Distinguished Scholar Award

The Distinguished Scholar Award is the highest award conferred by SNS, recognizing individuals whose sustained and exceptional contributions have shaped the intellectual direction of the field and advanced its impact on scholarship and/or practice. This award celebrates a career marked not only by scholarly excellence but also by leadership, mentorship, and service to the academic community.

Recipients of the Distinguished Scholar Award have expanded theoretical understanding, introduced innovative constructs and/or methodologies, and addressed questions of enduring significance. Their work is widely cited, rigorously respected, and frequently serves as a foundation for subsequent generations of inquiry. Beyond publications, Distinguished Scholars often play a pivotal role in building research communities, fostering scholarly dialogue, and setting high standards for academic integrity and rigor. The award stands as a tribute to the enduring influence recipients had through ideas, collaboration, and a lifelong dedication to advancing knowledge on organizational networks.

Mid-Career Scholar Award

The Mid-Career Scholar Award recognizes members of the academic community who have demonstrated a strong and sustained record of scholarly achievement during both the junior and middle stages of their careers. The award is intended to acknowledge individuals who have established a clear research trajectory, made meaningful contributions to the field, and shown promise for continued impact on research and/or practice both in their previous career trajectory and in the years ahead.

Recipients of the Mid-Career Scholar Award have produced work that is rigorous, well-regarded, and influential within the discipline. Their research reflects depth and consistency, often addressing important theoretical, methodological, or applied questions. In addition to research accomplishments, the award also recognizes broader professional contributions. These scholars also play an important role in service to the academic community, including editorial work, conference organization, peer review, and participation in society activities. Teaching and mentorship are also valued aspects of mid-career engagement, as awardees often contribute to the development of students and early-career researchers. 

Junior Scholar Award

TThe Junior Scholar Award recognizes early-career members of the academic society who have begun to establish themselves as independent scholars and to make meaningful contributions to the field. The award is intended to acknowledge promising research achievements during the initial stage of an academic career.

Recipients of the Junior Scholar Award have demonstrated a clear research agenda and the ability to conduct rigorous and original scholarship. Their work may include peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or other scholarly outputs that show potential for sustained contribution. While the scope of this work is necessarily more limited than that of more senior scholars, it reflects strong methodological foundations, thoughtful engagement with existing literature, and emerging expertise in a defined area of inquiry.

The award also recognizes broader professional engagement appropriate to the junior career stage. This may include participation in academic service, involvement in collaborative research, contributions to teaching, or efforts to connect scholarship with practice. Such activities indicate a commitment to professional development and to the shared goals of the scholarly community.

The Junior Scholar Award highlights the importance of supporting scholars at a formative point in their careers. By recognizing early achievements and future potential, SNS affirms its commitment to fostering a diverse, engaged, and intellectually vibrant discipline and to encouraging the continued growth of its next generation of scholars. 

Daniel J. Brass Fellowships

The Fellowship recognizes members of the society who have distinguished themselves through sustained and meaningful service to the scholarly community. It is awarded to individuals whose contributions have supported SNS activities, strengthened its professional networks, and advanced the shared goals of the community within and beyond SNS.

Fellowships are awarded to both mid-career and senior scholars. By conferring Fellowship status, SNS formally recognizes the importance of service as a core component of academic life and affirms the value of members who contribute their time and expertise to sustaining a strong, engaged, and collegial scholarly community.

2025’s Best Network Paper Award

The award recognizes an empirical, methodological, conceptual, or review paper published in the past year that makes a clear and substantive contribution to the field. The award is intended to acknowledge research that demonstrates strong scholarly quality, careful execution, and relevance to ongoing academic conversations.

Winning papers reflect distinct scholarship and address important questions, offer new perspectives, and/ or provide evidence that helps clarify existing debates. The award values work that advances understanding of social networks in a thoughtful and well-articulated manner.

By recognizing a single paper published in the last year, SNS affirms its commitment to top-level scholarly standards, constructive dialogue, and timely publication of research that contributes meaningfully to the development of the discipline.

Network Research Decade Award

The Decade Award recognizes a scholarly article published in the last ten years that has made a sustained and meaningful contribution to the field. The award is intended to acknowledge work that has demonstrated enduring value, continuing relevance, and influence beyond its initial publication. Papers considered for this award were published within the last decade and have had sufficient time to be evaluated by the scholarly community. Eligible work reflects strong theoretical or conceptual grounding and relevant contribution. Rather than focusing on short-term visibility, the award emphasizes how a paper has informed subsequent research, shaped ongoing discussions, or provided a reference point for later debates and studies. By establishing this award, the society highlights the importance of scholarship that stands the test of time.