Call for Awardees

Deadline for Submission: March 21, 2025

Notification of Acceptance: Mid-May 2025

AWARD ELIGIBILITY

Each award has different eligibility criteria. Please review our award categories page to learn more.
Self-nominations are accepted.
Previous nominees who have not previously received an award may be nominated again.

AWARD CATEGORIES

View the Full Awards Descriptions

The Clifford W. Beers Award is Mental Health America's highest honor. It is presented to a consumer of mental health and/or substance use disorder services who best embodies the example set by Beers in his efforts to improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people living with mental illnesses.
The Betty Humphrey Equity Champion Award is presented to a mental or behavioral health organization for outstanding achievements in the creation of services that address racial and cultural disparities in the mental health and substance use disorder systems.
The Media Award recognizes journalists, media outlets, authors, television shows, and films that excel in their coverage and portrayal of mental health issues in news and entertainment media.
The mPower Award celebrates the life and work of a teen or young adult who has spoken out about mental health issues in order to educate their peers and fight stigma.
The George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award recognizes practicing professionals in the field of social work for their significant contributions to the care and treatment of people living with mental illnesses.
The Youth Policy Advocacy Award celebrates the work of a teenager or young adult who has spoken out about systemic mental health issues in schools, communities, and healthcare settings to educate policymakers about urgent changes needed to local, state, or federal laws or other policies that would better support the mental health of youth.

BEING A MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA CONFERENCE AWARDEE

Awardees will be asked to give brief remarks live on stage.
The Youth Policy Advocacy Award will be given during the Policy Institute on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
The Youth Policy Advocacy Award winner will have their travel to the event covered and one complimentary night stay at the Conference hotel.
All other awards will be given during the main Mental Health America Conference, Oct. 16-17, 2025 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.
Main Conference awardees will have their travel to the event reimbursed up to $300, one complimentary night stay at the Conference hotel and complimentary registration to the awards ceremony. Awardees may also attend the full conference for a discounted rate of $375.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES

Mental Health America will accept online applications only (click “Apply Online” below). If you have trouble completing the form, please email events@mhanational.org with questions.

Preview Award Submission Questions (PDF).

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

There are a limited number of awards making the selection process very competitive. The final decision on sessions selected for the 2025 conference will be made solely by Mental Health America's review team.

Acknowledgment: Once you have submitted your completed proposal, you will receive an email confirmation acknowledging receipt.
Notification: All applicants will be notified about the status of their submission by mid-May 2025.
Follow-up: Selected session presenters will be notified of the next steps and given one week to accept their invitation.

AWARD SCORING RUBRIC

Each Conference award has its criteria. Please review the criteria outlined on our awards categories page.