Best Paper Award Guidelines

Each year, AFS hosts several best paper awards at the annual meeting. To be considered for an award*, manuscripts must meet the following guidelines:
  1. Have an emphasis on personal financial planning.
  2. May not be accepted for publication in a journal.
  3. May not have won a paper award from another conference.

Papers will be judged on:

  1. Relevancy of topics to the providers of the award.
  2. Potential significance of the results.
  3. Quality of hypothesis.
  4. Quality of writing and presentation.

In some cases Best Paper Awards may be linked to a specific theme or aspect of the Annual Conference, such as "Best Paper in the area of Behavioural Finance, or Best Paper for Poster Presentation at the Conference. In 2023 there will be three Best Paper Awards, two linked to oral presentations and one linked to the best Research Poster Presentation. 

Special thanks to CFP Board for sponsoring one of the 2023 Best Paper Awards.

Early Career Award Guidelines

Early career award(s) are provided to recipients who:

  1. Are within the first 5 years of their career since their PhD was awarded
  2. Have a strong research and publication history, especially within FSR and other Financial Planning research Journals (i.e. Journal of Financial Planning, Financial Planning Review or the Financial Planning Research Journal).
  3. Are active in volunteer activities within the financial planning academic community.

Best Poster Award Guidelines

During the AFS Annual Research Conference it is traditional to hold a Research Poster Session/Reception where high quality research that was not selected for presentation can be displayed in a 36" x 48" or suitably sized poster. Authors must be available, either in the conference or virtually, to answer questions about their research. The attendees at the session will then have the opportunity to vote on the best research from the sessions.

Special thanks to Dalton Education our 2023 sponsor for this award.

FSR-Stuart Michelson Memorial Award


The Board of Directors of AFS would like to acknowledge the many years of service of Stuart Michelson, Stetson University as the editor of Financial Services Review and a valued Board member of AFS. Stuart passed away unexpectedly in March 2022. An Endowed Scholarship Fund was established at Stetson in his memory. 

In recognition of Stuart's outstanding contribution to the profession, the FSR - Stuart Michelson Memorial Award will be awarded, at the discretion of the editor of Financial Services Review, to the authors of the paper published in FSR in the preceding year, that has or is expected to have the greatest impact on the profession of financial planning. Criteria may include citations, impact from views by the profession or whatever other criteria the editor should deem suitable.


Winners are announced at the AFS Annual Meeting

*AFS Officers & Directors are not eligible for paper awards

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