Awards
The following awards are presented during the award ceremony at the PAA Annual Meeting.
Honorary Life Member Award
One of the most significant ways to recognize outstanding contributions to the potato industry and to our organization, The Potato Association of America (PAA), is the induction of the PAA Honorary Life Members (HLM). Honorary Life Membership is the highest award bestowed upon an individual by the PAA.
Congratulations to our 2026 Honorary Life Member Awardees
This year's Honorary Life Members will be inducted at the 2026 PAA Meeting during the Award Ceremony & Luncheon on Wednesday, July 29.
- Robert Dwelle (posthumous)
- Charles Higgins
- Mark Pavek
- Asunta "Susie" Thompson
Frank L. Haynes Graduate Student Research Award Competition
A graduate student award fund honoring the late Dr. Frank L. Haynes, long time professor of Potato Breeding and Genetics at North Carolina State University was initiated by his wife, Dr. Kathy Haynes, USDA-ARS Potato Breeder at Beltsville, MD and family members. The purpose of the research award competition is to promote student participation through presentation of research papers and travel support to attend and present at the PAA Annual Meeting.
View Past AwardeesOutstanding Paper Awards from AJPR
The Editorial Board of the American Journal of Potato Research (AJPR) annually conducts a formal review and voting routine to select the highest quality research papers published in the American Journal of Potato Research volume of the previous year in each of the following sections:
- Breeding & Genetics
- Economics
- Extension, Production, & Management
- Physiology
- Plant Protection
Award recipients are recognized at the PAA Meeting during the Award Ceremony.