* The award was called the SIGCHI Special Recognition Award in 1998.

These awards are presented at the annual CHI Conference. The scripts for the 2002 and 2003 presentations are available.

SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award

The SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award is presented to individuals for outstanding contributions to the study of human-computer interaction. This award recognizes the very best, most fundamental and influential research contributions. It is awarded for a lifetime of innovation and leadership and carries an honorarium of $5000. The criteria for the award are:

• Cumulative contributions to the field.
• Influence on the work of others.
• Development of new research directions.

SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award

The SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award is presented to individuals for outstanding contributions to the practice and understanding of human-computer interaction. This award recognizes the very best and most influential applications of human-computer interaction. It is awarded for a lifetime of innovation and leadership and carries an honorarium of $5000. The criteria for the award are:

• Cumulative contributions to the field directly and through the leadership of others.
  
• Innovation and the stimulation of innovation through practice.
  
• Impact on the field, industry, and society.
• Influence on the work of others, and the growth of other HCI practitioners and researchers.
• Successful application of human-computer interaction to products, services, and systems.
  

CHI Academy

The CHI Academy is an honorary group of individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of human-computer interaction. These are the principal leaders of the field, whose efforts have shaped the disciplines and/or industry, and led the research and/or innovation in human-computer interaction. The criteria for election to the CHI Academy are:

• Cumulative contributions to the field.
• Impact on the field through development of new research directions and/or innovations.
• Influence on the work of others.

SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award

The SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award goes to individuals who have contributed to the growth of SIGCHI in a variety of capacities. This award is for extended services to the community at large over a number of years. Criteria for this award are:

• Service to SIGCHI and its activities in a variety of capacities.
• Extended contributions over many years.
• Influence on the community at large.

SIGCHI Social Impact Award

This award is given to individuals who promote the application of human-computer interaction research to pressing social needs. The recipient should have past or current work within the HCI profession that demonstrates social benefit according to criteria such as:

• facilitating use of computer and telecommunication technology by diverse populations
• increasing access to technology for those with limited educational opportunities
• reducing economic barriers for access to information and communication technologies
• promoting privacy, security, trust, and safety
• improving medical care, education, housing, water supplies, and nutrition
• supporting technologies for international development and conflict resolution
• improving human communication and reducing isolation

The committee's award statement will describe the positive impact that the person or team has achieved. ACM SIGCHI appreciates Ben Shneiderman's efforts in initiating this award, providing seed funding, and advising in the selection process.

Awards Committees

Two Awards Committees are appointed by the SIGCHI Executive Committee. The SIGCHI Achievement Awards committee, chaired by Saul Greenberg (CHI Academy Member), selects the recipients of the SIGCHI Lifetime Achievement Award and elects individuals to the CHI Academy. The SIGCHI Service Award committee, chaired by Loren Terveen (SIGCHI Adjunct Chair for Awards), selects the recipients of the SIGCHI Distinguished Service Award and SIGCHI Social Impact Award. The committees gather nominations for the awards and decide who will receive them. To prevent conflicts of interest, neither current members of the awards committees nor elected officers of SIGCHI are eligible for awards. Both Awards Committees seek input from many sources in reaching their decisions, including nominations from the SIGCHI community.

Nominations for awards to be presented at CHI 2013 in Paris, France, are due by November 19, 2012. Nominations should include a brief summary (maximum one page) of how the nominee meets the criteria for the award, as well as the names and contact information of people who are knowledgeable about the qualifications of the nominee.

General questions should be sent to sigchi-ac-awards at acm.org.
Nominations for CHI Academy and the three SIGCHI Lifetime Awards should be sent to sigchi-achieve-awards at acm.org to the attention of Saul Greenberg.
Nominations for SIGCHI Social Impact Award should be sent to sigchi-service-awards at acm.org to the attention of Loren Terveen.