Seminar Awards
The Aspen Leadership Seminars department is committed to making our leadership programs accessible to a wide range of leaders.
Apply for an Aspen Executive Seminar Award
Each Aspen Executive Seminar is carefully crafted to include a broad mosaic of participant voices around the seminar table. It’s through this rich diversity that we can fully explore the ideas and changes we wish to see in the future.
To allow for the widest range of perspectives possible, the Seminar department offers a limited number of merit-based awards each year so that leaders from key backgrounds are able attend the Aspen Executive Seminar.
By engaging in dialogue with others, we can more accurately question, reflect, and ultimately transform our understanding of the world.
Available Seminar Awards
Seminar awards are available for individuals in the following categories:
Future of Business Leadership Award
About
Created in honor of Aspen Institute founder Walter Paepcke, the Future of Business Leadership Award supports emerging leaders in the business community who are committed to expanding their vision, deepening their judgment, and strengthening their understanding of the role business plays in society. Eligible candidates are those seeking to stretch their leadership capacity as they grow toward positions of greater influence and organizational decision-making.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated responsibility and initiative in their current roles—working well with others, contributing to efforts that cross teams or functions, and showing care for people and values in how they lead. They are looking to grow their capacity to make thoughtful, principled decisions that guide the future direction of their organizations.
Eligibility
Available to leaders from the business community and corporate leaders.
> To apply, select the “Future of Business” award option in your Award application.
Emerging Arts & Humanities Leadership Award
About
The Emerging Arts & Humanities Leadership Award is available to individuals working in the arts, culture, and humanities—including practitioners, educators, scholars, and administrators—who are committed to developing their leadership and expanding the role of creativity and humanistic inquiry in society. Eligible candidates should demonstrate curiosity, a desire to grow, and a commitment to contributing to the cultural and intellectual life of their communities.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated thoughtful engagement with people and ideas in their current work—whether through collaboration, teaching, creative practice, or community-facing projects—and are looking to deepen their ability to lead with clarity, values, and a human-centered perspective.
Eligibility
Available to practitioners or educators in the arts and humanities disciplines.
> To apply, select the “Emerging Arts & Humanities” award option in your Seminar Award application.
Nakasone Leadership Award
About
The Nakasone Leadership Award supports a Japanese citizen, an individual of Japanese descent, or a professional advancing U.S.–Japan relations to participate in the Aspen Executive Seminar. Eligible candidates may come from any sector—public, private, nonprofit, academic, or cultural—and should demonstrate curiosity, openness, and a commitment to strengthening their leadership. This award is intended for individuals who show promise as future leaders in their respective fields.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated initiative or engagement in work that connects people, ideas, or institutions across cultures, and are looking to expand their capacity to lead with perspective, openness, and a commitment to building strong relationships between both societies.
Eligibility
Available to individuals with a strong community or professional connection to Japan.
> To apply, select the “Nakasone” award option in your Seminar Award application.
Future of Public Service Leadership Award
About
The Future of Public Service Leadership Award is available to individuals working in government or public-sector roles at the local, regional, or national level who are committed to deepening their leadership in service of the public good. Eligible candidates may hold any title or function but should demonstrate curiosity, a desire to grow, and a clear commitment to strengthening the institutions and communities they serve.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated stewardship of resources or processes, a collaborative spirit, and a strong sense of civic purpose in how they approach their work—and are looking to expand their capacity to lead with values, clarity, and a people-centered approach in the public sphere.
Eligibility
Available to leaders from who serve in state, local, or federal government positions.
> To apply, select the “Future of Public Service” award option in your Seminar Award application.
Leadership Beyond Service Award
About
The Leadership Beyond Service Award is available to military veterans who are now contributing to civilian life and are committed to developing their leadership in service of their organizations and communities. Eligible candidates may work in any sector—public, private, nonprofit, or community-based—and should demonstrate curiosity, a desire to grow, and a commitment to continuing their contributions beyond military service.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated reliability and teamwork in their current civilian roles, shown respect and care for the people they work with, and brought a sense of purpose to their work—and are looking to expand their ability to lead with clarity, integrity, and a values-centered approach in civilian life.
Eligibility
Available to retired military leaders from the United States armed forces.
> To apply, select the “Leadership Beyond Service” award option in your Seminar Award application.
Emerging Social Impact Leadership Award
About
The Emerging Social Impact Leadership Award is available to individuals working in nonprofit and social impact organizations who are committed to developing their leadership in service of mission-driven work. Eligible candidates may be in any role or functional area but should demonstrate curiosity, a desire to grow, and a commitment to contributing to positive change within their organizations and the communities they serve.
Strong candidates will have demonstrated initiative in advancing mission-aligned work, collaborated effectively with colleagues or community partners, and shown care for the people and values at the heart of their organization—and are looking to deepen their capacity to lead with purpose, balance, and a human-centered perspective.
Eligibility
Available to leaders from non-profit organizations of all sizes and countries.
> To apply, select the “Emerging Social Impact” award option in your Seminar Award application
Seminar Award Details
About the Aspen Executive Seminar
Where other leadership programs focus on the how or the what of leadership, the Aspen Executive Seminar invites you to zoom out to the “why” and examine leadership in context of the personal values, organizational structures, and historical systems that shape our leadership.
Designed for experienced leaders new to or reaching the executive level of leadership, the Aspen Executive Seminar combines moderated, text-based dialogue with a diverse cohort of peers to expand critical leadership capacities in a complex world of rapid change.
Available 2026 seminars
- April 18-24, 2026 in Aspen, CO
- May 30-June 5, 2026 in Aspen, CO
- October 17-23, 2026 in Aspen, CO
Amount
Each award covers the full tuition of the Aspen Executive Seminars.
The awardee is only responsible for their $1,500 participant deposit and the cost of their travel to/from the seminar.
Availability
2 awards of each category are available each year and are awarded on a rolling basis.
It is recommended to apply as early as possible in the year so that the application can be considered for all seminar offerings.
Eligibility
Seminar awards are available to leaders based on their organizational and career backgrounds.
If applicable, applicants are able to select more than 1 award type in their application. However, if selected, it will only be for 1 award.
Award Periods
Seminar awards are determined for the spring and fall of each calendar year. Applications received after the 2026 deadline will be added to consideration for the next year and will be contacted once new seminar dates are released.
Award Process
01 Application
Fill out our award application form and provide the following information in a nomination letter from an individual, company, or organization.
- A demonstration of financial situation, for example an outline of the financial status of your organization, professional development fund availability, and a guarantee of support for the tuition not covered by award amount.
- An endorsement letter of your participation in the Aspen Executive Seminar.
02 Deliberation
Next, applications will be reviewed by the Seminars team and narrowed down to a pool of semi-finalists.
Semi-final applicants for seminar awards are required to participate in a 15-minute phone screen. Our team will reach out to semi-finalists to schedule the call as needed.
03 Selection
All award applicants will be notified with a decision within 4 weeks of the respective deadline. Applicants not selected or not submitted in time for the spring awards will roll forward into the fall for consideration.
Spring Seminar Awards
- Application deadline: February 15, 2026
- Award decisions will be communicated by the end of February 2026
Fall Seminar Awards
- Application deadline: June 30, 2026
- Award decisions will be communicated by the end of July 2026
Apply now for an Aspen Executive Seminar award
Participant Testimonials
Seminar awards are a cornerstone of the Aspen Executive Seminar program in making sure the program is accessible to a wide range of leaders from all walks of life, industries, backgrounds, and lived experiences.
“I wish to thank the Aspen Institute for giving me the opportunity, as a scholar, to participate in the Executive Seminar. Reading and subsequent discussion on philosophical foundations concerning various value-related issues was an extremely interesting and useful exercise for me, particularly as a non-Westerner. I am sure that it will help me to have a better understanding, and a clearer insight into, major social and political issues of the contemporary society.”
“I truly found the Aspen Executive Seminar to be a professional and personal enriching experience. It was a rare opportunity that blended together rich intellectual literary discourse with recreational fun and engagement…I feel it was an opportunity that has broadened my visions, introduced me to a group of wonderful professionals from across the country, and afforded me the chance to reflect upon myself as a leader…I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a scholar at the Aspen Institute’s Executive Seminar.”
“…I think that perhaps the most valuable aspect of the whole program involves the carefully chosen mix of participants. I like to think that my own participation, as a scientist and writer, was equally important to the CEO’s in their group as their participation was to me. This would not have been possible without your generous scholarship program, and I both applaud it and encourage you to keep up the good work!”
Contact us
We look forward to supporting your leadership journey!
Have questions or need assistance with the award process?