The Francis C. Sumner Excellence Award
Nomination Deadline: March 10, 2026
This award is named in honor of Dr. Sumner, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in psychology in 1920. Commonly referred to as the “Father of Black Psychology,” he is recognized as an American leader in educational reform. The award is intended to acknowledge and promote excellence in research, clinical work, teaching, or service by an ABCT member who is a doctoral student or early career professional who identifies as Black or Indigenous.
The award is given to recognize that Black and Indigenous practitioners and scholars are underrepresented in clinical psychology, despite making important contributions to our field. Given on an annual basis, it is awarded in even years to a graduate student and in odd years to an early career professional within the first 10 years of terminal degree (PhD/PsyD/EdD/ScD/MD).
Candidate must be a current member of ABCT at the time of the awards ceremony and priority will be given to students and professional members of ABCT at the time of the nomination. The recipient will receive $1,000 and a certificate.
Submissions should include:
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae (CV)
- A statement describing the contribution and the qualities of excellence the person has demonstrated (maximum 2 pages)
- A letter supporting the nomination (maximum 2 pages).
- If the contribution is based on a specific scholarly article, that article may be included in the submission packet. If the contribution is based on teaching or other service, supplementary materials (e.g., teaching evaluations) may be submitted.
Please use the nomination form and e-mail nomination materials as one pdf document to [email protected] with “Francis C. Sumner Award” in the subject line.