Early Career Awards

To meet the eligibility criteria for Early Career awards, an applicant must be active in research and within 10 years of completion of terminal degree or highest certificate (e.g., MSc, PhD), or within 10 years of completing medical fellowship or residency, as of the award application date. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, instructors, and research associates are welcome to apply.

Early Career Investigator awards are designed to recognize endeavors by early career investigators in research activities and to encourage continued research careers. Early Career Investigator awards must also comply with the rules and guidelines developed by the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program if held in conjunction with the Scientific Sessions or Specialty Meetings.

Eligibility Criteria

• An individual may not compete for similar Early Career Investigator awards from other American Heart Association scientific councils that will be presented at the same meeting.
• Previous winners and finalists for these awards are not eligible to re-enter the same competition in subsequent years. However, applicants may apply for a different award program in which they haven't previously been a winner or finalist.
• Only one manuscript and abstract per candidate will be considered for awards. The manuscript may have co-authors, but the applicant must be the first and presenting author. The presenting author of an accepted abstract must be registered for the Scientific Meeting.
• The work covered by the submitted abstract must not been presented at a national or international meeting or world congress before the date and time of presentation at the AHA scientific event. If so, the abstract must be withdrawn.
• Abstracts associated with a published manuscript can be presented at an AHA scientific event if the manuscript was published after the time the abstract was submitted to the event, however the abstract will not be published as a part of the journal publication.
• Women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.

Evaluation Criteria

Panels of distinguished researchers, scientists, nurses, clinicians, and academicians representing the breadth of cardiovascular disease and stroke will judge applications. Awards that do not involve abstracts may use different evaluation criteria. Please consult the specific award Web page for detailed evaluation criteria.

How to Apply or Make a Nomination

Please see the individual award information pages below for specific documents required when submitting an application or nomination file. Awards requiring an abstract must be submitted to an AHA Scientific Meeting before the online submission site abstract deadline. Your abstract control number will be needed on the award application form.