Awards & Recognition

Selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors, this is the NIAAA's highest individual award and is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding leadership and personal commitment to the values of interscholastic athletics.

Selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors, this award is presented to an NIAAA member who has provided strong leadership to education-based athletics, loyalty to the association and contributions to the profession of athletic administration. It is named for the late Thomas Frederick who served as an assistant director of the NFHS until 1989.

Selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors from among the eight section nominees each year, this award is presented to an NIAAA member who has made significant contributions and demonstrated excellence in professional development at the local, state and national levels.

APPLICATION

Selected through a four-step process, the NIAAA Hall of Fame was created to honor retired athletic administrators who had exemplary careers in athletic administration, both prior to and after the formation of the NIAAA.

NOMINATION FORM

Selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors, this award is presented to NIAAA members in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels.

NOMINATION FORM

NFHS Citations are awarded to individuals whose contributions have impacted high school activity programs through their association with one of the following groups of professionals: state associations and NFHS staff, athletic directors, coaches, officials, music adjudicators and directors, and speech, debate and theatre directors.

APPLICATION

This award may be presented annually by each state to an NIAAA member who demonstrates outstanding leadership and meritorious service and achievement in interscholastic athletic administration. Selections and presentations are made by each state athletic administrator association, and the award is provided by the NIAAA.

NOMINATION FORM

Effective September 1, 2024 and going forward, the application will be handled through the NIAAA FinalForms award platform. All NIAAA members working in a school setting will have access to nominate eligible student athletes from their school. On your member page of FinalForms, you will see an awards tab that will lead to this application. We encourage you to share this process with your school building counselor for seniors, and our hope is they will load this process into their school system for potential scholarship opportunities.  If you need help with the application, click here.

If you're a state leader, you can download the scholarship application here.

• Applicant must be a senior in high school
• Applicant must have achieved at least one of the following: (a) minimum of B+ average; (b) ranked in the top 25% of class; (c) ACT score of 24 or an SAT score of 1100 (Math and Reading)
• Applicant must have participated in two sports for at least two years in each sport
• Applicant must have earned at least one varsity letter in each of the two sports
• Applicant must complete scholar/essay application 
• Applicant must have a letter of recommendation from the high school athletic administrator/director
• Athletic administrator/director must be an NIAAA member and a member of their respective state athletic administrator association
• The principal or athletic administrator/director must sign the application to ensure that the academic information submitted is accurate
• All hard copy materials must be postmarked or electronic materials sent to the NIAAA Liaison in your respective state by your state’s deadline

• Applications postmarked to NIAAA Liaison in respective state by the state’s deadline
• Each state must select a male and female winner prior to its NIAAA Section meeting
• April–June: Each section selects its male and female winner
• July: NIAAA Board selects the male and female national winner
• August: National winners notified by NIAAA office
• December: National winners and their parents are invited to attend the National Conference to be recognized and present their essay

See table below for your state's application deadline and NIAAA Liaison contact information.

• State winners: One male and one female will each receive a plaque recognizing them as state winners.
• Section winners: One male and one female in each of the eight NIAAA sections will each receive a $1,500 scholarship and a plaque recognizing them as section winners.
• National winners: One male and one female selected from the eight NIAAA section winners will each receive a $2,500 scholarship and a glass etching recognizing them as national winners in addition to being invited to attend the National Conference to be recognized and present their essay.

States are encouraged to recognize each student who applies by presenting them with this Certificate of Recognition.

DOWNLOAD

Check out the NIAAA’s Wall of Fame to see all national Student-Athlete Scholarship winners, past and present.