AAS27 – American Association of Suicidology

Since 1971, the American Association of Suicidology has recognized individuals and organizations whose work has empowered communities, inspired hope, and prevented suicide. AAS is now accepting nominations for its 2027 Annual Awards and Citizen Scientist Awards, honoring excellence across research, service, advocacy, and civic engagement in the field of suicide prevention.

AAS Annual Awards

The AAS Annual Awards will be presented at the 60th Annual Conference (AAS27), April 11-15, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas (Dallas, TX). AAS Annual Award recipients will receive a recognition award, complimentary conference registration (excluding pre-conference workshops), and one complimentary hotel night at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Additionally, recipients of the Louis I. Dublin Award and the Edwin S. Shneidman Award will be invited to present at AAS27.

AAS Annual Award Nominations close: November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
Citizen Scientist Award Nominations close: October 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Research

Louis I. Dublin Award: A lifetime achievement award recognizing exceptional leadership, devotion, and creativity in advancing suicide prevention.
Edwin S. Shneidman Award: Honors an individual under forty, or within ten years of their highest degree, who has made significant contributions to suicidology research.
Morton M. Silverman Student Award: Recognizes a full-time student or trainee who has authored a paper directly related to suicidology and demonstrated academic excellence.

Service

Roger J. Tierney Service Award: Honors distinguished service advancing the mission, principles, and growth of AAS, or applied contributions to suicidology and crisis intervention.
Transforming Lived Experience Award: Recognizes an individual who has survived their own suicidal experiences and transformed that experience into impactful prevention, intervention, advocacy, or recovery work.
Loss Survivor Award: Acknowledges a suicide loss survivor who has transformed personal loss into meaningful prevention, intervention, or postvention advocacy.

Suicide Prevention and Crisis Response Practice

Crisis Provider Excellence Award*: Recognizes excellence by an accredited crisis call center for outstanding service in phone and/or chat/text suicide and crisis response.
Crisis Innovation Award: Recognizes a nonprofit entity, program, training, or event that has made significant contributions to the professionalization of crisis services in alignment with the national vision for a comprehensive crisis continuum.
Suicide Prevention Program Award*: Recognizes an accredited suicide prevention helpline, warmline, or chat/text service provider for excellence in service delivery.
Mobile Crisis Response Excellence Award*: Recognizes an accredited mobile/community response team that works in partnership with services across the crisis continuum to provide access to needed resources.

*Nominees must be accredited by the American Association of Suicidology.

Citizen Scientist Awards

The Citizen Scientist Awards recognize individuals who combine research excellence with civic engagement, extending their impact beyond formal academic or professional responsibilities. Activities performed solely as coursework or professional assignments do not meet the criteria.

Student Award: For a graduate student who demonstrates a dual commitment to research productivity and civic engagement, evaluated across their full graduate career. Includes a $250 award and recognition on suicidology.org, in an AAS newsletter, and in a national press release.
Professional Award: For a professional who has demonstrated exceptional mentorship, fostering research excellence and civic mindedness in students over the past five years. Includes the same award and recognition.

How to Nominate

For Research, Service, and Suicide Prevention and Crisis Response Practice awards, review the eligibility criteria for the relevant category, complete the electronic nomination form with the nominee’s name, phone number, and email address, and submit a brief narrative outlining their qualifications and contributions. Citizen Scientist nominations require a letter of recommendation instead.

Eligibility requirements vary by award category. Nominations are not restricted by location; however, award recipients are expected to attend the annual conference (travel and related expenses are not reimbursed). Current AAS Board Members are not eligible to receive awards during their tenure. Award recipients will be notified by email and must confirm their attendance at AAS27 by January 15, 2027.

Deadlines

AAS Annual Award nominations close November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
Citizen Scientist Award nominations close October 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Questions can be directed to Robert Coffey, Senior Programs Manager, at rcoffey@suicidology.org.

Learn More Submit a Nomination

The American Association of Suicidology’s annual conference returns April 11-15, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Session proposals are now open for the following:

Pre-Conference: Monday, April 12 (4-hour sessions; 4 CE credits)
Conference: Tuesday–Thursday, April 13–15
HASLS: Thursday, April 15 (12:00 PM–5:00 PM CDT)

Submission Period Opens: Friday, August 7, 2026
Submission Period Closes: Friday, October 30, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
Submission Period for Poster Presentations Closes: Monday, February 1, 2027 (5:00 PM EST)

No submissions will be accepted after the submission deadline. If a proposal is accepted, the presenter(s) must register to attend the Annual Conference no later than January 25, 2027, or February 15, 2027, for Poster Presentations.

Submission Requirements

Abstracts must identify one of the following formats, with all submissions due by October 30, 2026 (11:59 PM EST).

Pre-Conference: A specialized four-hour educational session that provides participants with practical skills and knowledge in a specific area of suicide prevention or crisis intervention, allowing them to earn a certification or advance their professional development. Due to limited availability, AAS may request additional information about the submission prior to acceptance.
Paper Presentation: A 30-minute detailed overview of recent research, including the approach and findings, with audience Q&A. Two papers with similar subject matter will be scheduled within the same hour. Papers must be submitted by topic cluster. Papers may be assigned as a Poster Presentation instead, at the program committee’s discretion.
Workshop: A 60-minute breakout session that shares research findings, demonstrates innovation, shares best practices, or effective programming grounded in empirical findings, or lessons learned. Workshops must be instructional and interactive, with time for questions and discussion. Sessions may have up to four presenters.
Poster Presentation: A display of original research findings, presented during a 60-minute poster session reception. Presenters are responsible for preparing and presenting their poster, which should include the project’s essential contents (abstract, short narrative, enlarged pictures or graphics, brief discussion). Select the topic cluster that aligns most with your session topic.

Population Cluster(s)

Abstracts should identify a population cluster.

The American Association of Suicidology aims to be inclusive and welcoming to all audiences. We recognize that impactful approaches are unique to the communities they represent. Therefore, depending on the selected abstracts, clusters will be combined to create conference tracks:

Advancing SAMHSA’s Crisis Continuum: 988/Crisis Call Centers, Mobile Crisis and Walk-in Centers
Children (ages 12 and under)
Clinical Suicidology Practice
College and University Suicide Prevention
Community-wide Approaches
Excellence in Suicide Prevention Community Services (e.g., helplines/warmlines, peer support models, and alternative responders)
Faith-based Innovations
First Responders: Police/Fire/EMS
Healing After Suicide Loss
Indigenous Communities (e.g., First Nations, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities)
Industry-specific Approaches (e.g., construction, nursing, farming)
Middle/High School Youth
Military-connected Individuals
Public Health Intervention, Program, or Policy Innovation
Secondary and Higher Education

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