AP-LS Awards, Grants and Funding

The following awards and grants are sponsored by Div. 41.

AP-LS Grants in Aid for Early Career Professionals: The purpose of this award is to support AP-LS members who are ECPs in conducting research related to psychology and law.  It is the committee’s desire that these awards are not limited only to members who are psychologists, but instead open to AP-LS members from all backgrounds who want to conduct research related to psychology-law issues.   

AP-LS Grants in Aid for Graduate Students: The Div. 41 Grants-in-Aid Committee considers proposals for small grants (maximum of $1000) to support empirical graduate research that addresses psycholegal issues. This award is limited to graduate students who are student affiliate members of AP-LS. Award submissions are reviewed and awarded in the Fall (deadline Sept. 30) and Spring (deadline Jan. 31) of each academic year.

The Grants in Aid for Graduate Students MacArthur Award: An extension of the Grants in Aid for Graduate Students outlined above, this award offers additional funding (maximum of $2000) from the MacArthur Foundation to fund promising research in the area of criminal competence. MacArthur Award applications should follow the same submission instructions and timeline provided for the general Grants in Aid applications above.

The Diversity in Psychology and Law Research Awards support undergraduate and graduate research on issues related to psychology, law, multiculturalism and/or diversity (i.e., research pertaining to psycholegal issues on race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, etc.).

The goal of the Access Path to Psychology and Law Experience (APPLE) program is to increase diversity within psychology and law by increasing the pipeline of competitive graduate school applicants from groups that currently are underrepresented in the field, including racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, LGBT individuals and physically disabled students.  APPLE is designed to encourage faculty members to recruit students from underrepresented groups into their research labs.  

Through the Interdisciplinary Research Grant AP-LS offers seed money to facilitate interdisciplinary research projects. Up to two applications will be funded, each up to $5000. We have in mind projects that would bridge the gap between the discipline of psychology and law (taken together) and other academic disciplines (e.g., medicine, neuroscience, sociology, political science, economics, public policy).

As part of an initiative to increase diversity within AP-LS, the Minority Affairs Committee will provide Diversity Travel Awards to students from underrepresented groups who are presenting research at the American Psychology-Law Society Conference.

The AP-LS Award for Best Undergraduate Paper is awarded to an outstanding undergraduate research paper that is focused on the interdisciplinary study of psychology and law. To be eligible for an award, the student must be the major contributor to a project on a topic relevant to psychology and law (i.e., the student had primary responsibility for initiating and conducting the project even though the project will usually be conducted under the supervision of a mentor).  Data collection should be complete.  The annual submission deadline is June 30.

The American Psychology-Law Society confers Dissertation Awards for scientific research and scholarship that is relevant to the promotion of the interdisciplinary study of psychology and law. Students who complete dissertations involving basic or applied research in psychology and law, including its application to public policy, are encouraged to apply for these awards. Only students who have completed their dissertations in the current calendar year are eligible to apply. First-, second- and third-place awards are conferred, and winners will be invited to present their research at the AP-LS Annual Conference. The annual submission deadline is Dec. 31.

The Saleem Shah Award is co-sponsored by the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology.  The award is for early career excellence and contributions to the field of psychology and law.  The focus on the nominee’s contributions may be in any area of forensic practice, research, or public policy. The annual nomination deadline is Dec. 1.

The American Psychology-Law Society confers an award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring in the Field of Psychology and Law to recognize teaching excellence in a variety of contexts. The annual nomination deadline is Dec. 1.

The AP-LS Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology and Law honors one who has made distinguished theoretical, empirical and/or applied contributions to the field of psychology and law.  This Award will not be presented on a regular basis.  Rather, it will be reserved for those individuals whose contributions are so unusual as to merit special commendation. The annual nomination deadline is ongoing.

The American Psychology-Law Society Book Award is given for a scholarly book devoted to psychology and law issues.  The award is intended to recognize outstanding scholarship in psychology and law.  The annual nomination deadline is Sept. 15.

The AP-LS/AACP Award for Contributions to Correctional Psychology is given jointly by the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Association for Correctional Psychology to recognize professionals who have made significant contributions to correctional psychology. The annual nomination deadline is July 15.

As further explained on the APA's website, fellow status is an honor bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology. AP-LS/Div. 41 is seeking nominations (including self-nominations) for fellow status. The annual deadline for consideration of nomination by AP-LS is Dec. 15.