Nominations and Applications accepted from March 1, 2026 until July 31, 2026 11:59 PM US Pacific Time

Thank you for your interest in The Sigourney Award-2026. 

In accordance with Mary Sigourney’s wishes, The Sigourney Award-2026 recognizes and rewards groundbreaking work that advances psychoanalytic principles, thought, or practice conducted within the most recent 10 years (2016-2025). Mary Sigourney established the award's vision: promote the development and application of psychoanalytic thought to enrich the human experience for the better. Mary Sigourney further states that the Trust's mission is rewarding outstanding work throughout the world that has advanced psychoanalytic thought, principles, and practice.

Application Criteria

We encourage applications from anyone conducting groundbreaking work anywhere in the world and in any language supported by Google Translate. (Please select the language by clicking on the translate button on the left, just above your name.) Please note that the evaluation of submissions will mainly be conducted in English using Google Translate and/or DeepL, except when a judge is multilingual.

Each individual applicant, team, or organization is asked the same series of questions. Because submissions vary widely in terms of style, scope, medium, aim, and application, it is up to the applicant and their supporters to provide the judges with clear and detailed information about the work’s relevance, context, and implications.The criteria listed below are used by the international panel of judges assess the merits and impact of the applicants’ work.

• advancing The Sigourney Award Trust's vision and mission

• enriching psychoanalytic thought, techniques, applications, practices, or institutions

• enhancing the cultural and social impact of psychoanalysis

• facilitating collaborations or dialogues between psychoanalysis and another discipline

• creating work in any form of art that resonates with or casts a new light upon psychoanalysis, in any of its aspects

• expanding the reach of psychoanalytic principles, treatment, or thought generally, or in a specific region, group, or cultural context

• increasing positive public awareness of psychoanalytic principles

Definition of Application Roles

• Applicant – Individuals, teams, or organizations may apply directly and do not need to be nominated.

• Nominee – Individuals, teams, or organizations nominated by a third party (aka a "Nominator"). Nominees complete the same process as any other applicant.

• Nominator – A person who proposes the work of an individual, team, or organization by offering testimony about the work's impact through a series of online questions. Nominators may help a Nominee complete the application. Once the nomination is complete, the Nominee receives an email informing them they have been nominated. The email includes a link to the nomination for the Nominee to help the Nominator complete the application and submit it.

• Supporter – A person who offers testimony about the work's impact by answering a series of online questions. Please note, Nominators and Supporters respond to the same series of questions to ensure equity during the judging process.

• Application Collaborator – Anyone the primary applicant or nominator adds to the application, who can then participate in completing the application (team members, organization members, or supporters). Only the primary applicant can submit the application.

Definition of Application Categories

There are three application categories: individual, team, or organization. Each category describes how the work being submitted for the award was produced. All Applicants and Nominees must complete an application. The completed application should clearly communicate what is outstanding or innovative about the applicant/nominee’s recent work and articulate that work’s impact. Each question is intended to facilitate the judges’ understanding of the work’s contribution to one or more of the criteria above. 

• Individual - work conducted by a sole individual.

• Team - work conducted by a group of individuals, or a committee within an organization.

• Organization - work conducted for or by a for-profit or not-for-profit organization.