Awards, Fellowships, Scholarships

American Planning Association Fellowship.

The awards, which range from $1,000 to $5,000, are for African-American, Hispanic, or Native American students who are citizens of the United States and enrolled or officially accepted for enrollment in an approved Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) graduate planning program. The purpose of the American Planning Association (APA) Planning Fellowship Program is to foster increased minority interest in the study of urban planning at the graduate level.  The student must be able to document need for financial assistance. 

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Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science.

The Fellowship is awarded to doctoral students in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend continues to have a profound impact on the field of regional science. Prior winners have been doctoral students in urban planning programs.  This is awarded through a national competition open to graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North American who have completed all degree requirements except the dissertation. 

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Community Planning Fellowship

Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) and the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (EPA)  This fellowship program offers graduate students an opportunity to become familiar with hazard mitigation as an aspect of planning. The Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds of the EPA has provided funding for a fellow to study how communities, regional organizations, and states can effectively address watershed planning and floodplain management issues. 

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The Population-Environment Fellows Program

The Population-Environment Fellows Program, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered through the University of Michigan, provides assistance to overseas agencies linking the population and environmental dimensions of development. Fellows are placed in two-year assignments with host institutions, providing assistance and technical support. The PEFP supports the capacity of host country institutions to respond to development problems in an integrated way and develops a cadre of future leaders with expertise in population and environment issues. Qualified applicants must hold a graduate degree in a relevant area, have coursework or experience demonstrating both population and environmental expertise, and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Inquiries as well as formal applications for Sites and Fellows may be obtained by contacting: The Population-Environment Fellows Program, SPH II, Room M4537, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, Popenv@umich.edu

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Offers Urban Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowships to expand urban research important to public policy.

Visit http://www.oup.org/ for additional information.

Annual AICP Student Project Award

The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) recognizes outstanding achievements that contribute to advances in the field of planning. Awards are presented at the APA national conference to a student or group of students in an accredited planning curriculum for an outstanding paper or class project. No more than three awards will be given. The award categories are: the project that best demonstrates the contribution of planning to contemporary issues, the project best applying the planning process and applied research.

Outstanding Student Award Criteria

1. Innovativeness: Originality of concept or appreciable refinement of existing techniques or procedures;
2. Transferability: Potential application to other locations, projects, or areas of planning interest;
3. Quality: Excellence of thought, analysis, writing, graphics, and character of presentation;
4. Implementation: Effectiveness of the work (proposals have been carried out, show promise of being carried out, or demonstrate an effective implementation technique); and
5. Comprehensiveness: Planning principles have been observed, especially in considering a project's effects on other public objectives.

Visit http://www.planning.org/awards/ or contact Tim Akers at 202-349-1017 or takers@planning.org for more information.

Annual AICP Outstanding Student Awards

The AICP Outstanding Student Awards were created to recognize outstanding attainment in the study of planning by students being graduated from an accredited program during the academic year of the award.  The criteria are to be established by each department head and colleagues. They should give priority to the quality of work in the student's courses in planning and to the student's promise of success as a professional planner. One student enrolled in each accredited degree program may be recommended. 

Visit http://www.planning.org/awards/ or contact Tim Akers at 202-349-1017 or takers@planning.org for more information.

Federal Planning Division Scholarships

Scholarship applicants must be either a college junior, senior, or graduate student with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) in undergraduate coursework. Applicants will submit an essay on a topic to be determined by FPD, as well as two letters of recommendation and a transcript. The award(s) will range between $500 - $2500.  Interested applicants should check the FPD website at http://www.federalplanning.org/ for more information and to download the application.

Judith McManus Price Scholarship

Women and minority (African American, Hispanic American, or Native American) students enrolled in an approved Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) planning program who are citizens of the United States, intend to pursue careers as practicing planners in the public sector, and are able to demonstrate a genuine financial need are eligible to apply for this scholarship which will range between $2,000 to $4,000. 

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The National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is currently offering the Mildred Colodny Scholarship for the Study of Historic Preservation.  This new scholarship program provides financial assistance and experiential learning opportunities to individuals preparing for careers in historic preservation or related areas like urban planning.  One objective of this scholarship is to increase diversity and multiculturalism in the field of preservation, especially by encouraging people from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds to pursue degrees and careers in historic preservation.

The award includes up to $15,000 in tuition for graduate-level study in a preservation-related program, a paid summer internship with the National Trust or one of its partners, and assistance to attend the National Preservation Conference. 

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The Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Foundation Graduate Scholarship

The Land Economics Foundation is seeking to award to a graduate student in the United States, Canada, or Great Britain undertaking graduate study in land economics, architecture, law, geography, urban planning, landscape architecture, environmental planning, civil engineering, government, public administration, real estate, or urban studies a $3,000 (U.S.) scholarship, renewable for a second year.  Students must be enrolled in a bona fide graduate program at a university in either the United States, Canada, or Great Britain.

Applications from students pursuing graduate degrees in areas of study outside those listed above but related to land economics will be considered. The scholarship will fund completion of a paper that Lambda Alpha International will have the right to publish or ask that the student present the paper at a meeting of Lambda Alpha International. The application will ask each student to outline briefly the project objectives, the relationship to and impact on other work being done in the field, the target audience, the proposed procedures the student will use, the proposed time schedule, and if other financial resources are needed and available.

Selection Criteria
A Scholarship and Research Awards Selection Committee that will include members from academia, from the Board of Lambda Alpha International and from the Land Economics Foundation Board will review the applications and recommend selection of an applicant to the Foundation Board. The Selection Committee will evaluate the proposals based on the significance of the contribution of the paper to the field of land economics, the qualifications of the applicant relative to the paper's goals and implementation requirements, the soundness of the proposal, and the overall quality of the application. 

Email LAI@lai.org or click here for additional information.

APA Student Research Presentations

Deadline: December
Vie for a presentation slot in this highly competitive program.

A student-selected panel consisting of practicing planners, academic planners, and students will evaluate all submissions. Student presenters will also have an important opportunity to interact with professionals prior to the conference and gain advice on making that all-important first presentation to a professional audience.

Material selected for presentation will be announced in The New Planner and interact, and will appear on the APA website. In addition, papers presented during this session at the APA National Planning Conference may be eligible to compete for APA Divisions Council Student Competition awards. (Details on this program will be available at a later date.)

Eligibility

• All authors and presenters must be members of the American Planning Association.
• Student research completed (or to be completed) by an APA Student Member between December and the submission deadline. (APA members who are no longer students but completed research while they were APA Student Members may submit research done during the qualifying period.)
• Previous presenters are not eligible.

APA Student Poster Competition and Exhibit

Deadline: January
Graduate and undergraduate students are invited to submit posters for the Student Poster Exhibit. This exhibit showcases individual and group projects completed by graduate and undergraduate students.  Selected exhibitors will be available at their exhibit at a designated time during the conference to answer questions from conference goers. The day and time of this question and answer period will be announced later.

Eligibility

• All students involved in the project and exhibitor(s) must be members of the American Planning Association.
  
• Student poster projects completed (or to be completed) by APA Student Member(s) between March and the submission deadline.
• (APA members who are no longer students but completed a poster project while they were APA Student Members may submit posters done during the qualifying period.)
  
• Previous presenters/exhibitors are not eligible.