Established in 2017, the APTA Societal Impact Award fosters the association’s outward-facing vision and highlights the impact of physical therapy in improving quality of life.

Eligibility Requirements

• Current APTA members in good standing at the time of nomination and selection.
• Ability to detail and record activity that spans a period of at least one year preceding the nomination for the award.
• Physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, and student members. The award may be presented to either an individual or a team.

Criteria for Selection

• Activities to address and positively impact societal welfare.
• Contributions through leadership, influence, service, or achievements and sustained efforts to improve the societal welfare over a period of at least one year preceding the nomination for the award.
• Philanthropic initiatives and advancement of physical therapy through activities of a high moral caliber and charitable nature.

A strong application should demonstrate the following:

Activities to address and positively impact societal welfare:

• Sustained and continuous contributions that positively impact societal welfare.
• Details and record of activities that span at least one year prior to the nomination submission.

Contributions through leadership, influence, service, or achievements and sustained efforts to improve the societal welfare over a period of at least one year preceding the nomination for the award:

• Leadership contributions of an exceptional value to the association and to the physical therapy profession.

Philanthropic initiatives and advancement of physical therapy through activities of a high moral caliber and charitable nature:

• Activities that are documented and/or implemented through at least two channels (e.g., publications, provision of services, programs).
• Activities that have yielded a longstanding, positive influence on the profession and impacted groups.

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

An award will be presented to the recipient by APTA's Board of Directors at an APTA national event, and an official announcement will appear in an association publication.

Submission Requirements

The following documents are required to accompany the nomination:

• A completed nomination form.
• A letter of nomination, not to exceed four pages in length, detailing how the nominee meets all three of the criteria listed above. Letters of nomination cannot serve as one of the required letters of support.
• Two letters of support, not to exceed two pages in length each, from individuals other than the author of the nomination letter, that detail how the nominee meets at least two of the award’s criteria as described above. (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 from 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 honorsandawards@apta.org.