About the Award
APPAM awards the William Spriggs Memorial Award to honor the life of the award namesake, a trailblazer in economics and labor policy. William Spriggs was chief economist of the AFL-CIO and a professor at Howard University before passing away in June 2023 at the age of 68. He dedicated his career to maximizing equity, fairness and inclusion through social insurance and challenged his counterparts to rethink their beliefs about racial disparities. He called on economists, and the field of economics more broadly, to better understand how history and policy have shaped racial categories and to focus on studying big questions about the institutions that shape economic outcomes.
The William Spriggs Award was created to recognize other trailblazing academics and practitioners who have helped develop our understanding of racial discrimination in public policy, education, labor markets, academic disciplines, or society at-large. Recipients of this award must have made sustained contributions in this area for a period of at least 20 years. Eligibility is not contingent on disciplinary background, policy focus or academic credentials.
The recipient will receive the following at the 2026 APPAM Annual Fall Research Conference:
- A $1,500 prize in the form of a check made out to the winner
- Up to $500 in travel funds supporting attendance at the APPAM Annual Fall Research Conference
- A plaque and recognition at at the at the APPAM Membership & Awards Luncheon
