Young Optometrist of the Year Award

About this program

The American Optometric Association sponsors the Young Optometrist of the Year Award to recognize AOA member optometrists within their first decade of practice (including residency or fellowship) who demonstrate leadership in serving the profession, patients, and community; the award is presented at Optometry’s Meeting and is an honorific selection rather than a monetary grant. Nominations must be submitted online by affiliated optometric associations (one nominee per association per year); nominees must be AOA members in good standing and have ten years or less of active optometric practice (residency/fellowship counts toward the ten years), with age not a factor. Required nomination materials are a resume/biography, a nomination statement (2,000 words or less) that clearly details the nominee’s accomplishments, and a current headshot; optional supporting documents (letters of recommendation, CV) may be included but cannot replace the nomination statement. Selection is made by the AOA Awards Committee (the five most recent AOA past presidents) using a point-based evaluation across Service to Optometry, Service to the Visual Welfare of the Public, and Service to AOA or an affiliated association; current AOA employees, consultants, Board members, and Awards Committee members are ineligible, and nominees may be resubmitted in future years.