is accompanied by a prize of $10,000 plus travel expenses to the banquet.  Financial support for the award is provided by ACM, AAAI, and individual contributors.

Next Deadline

December 15, 2025 - End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (EoD, AoE, UTC -12 hrs.)

Selection Criteria

The ACM – AAAI Allen Newell award recognizes career contributions that have breadth within computer science – that is, contributions across multiple distinct sub-disciplines – or that bridge computer science and other disciplines.  Key factors in evaluating nominations thus include both the quality of the contributions and their breadth across computer science – with contributions to artificial intelligence being of particular note – plus the significance of the bridges created to other disciplines.

Submissions

Nominations for the ACM – AAAI Allen Newell Award should be submitted using the online nomination form.  Guidelines for nominators and endorsers can be found here.   Each nomination involves several components:

• Name, affiliation, and email address of nominator (person making the nomination), and his/her relationship to the candidate.  The most appropriate person to submit a nomination would be a recognized member of the community who is not from the same organization as the candidate and who can address the candidate’s impact on the broader community.
• Name, address, and email address of the candidate (person being nominated).  It is ACM’s policy not to tell candidates who has nominated or endorsed them.
• Copy of the candidate’s CV, listing publications, patents, honors, service contributions, etc.
• Nominators will be required to indicate whether they are aware of any actions committed by the candidate that violates ACM's Code of Ethics or Core Values.
• Suggested citation if the candidate is selected.  This should be a concise statement (maximum of 25 words) describing the key technical or professional accomplishment for which the candidate merits this award.  Note that the final wording for awardees will be at the discretion of the Award Committee.
• Nomination statement (200-500 words in length) addressing why the candidate should receive this award. For each domain, explain the significance and impact of up to 3 contributions and list awards or other independent signs of recognition of the work in that domain. Also explain the significance of any bridges the candidate created among the domains.
• Supporting letters from at least 3, and not more than 5, endorsers. Endorsers should be chosen to represent a range of perspectives and institutions and provide additional insights or evidence of the candidate’s impact. Each letter must include the name, address, and telephone number of the endorser, and should focus on the accomplishments which that endorser can attest to and place in context. The nominator should collect the letters and bundle them for submission. Please Note: Nominators will need to provide a valid email for each endorser. Endorsers will receive an email from [email protected] containing a secure link to the Code of Ethics attestation form, and will be required to indicate whether they are aware of any actions committed by the candidate that violates ACM's Code of Ethics or Core Values.

For questions on the above, please contact us at [email protected], or Jade Morris, ACM Awards Committee Liaison.  ACM's conflict-of-interest guidelines apply to all award nominations.