1. Introduction and history 

The Aristotle Prize was given to EFPA by the President of the IVth European Congress of Psychology in 1995 Athens, Greece, to be awarded to a psychologist from Europe who has made a distinguished contribution to psychology. An agreement was signed between EFPA (Former President Ingrid Lunt) and the Congress Presidents of the IVth ECP in Prague (James Georgas and Marina Manthouli).

The first Aristotle Prize was awarded to Professor Pieter Drenth from Amsterdam in 1995, followed by Professor Paul Baltes from Berlin in 1997, Professor David Magnusson in Stockholm 1999, Professor Alan Baddeley in 2001 in London, Professor Lea Pulkkinen in Vienna 2003, Professor Rocio Fernandez-Ballesteros in 2005 in Granada, to Professor William Yule in 2007 in Prague, Professor Claus Bundesen in 2009 in Oslo and the last one to Professor H. Marinus Van Ijzendoorn in Istanbul. 
 

2. Criteria :   

a. to be a European psychologist or a group of European psychologists

b. being recognized internationally as having made a substantial and original contribution to psychology as a science or a profession.

c. to be demonstrated by international recognition which includes :

• publications in scholarly journals
• presentations at national and European, especially European, conferences
• a substantial contribution to European psychology through leadership, or the promulgation of psychology as a science and a profession. 

3. Procedures :

EFPA has set up a 5-person Aristotle Prize Committee which includes its President, Secretary General, a member of the Executive Council (EC) and two other members, not members of the EFPA EC and appointed for 4 years, who are recognized to be leading psychologists in Europe.

There should be some continuity of membership of this committee, and it should function in communication with the Scientific Committee of the next European Congress of Psychology, which might be represented on the Committee. 

Nominations for the prize should begin six months following the ECP prior to the one at which it is to be awarded, since the planning of the Congress and the planning of the Aristotle Prize lecture will require 12 months' notice.

Nominations are examined by the members of the selection committee who will consult with other individuals and bodies.

A recommendation to the EC will be made by a vote of the committee and confirmed by the EC.