ILA Awards
Each year, ILA celebrates the legacies of indelible leadership thinkers as well as the rising stars of today. Click “learn more” on each award for details.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have contributed in significant and diverse ways to the field of leadership studies. Recipients are honored at ILA’s Global Conference each year.
Distinguished Leadership Award
The Distinguished Leadership Award recognizes an individual or group’s leadership in their given field. Recipients are honored at the ILA Global Conference.
ILA Outstanding Service Award
The ILA Outstanding Service award honors exceptional, individual ILA members who have demonstrated unwavering dedication and selfless service to the ILA community.
Student & Mid-Career Awards
International Student Case Competition
The annual International Student Case Competition is an opportunity for students attending the ILA Global Conference to work in teams to analyze a real-world case and develop and present a specific set of strategic recommendations. The top team from each division — undergraduate or graduate — are honored at a plenary session on the closing day of the conference.
Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award
The Jablin award, given in partnership with the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, honors and celebrates the life of Dr. Fredric M. Jablin and is given annually to a scholar from any discipline whose recently completed doctoral dissertation demonstrates substantial insights and implications for the study of leadership. Recipients are honored at the ILA Global Conference and invited to present their work in a special session.
Horizon Mid-Career Leadership Award
This award recognizes mid-career professionals who have made significant contributions to leadership education, leadership studies, and/or the practice of leadership through scholarship, pedagogy/teaching & learning, contributions to professional associations / the International Leadership Association, and collaboration; and have the potential to continue advancing the field for years to come.
Community Awards
Most Publishable Leadership Education Paper
Each year, the highest ranking leadership education presentation/paper submissions is awarded the “Most Publishable Leadership Education Paper” award. Sponsored by SAGE Publishing, the winners receive recognition during the ILA awards ceremony.
Women & Leadership Outstanding Scholarship and Practice Awards
The ILA Women and Leadership Member Community believes it is important to recognize and celebrate people who are contributing excellent work toward the field. In 2014 the community began bestowing awards for outstanding scholarship and practice. These awards are typically bestowed on a biennial basis.
Past Awards
The Kenneth E. Clark Student Research Award
The Kenneth E. Clark Student Research Award was named in honor of the distinguished scholar and former Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Creative Leadership. The award recognized outstanding unpublished student papers with a focus on some aspect of leadership or leadership development. Recipients were honored at the ILA Global Conference each year where they were invited to present their work in a special session. The award ended after the 2024 ILA Global Conference.