Nominations are due November 9, 2025
Below is a list of awards and the criteria for consideration. Click HERE for a list of previous award winners.
Anita DeFrantz Medal of Honor
Criteria: Awarded to a member of the rowing community in the U.S. who has rendered conspicuous service to, or accomplished extraordinary feats in, rowing. It is the highest honor USRowing can bestow.
Jack Kelly Award
Criteria: Awarded to an outstanding individual who represents the ideals that Jack Kelly exemplified: superior achievements in rowing, service to amateur athletics, and success in their chosen profession, thereby serving as an inspiration to American rowers.
United We Row Award (formerly the Anita DeFrantz Award for Advancing Diversity in Rowing)
Criteria: Awarded to an individual or organization achieving measurable success in expanding diversity opportunities in rowing.
Isabel Bohn Award for Achievement in Adaptive Rowing
Criteria: Awarded to an individual or organization achieving measurable success in expanding rowing opportunities for those with physical and intellectual disabilities.
John J. Carlin Service Award
Criteria: Awarded to honor an individual who has made significant and outstanding commitments in support of rowing.
The Clayton W. Chapman Award
Criteria: Awarded to an outstanding individual who emulates Clayton Chapman's 30-year stewardship of the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships. This person will have consistently served behind the scenes in unrecognized, but important roles, in staging a regatta. The individual may be an athlete, coach, referee, administrator, volunteer or regatta organizer.
Man of the Year
Criteria: Awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to men's rowing and/or to an outstanding man in rowing.
Ernestine Bayer Award (Formerly Woman of the Year)
Criteria: Awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to women's rowing and/or to an outstanding woman in rowing.