The Entrepreneurship Division Practitioner-Scholars Committee invites nominations for the 2026 Entrepreneurship Practice Award. This award recognizes individuals whose work has made a meaningful and demonstrable contribution to the practice of entrepreneurship. It complements the Division’s portfolio of scholarly awards by honoring impact beyond traditional academic boundaries.
Award Criteria
The award will be granted to individuals who have contributed to the practice of entrepreneurship in one of the following categories:
- Contribution to scholarship practice: Authored a publication (e.g., book, article, or practitioner-oriented work) that has substantially advanced entrepreneurial practice. Evaluation criteria include:
• Quality and rigor of the work
• Evidence of impact (e.g., citations in scholarly and practitioner outlets, media influence)
• Influence on policy or legislative processes
• Demonstrable effects on entrepreneurial practice
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Contribution to field experience: Developed a significant educational initiative designed to bridge scholarship and practice (e.g., curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular programs). Submissions should describe:
• Objectives and implementation
• Target audience
• Originality and innovation
• Measurable impact
• External validation, where applicable
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Contribution to community: Led an initiative that meaningfully advanced entrepreneurship within a specific community. Evaluation criteria include:
• Clear articulation of community need
• Innovation of the initiative
• Evidence of outcomes and impact
• External recognition or endorsement
Multiple individuals may be nominated jointly; however, at least one nominee must be a current member of the Academy of Management.
How to Nominate a Candidate:
Nominations should be submitted via email to Paul Sanchez, Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division's Practitioner-Scholars Committee (psanch26@iastate.edu).
The complete nomination must be contained in a single PDF or Word document and should not exceed 1,000 words (excluding supporting documentation).
Each submission should include:
1. The name and contact information of nominator(s)
2. The name and contact information of the nominee(s)
3. The primary category of the contribution
4. A description of the nominee’s role and contribution
5. An explanation of how the work meets the award criteria
Self-nominations are welcome. Nominees must be members of the Academy of Management but need not be members of the Entrepreneurship Division.
Review Process
A committee convened by the Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division’s Practitioner–Scholars Committee will review all nominations. The committee will include individuals with demonstrated expertise in both entrepreneurship scholarship and entrepreneurial practice.
The Award will be presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in August 2026.
Award Winners
2025 Kevin Cox (Florida Atlantic University) for the "Entrepreneurship Bootcamp" Initiative.
2024 Kimberly A. Eddleston (Northeastern University) for her work as the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of FamilyBusiness.org.
2023 Michael H. Morris (University of Notre Dame) for “Urban Poverty and Business Initiative.”
2022 Betsy Campbell (Penn State University) for “The Cape, Community Advancing Pluralism in Entrepreneurship."
2019-2021 No Award
2018 Richard Harrison (University of Edinburgh) & Colin Mason (University of Glasgow) for "Stimulating the Supply of and Demand for Business Angel Finance in the UK Since 1991.”
2017 Michael H Morris (University of Florida), Xaver Neumeyer (University of North Dakota) and Donald F Kuratko (Indiana University) for “A Portfolio Perspective on Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.”
2016 Dawn R DeTienne (Colorado State University) and Melissa S Cardon (Pace University) for “Impact of founder experience on exit intentions.”
2015 No award
2014 Noam Wasserman (Harvard Business School) for “The Founder's Dilemmas.”