ACM Policy Award

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Abowd, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Chief Scientist, United States Census Bureau (retired), receives the ACM Policy Award"/> <meta name="description" content="Information about ACM Policy Award"/> <meta property="og:description" content="John M. Abowd, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Chief Scientist, United States Census Bureau (retired), receives the ACM Policy Award for transformative work in modernizing the US Census Bureau’s processing and dissemination of census and survey data, which serves as a model for privacy-aware management of government collected data. Abowd’s work has transformed the government’s capacity to improve the accuracy and availability of vital statistical and data resources, while at the same time, enhancing citizens’ privacy."/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://awards.acm.org/binaries/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/john-maron-abowd.jpg"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@theofficialacm"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="John M. Abowd, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Chief Scientist, United States Census Bureau (retired), receives the ACM Policy Award"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="For transformative work in modernizing the US Census Bureau’s processing and dissemination of census and survey data"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://awards.acm.org/binaries/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/john-maron-abowd.jpg"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://awards.acm.org/xpages/policy/index"/>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-968097012"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'AW-968097012'); </script>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-968097012"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('set', 'linker', { 'domains': ['acm.org/','cvent.com/'], 'accept_incoming': true }); gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'AW-968097012'); </script><script>(function(w,d,t,r,u){var f,n,i;w[u]=w[u]||[],f=function(){var o={ti:"97170212", enableAutoSpaTracking: true};o.q=w[u],w[u]=new UET(o),w[u].push("pageLoad")},n=d.createElement(t),n.src=r,n.async=1,n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=function(){var s=this.readyState;s&&s!=="loaded"&&s!=="complete"||(f(),n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=null)},i=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],i.parentNode.insertBefore(n,i)})(window,document,"script","//bat.bing.com/bat.js","uetq");</script></head> <body>  <noscript><iframe data-cookieblock-src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5BVDRXH" data-cookieconsent="marketing" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <div id="header" class="row"> <nav class="top-bar eyebrow show-for-medium-up" data-topbar data-options="is_hover: false"> <section class="top-bar-section"> <div id="skiptocontent"><a href="#SkipTarget">skip to main content</a></div> <ul class="right"> <li><a href="https://www.acm.org" title="ACM Home">ACM Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://amturing.acm.org" title="ACM A.M. 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It also names as Fellows and Distinguished Members those members who, in addition to professional accomplishments, have made significant contributions to ACM's mission. ACM awards recognize achievements by young computing professionals, educators, theoretical computer scientists, software systems innovators, and pioneers who have made humanitarian and cross-discipline contributions.</p> </div></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-turing' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/turing-2024-barto-sutton.jpg" alt="2024 ACM A.M. Turing Award recipients Andrew G. Barto and Richard S. Sutton"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-turing' target='_blank'>Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton Receive 2024 ACM A.M. Turing Award</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-acm-prize' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/torsten-hoefler-acm-prize.jpg" alt="2024 ACM Prize recipient Torsten Hoefler"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-acm-prize' target='_blank'>Torsten Hoefler Receives 2024 ACM Prize in Computing</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-barroso' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/rachid-guerraoui.jpg" alt="2023 ACM Fran Allen Award Recipient Margaret Martonosi"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://awards.acm.org/about/2024-barroso' target='_blank'>Rachid Guerraoui Receives 2024 ACM Barroso Award</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Advanced Member Grades</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/advanced-member-grades" class="first">Advanced Grades of Membership</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/fellows" title="ACM Fellows" >ACM Fellows</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-members" title="ACM Distinguished Members" >ACM Distinguished Members</a></li> <li><a href="/senior-members" title="ACM Senior Members" >ACM Senior Members</a></li> <li><a href="/fellows/faq" title="ACM Fellows FAQ" >ACM Fellows FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-members/faq" title="ACM Distinguished Members FAQ" >ACM Distinguished Members FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/senior-members/faq" title="ACM Senior Members FAQ" >ACM Senior Members FAQ</a></li> <li><a href="/fellows/committee" title="ACM Fellows Committee" >ACM Fellows Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-members/committee" title="ACM Distinguished Member Committee" >ACM Distinguished Member Committee</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">ACM Advanced Grades of Membership</p> <p>The ACM <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left;">Advanced Grades of Membership program </span>recognizes the achievements of ACM members through all stages of their career.</p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/media-center/2024/january/fellows-2023' ><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/acm-fellows-member-badge.jpg" alt="acm-fellows-member-badge.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/media-center/2024/january/fellows-2023' >ACM Names 2023 Fellows</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/bulletins/2024/january/distinguished-2023' ><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/acm-distinguished-member-badge.jpg" alt="acm-distinguished-member-badge.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/bulletins/2024/january/distinguished-2023' >ACM Names 2023 Distinguished Members</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">SIG Awards</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/sig-awards" class="first">About SIG Awards</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigaccess" title="SIGACCESS" >SIGACCESS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigact" title="SIGACT" >SIGACT</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigada" title="SIGAda" >SIGAda</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigai" title="SIGAI" >SIGAI</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigapp" title="SIGAPP" >SIGAPP</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigarch" title="SIGARCH" >SIGARCH</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigbed" title="SIGBED" >SIGBED</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigbio" title="SIGBio" >SIGBio</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigcas" title="SIGCAS" >SIGCAS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigchi" title="SIGCHI" >SIGCHI</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigcomm" title="SIGCOMM" >SIGCOMM</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigcse" title="SIGCSE" >SIGCSE</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigda" title="SIGDA" >SIGDA</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigdoc" title="SIGDOC" >SIGDOC</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigecom" title="SIGEcom" >SIGEcom</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigevo" title="SIGEVO" >SIGEVO</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigir" title="SIGIR" >SIGIR</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/siggraph" title="SIGGRAPH" >SIGGRAPH</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sighpc" title="SIGHPC" >SIGHPC</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigkdd" title="SIGKDD" >SIGKDD</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/siglog" title="SIGLOG" >SIGLOG</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmetrics" title="SIGMETRICS" >SIGMETRICS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmicro" title="SIGMICRO" >SIGMICRO</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmis" title="SIGMIS" >SIGMIS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmm" title="SIGMM" >SIGMM</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmobile" title="SIGMOBILE" >SIGMOBILE</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigmod" title="SIGMOD" >SIGMOD</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigops" title="SIGOPS" >SIGOPS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigplan" title="SIGPLAN" >SIGPLAN</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigsac" title="SIGSAC" >SIGSAC</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigsam" title="SIGSAM" >SIGSAM</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigsim" title="SIGSIM" >SIGSIM</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigsoft" title="SIGSOFT" >SIGSOFT</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/siguccs" title="SIGUCCS" >SIGUCCS</a></li> <li><a href="/sig-awards/sigweb" title="SIGWEB" >SIGWEB</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">About SIG Awards</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: start;">ACM's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) regularly cite outstanding individuals for their contributions in more than 30 distinct technological fields.</span></p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Regional Awards</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/regional-awards" class="first">About Regional Awards</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/india-doctoral-dissertation" title="ACM India Doctoral Dissertation" >ACM India Doctoral Dissertation</a></li> <li><a href="/acm-india-ecr" title="ACM India Early Career Researcher" >ACM India Early Career Researcher</a></li> <li><a href="/acm-india-occw" title="ACM India Outstanding Contributions in Computing by a Woman" >ACM India Outstanding Contributions in Computing by a Woman</a></li> <li><a href="/acm-india-occe" title="ACM India Outstanding Contribution to Computing Education" >ACM India Outstanding Contribution to Computing Education</a></li> <li><a href="/ipsj-acm-global" title="IPSJ/ACM Award for Early Career Contributions to Global Research" >IPSJ/ACM Award for Early Career Contributions to Global Research</a></li> <li><a href="/ccf-acm-ai" title="CCF-ACM Award for Artificial Intelligence" >CCF-ACM Award for Artificial Intelligence</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">About ACM Regional Awards</p> <p>ACM recognizes the contributions of individuals working primarily within specific regions of the world through awards given by its regional councils, and through partnerships with international societies.</p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2025/ecr-award-2024' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/india-ecr-2024.jpg" alt="Dr. Arkaprava Basu and Dr. Sayan Ranu"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2025/ecr-award-2024' target='_blank'>ACM India ECR 2024 Award</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2025/kapoor-occw-2024' ><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/hemangee-kapoor-occw.jpg" alt="Prof. Hemangee Kapoor"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2025/kapoor-occw-2024' >ACM India OCCW 2024 Award</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2024/occe-award-2024' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/meenakshi-dsouza-poa.jpg" alt="OCCE 2024 award recipient Meenakshi D'Souza"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://www.acm.org/articles/acm-india-bulletins/2024/occe-award-2024' target='_blank'>ACM India OCCE 2024 Award</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Nominations</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/award-nominations" class="first">Award Nominations</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/turing/nominations" title="ACM A.M. Turing Award" >ACM A.M. Turing Award</a></li> <li><a href="/acm-prize/nominations" title="ACM Prize in Computing" >ACM Prize in Computing</a></li> <li><a href="/thacker/nominations" title="ACM Charles P. "Chuck" Thacker Breakthrough in Computing Award" >ACM Charles P. "Chuck" Thacker Breakthrough in Computing Award</a></li> <li><a href="/fran-allen-nominations" title="ACM Frances E. Allen Award" >ACM Frances E. Allen Award</a></li> <li><a href="/barroso/nominations" title="ACM Luiz André Barroso Award" >ACM Luiz André Barroso Award</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-service/nominations" title="ACM Distinguished Service Award" >ACM Distinguished Service Award</a></li> <li><a href="/doctoral-dissertation/nominations" title="ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award" >ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award</a></li> <li><a href="/eckert-mauchly/nominations" title="ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award" >ACM-IEEE CS Eckert-Mauchly Award</a></li> <li><a href="/bell/nominations" title="ACM Gordon Bell Prize" >ACM Gordon Bell Prize</a></li> <li><a href="/hopper/nominations" title="ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award" >ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award</a></li> <li><a href="/kanellakis/nominations" title="ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award" >ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award</a></li> <li><a href="/karlstrom/nominations" title="ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award" >ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award</a></li> <li><a href="/kennedy/nominations" title="ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award" >ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award</a></li> <li><a href="/lawler/nominations" title="ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award" >ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award</a></li> <li><a href="/hpc-fellows/nominations" title="ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships" >ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships</a></li> <li><a href="/outstanding-contribution/nominations" title="Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award" >Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award</a></li> <li><a href="/newell/nominations" title="ACM AAAI Allen Newell Award" >ACM AAAI Allen Newell Award</a></li> <li><a href="/policy/nominations" title="ACM Policy Award" >ACM Policy Award</a></li> <li><a href="/computational-science/nominations" title="SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering" >SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/software-system/nominations" title="ACM Software System Award" >ACM Software System Award</a></li> <li><a href="/athena/nominations" title="ACM Athena Lecturer Award" >ACM Athena Lecturer Award</a></li> <li><a href="/cutler-bell/nominations" title="ACM/CSTA Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing" >ACM/CSTA Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing</a></li> <li><a href="/fellows/nominations" title="ACM Fellows" >ACM Fellows</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-members/nominations" title="ACM Distinguished Members" >ACM Distinguished Members</a></li> <li><a href="/senior-members/nominations" title="ACM Senior Members" >ACM Senior Members</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">Awards Nominating Process</p> <h2 id="h-GivingCreditwhereCreditIsDue">How to Nominate</h2> <p>Award nominations deadlines occur throughout the year, with a heavy concentration in January. Please refer to the Nomination Process page for each award, which includes not only information about the deadline but also guidance for preparing each type of nomination.  ACM's <a href="/conflict-of-interest">conflict-of-interest guidelines</a> apply to all award nominations.</p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg" alt="acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'>Call for ACM-W Rising Star Award Nominations</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/og-awards.jpg" alt="og-awards.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'>ACM Honors & Ethics</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Honors and Ethics</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/policy-for-honors" class="first">Policy for Honors Conferred by ACM</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/policies-and-procedures" title="Policies and Procedures for Honors Conferred by ACM" >Policies and Procedures for Honors Conferred by ACM</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">ACM Honors and Ethics</p> <p> ACM formally recognizes individuals for significant contributions to the field, ACM, or its interests. ACM expects individuals it honors to abide by the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Learn about ACM's policies and procedures for integrating expectations of ethical behaviour and ACM Awards. </p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg" alt="acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'>Call for ACM-W Rising Star Award Nominations</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/og-awards.jpg" alt="og-awards.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'>ACM Honors & Ethics</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Awards Committees</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/committees" class="first">ACM Awards Committee</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="/turing/committee" title="ACM A.M. Turing Award Committee" >ACM A.M. Turing Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/acm-prize/committee" title="ACM Prize in Computing Committee" >ACM Prize in Computing Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/thacker/committee" title="ACM Charles P. "Chuck" Thacker Breakthrough in Computing Committee" >ACM Charles P. "Chuck" Thacker Breakthrough in Computing Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/allen/committee" title="ACM Frances E. Allen Award" >ACM Frances E. Allen Award</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-service/committee" title="ACM Distinguished Service Award Committee" >ACM Distinguished Service Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/doctoral-dissertation/committee" title="ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee" >ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/eckert-mauchly/committee" title="ACM-IEEE CS Eckert Mauchley Award Committee" >ACM-IEEE CS Eckert Mauchley Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/bell/committee" title="ACM Gordon Bell Prize Committee" >ACM Gordon Bell Prize Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/hopper/committee" title="ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award Committee" >ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/kanellakis/committee" title="ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award Committee" >ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/karlstrom/committee" title="ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award Committee" >ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/kennedy/committee" title="ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award Committee" >ACM-IEEE CS Ken Kennedy Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/lawler/committee" title="ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award Committee" >ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/hpc-fellows/committee" title="ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships Committee" >ACM-IEEE CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/newell/committee" title="ACM AAAI Allen Newell Award Committee" >ACM AAAI Allen Newell Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/outstanding-contribution/committee" title="Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award Committee" >Outstanding Contribution to ACM Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/policy/committee" title="ACM Policy Award Committee" >ACM Policy Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/computational-science/committee" title="SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering Committee" >SIAM/ACM Prize in Computational Science and Engineering Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/software-system/committee" title="ACM Software System Award Committee" >ACM Software System Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/athena/committee" title="ACM Athena Lecturer Award Committee" >ACM Athena Lecturer Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/india-doctoral-dissertation/committee" title="ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee" >ACM India Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/fellows/committee" title="ACM Fellows Committee" >ACM Fellows Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/distinguished-members/committee" title="ACM Distinguished Member Committee" >ACM Distinguished Member Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/senior-members/committee" title="ACM Senior Member Committee" >ACM Senior Member Committee</a></li> <li><a href="/awards-committees/conflict-of-interest" title="Conflict of Interest Guidelines" >Conflict of Interest Guidelines</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">About ACM Awards Committees</p> <p>At the core of the ACM Awards program is a dedicated group of volunteers who serve on the committees of the ACM Awards to recognize individuals for their excellence in the computing fields</p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/awards-ctte-co-chairs.jpg" alt="awards-ctte-co-chairs.jpg"><div class="cta-text"> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="has-dropdown not-click"><a href="#">Establishing an Award</a> <div class="dropdown clearfix"> <ul class="infonav clearfix"> <li class="infonav__linkList clearfix"> <a href="/guides" class="first">Policies and Guide for Establishing an ACM Award</a> <ul class="infonav__linkList-list clearfix"> <li><a href="http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/guidelines-best-paper-award" title="ACM Publications Board Guidelines for Establishing a Best Paper Award for ACM Periodicals" >ACM Publications Board Guidelines for Establishing a Best Paper Award for ACM Periodicals</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="infonav__landingPage"> <div> <p class="first">Policies and Guide</p> <p>ACM welcomes proposals for the establishment of new awards, to recognize contributions based on merit, service, or for an outstanding paper.</p></div> </li> <li class="infonav__ctaList"> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/awards/acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg" alt="acm-w-rising-star-award.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='https://women.acm.org/awards/rising-star-award/' target='_blank'>Call for ACM-W Rising Star Award Nominations</a></div> </div> <div class="infonav__ctaList-cta"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/og-awards.jpg" alt="og-awards.jpg"></a><div class="cta-text"> <a href='/policy-for-honors' target='_blank'>ACM Honors & Ethics</a></div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </li> </ul> </section> </nav> </div> <div id="main" > <div class="banner-container"> <div> <div> <div class="acm-banner-container" style="background: url(/binaries/bannerlarge/content/gallery/acm/banners/7_awards_acm_banner.jpg) no-repeat center 0 / 130% #000;"> <div class="gradient-wrapper" style="background: url('/binaries/content/gallery/global/gradient.png') repeat-x center 0 / 130% transparent;"></div> <div class="overlay" style="background: url('/binaries/content/gallery/global/tintpattern.png') repeat 0 0;"></div> <div class="row"> <div class="columns large-12 medium-12 banner-content"> <p class="banner-heading"> <small>Specific Types of Contributions</small> ACM Policy Award</p> <p>Significant influence on the formation or execution of public policy related to computing</p><a class="button" href="policy/award-recipients" > Award Recipients</a> <a class="button" href="/policy/nominations" > Nominations</a> <a class="button" href="policy/committee" > Committee Members</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article" id="maincontent"> <article class="has-edit-button" id="SkipTarget" tabindex="-1"> <div class="row"> <div class="columns small-12 zone-1"> <div> <div> <ul class="breadcrumbs"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li class="current"> <a href="/policy">ACM Policy Award</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="columns large-8 medium-8 small-12 zone-2"> <div> <div> <div class="articles"> <div class="landing"> <h1> About ACM Policy Award</h1> <p>The ACM Policy Award was established in 2014 to recognize an individual or small group that had a significant positive impact on the formation or execution of public policy affecting computing or the computing community. This can be for education, service, or leadership in a technology position; for establishing an innovative program in policy education or advice; for building the community or community resources in technology policy; or other notable policy activity. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 prize.</p></div> </div> </div> <div> <h2> Recent ACM Policy Award News </h2> <div class="awards-winners__related-content"> <h3> 2023 ACM Policy Award</h3> <div class="awards-winners__related-content-body"> <div class="video-wrapper" style="display: block;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-cookieconsent="ignore" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-tdIRKzltBo?si=2-aFrmbk9yM14boX" width="560"></iframe></div> <div style="padding-top: 38px;"> <p><a href="https://awards.acm.org/award-recipients/abowd_6135122" target="_blank"><strong>John M. Abowd</strong></a>, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Chief Scientist, United States Census Bureau (retired), receives the <strong>ACM Policy Award </strong>for transformative work in modernizing the US Census Bureau’s processing and dissemination of census and survey data, which serves as a model for privacy-aware management of government collected data. Abowd’s work has transformed the government’s capacity to improve the accuracy and availability of vital statistical and data resources, while at the same time, enhancing citizens’ privacy. <del cite="mailto:Brian%20McKay" datetime="2024-06-11T14:13"> </del></p> <p>The decennial census data produced by the US Census Bureau, the population count of residents, is the foundation for political apportionment, redistricting, federal funding, and a range of evidence-based policy decisions. While serving as a Distinguished Senior Research Fellow at the Census Bureau, Abowd recognized that differential privacy, a specific mathematical framework used to provide statistical information about a group while protecting the confidentiality of individuals, would allow the Census to unlock crucial economics data sets that could not be previously published due to privacy requirements.</p> <p>Working with students and civil servants, he helped create OnTheMap, which enabled external researchers to work with differentially private data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program. With these frameworks, government agencies have been able to link and share new data sources. For example, while he was Chief Scientist, a team in his directorate worked with the US Army to link service data to post-discharge employment data. This initiative—the Veteran Employment Outcomes data project—helps policymakers, military leaders, researchers, and the public examine the relationship between military service and professional outcomes.</p> <p>Following up on this work, Abowd led the development of a disclosure avoidance system (DAS) at the Census Bureau, which succeeded in providing detailed public data that was computed from the confidential census responses, processed through a differentially private publication system, and released in recognizable tabular format to millions of diverse users. Beyond his effective use of differential privacy at the Census, Abowd has contributed to other areas. Modelling work he supervised helped anchor the bureau’s administrative data collection efforts during the 2020 Census, and he worked with other methodologists at the Census Bureau to rapidly develop methods to help the census address missing data issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<span id="cke_bm_1135C" style="display: none;"> </span></p></div></div> </div> <div class="awards-winners__related-content"> <h3> 2021 ACM Policy Award</h3> <div class="awards-winners__related-content-body"> <div class="video-wrapper" style="display: block;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-cookieconsent="ignore" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/nerV5eF1sSQ" width="560"></iframe></div> <div style="padding-top: 38px"> <p><a href="https://awards.acm.org/award_winners/brewer_3454726"><strong>Judy Brewer</strong></a> receives the <strong>ACM Policy Award</strong> for her leadership of the Web Accessibility Initiative and development of multiple web accessibility standards, which have been adopted globally and improved accessibility for millions worldwide.</p> <p>Brewer leads the development of standards and strategies for inclusive web design, providing web developers with tools necessary to bring the power and the promise of the World Wide Web to millions of people who otherwise might have been excluded from this vital component of modern life. She is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a Principal Research Scientist in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.</p> <p>In the late 1990s, although web design was flourishing, accessibility was not. Millions of new users uploaded image maps, frames, and other features that proved problematic at best and prohibitive at worst for users with auditory, cognitive, motor, neurological, physical, speech and visual disabilities. Under Brewer’s direction, WAI develops the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide developers with a set of criteria to judge the accessibility of the sites they are building. WCAG also inspired the development of numerous evaluation tools capable of reviewing web pages to identify potential barriers such as non-navigable menu structures and images without alternative textual descriptions. The WCAG specifications and these tools provide a baseline for accessible web design, and for accessibility of web-based technologies such as real-time communications and virtual reality.</p> <p>Under Brewer’s leadership, WAI has also worked extensively with government agencies, industry, and disability organizations, leading to the adoption of WCAG as an international standard (ISO/IEC 40500:2012), and the alignment of WCAG with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the US and European Mandate 376 requiring accessible technology procurement and development in all EU countries. The WCAG standards have been translated into twenty-three languages and have been adopted by dozens of countries. Nearly every government around the world that has requirements for digital accessibility cites WCAG. WAI has led the evolution of the web from its early days of featuring expensive and unscalable alternative text-only designs to a modern reality of highly accessible layouts designed to seamlessly work on both desktops and smartphones.</p> <p>Brewer has led these efforts for more than 20 years, participating on numerous committees of the US Access Board, the US National Council on Disability, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards bodies, industry groups, and many others. She has published widely on accessibility; testified before US Congress and government organizations in Korea, Denmark, China, and other countries; given numerous international keynote presentations; and has been honored by numerous groups concerned with accessibility.</p> </div></div> </div> <div class="awards-winners__related-content"> <h3> 2020 ACM Policy Award</h3> <div class="awards-winners__related-content-body"> <div class="video-wrapper" style="display: block;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/U3aNB0_wRYc" data-cookieconsent="ignore" width="560"></iframe></div> <div style="padding-top: 38px"> <p><a href="/award_winners/rotenberg_UNI1560"><strong>Marc Rotenberg</strong></a> was named the recipient of the 2020 ACM Policy Award for long-standing, high-impact leadership on privacy and technology policy.</p> <p>Rotenberg is founder and President of the Center for AI and Digital Policy. Previously he was President and Executive Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a public interest research center he co-founded in 1994. Early in his career, he launched the Public Interest Computer Association, the first organization in the US to help nonprofits use microcomputers. Rotenberg then helped draft key US privacy and computer security laws as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was director of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) DC office.</p> <p>He was also the first ACM Director of Public Policy, and a Chair of the ACM Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights. In 2020 he joined the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation to launch the Center on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy. In late 2020, and in collaboration with others, he edited and published <em>Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values: The AI Social Index 2020</em>.</p> <p>A leading advocate for privacy and data protection, Rotenberg has testified before the US Congress and European Parliament more than 60 times and has filed over 150 Freedom of Information lawsuits and amicus briefs in pursuit of greater government transparency and corporate accountability. He also edited and published such landmark reports as <em>Privacy and Human Rights: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments and Cryptography and Liberty</em>.</p> <p>Rotenberg has mentored two generations of public interest attorneys through internships at EPIC, as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, and as the author of many textbooks and articles. He is also a leading voice for civil society at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and elsewhere. He helped draft and gather support for several global declarations, including The Civil Society Seoul Declaration (2008), The Madrid Privacy Declaration (2009) and The Universal Guidelines for AI (2018).</p> </div></div> </div> <div class="awards-winners__related-content"> <h3> 2019 ACM Policy Award</h3> <div class="awards-winners__related-content-body"> <div class="video-wrapper" style="display: block;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-cookieconsent="ignore" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/U3aNB0_wRYc" width="560"></iframe></div> <div style="padding-top: 38px"> <p><a href="/award_winners/simons_2101418"><strong>Barbara Simons</strong></a> was named the recipient of the 2019 ACM Policy Award for long-standing, high-impact leadership as ACM President and founding Chair of ACM's US Public Policy Committee (USACM), while making influential contributions to improve the reliability of and public confidence in election technology. Over several decades, Simons has advanced technology policy by founding and leading organizations, authoring influential publications, and effecting change through lobbying and public education.</p> <p>Twenty-six years ago, Barbara Simons founded USACM to address emerging public policy issues around technology, and led the committee for nine years. She worked to build ACM’s policy activities and pioneered bridging the technical expertise of computer scientists with the policymaking of the US government.</p> <p>Simons recruited an interdisciplinary team for USACM, the forerunner of today’s <a href="https://www.acm.org/public-policy/ustpc">US Technology Policy Committee (USTPC)</a>, ranging from computer scientists and industry leaders to lawyers and experts in public policy. Now part of ACM’s <a href="https://www.acm.org/public-policy/tpc">Technology Policy Council (TPC)</a>, which serves global regions, the TPC groups have continued Simons’ original vision for ACM: to provide cogent advice and analysis to legislators and policymakers about a wide range of issues including cryptography, computer security, privacy, and intellectual property.</p> <p>Simons is internationally known as an expert on voting technology, an advocate for auditable paper-based voting systems, and author of numerous papers on secure election technology. Through her publications, reports, testimony to the US Congress, and advocacy, Simons has been a key player in persuading election officials to shift to paper-based voting systems, and has contributed to proposals for reforms in election technologies, including post-election ballot audits. <em>Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count?</em>, the 2012 book Simons co-authored with Douglas Jones, is regarded as the best available analysis of the risks of using computing technology in voting.</p> <p>Simons served as ACM President from 1998 – 2000. In 2001, she served on President Clinton’s Export Council’s Subcommittee on Encryption and the National Workshop on Internet Voting, which conducted one of the first studies of internet voting.</p> <p>Since 2008, Simons has served as one of two US Senate appointees to the Board of Advisors of the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and she was named Chair of the Board of Advisors subcommittee on election security in 2019. She currently also chairs the Board of Directors of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that advocates for legislation and regulation that promotes accuracy, transparency and verifiability of elections. She remains active with ACM as a member of the global Technology Policy Council and as Co-chair of USTPC‘s Voting subcommittee.</p> <p>Simons is the only woman to have received the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from the College of Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her PhD in Computer Science. Taking a nontraditional path to her degree after returning to school as a single mother, she was a co-founder of the University of California Computer Science Department Reentry Program for Women and Minorities. She then worked as a computer scientist for IBM’s Research Division for nearly two decades. She is a Fellow of ACM and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Simons received the Computing Research Association Distinguished Service Award, the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award, the ACM Outstanding Contribution Award, and the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Norbert Wiener Award.</p> </div></div> </div> <div class="awards-winners__related-content"> <h3> 2017 ACM Policy Award</h3> <div class="awards-winners__related-content-body"> <div class="video-wrapper" style="display: block;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LfcGeWMmqjE" data-cookieconsent="ignore" width="560"></iframe></div> <div style="padding-top: 38px"> <p><a href="/award_winners/wulf_1025840"><strong>William Wulf</strong></a> was named recipient of the <strong>ACM Policy Award</strong> for broad contributions bringing computing into the national agenda, leading computer scientists into public policy where his inspirational leadership promoted key national priorities including diversity and ethics.</p> <p>A highlight of Wulf’s tenure as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) division (1988-1990) was overseeing the merger and conversion of the ARPANet, an early packet-switching network with/to NREN, an early network that supported the research and education communities. This merger, as well as efforts by Wulf and others to work with Congress to craft legislation, led to the publicly accessible internet.</p> <p>As the Chair of National Research Council (NRC) Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (1992-96), Wulf managed the development of several landmark reports including “Computing the Future: A Broader Agenda for Computer Science and Engineering,” and “Evolving the High Performance Computing and Communications Initiative,” among many others.</p> <p>While at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Wulf became known as the “Education President.” He established NAE’s first Standing Committee on Engineering Education and spearheaded NAE’s technical literacy movement. Two reports: “The Engineer of 2020” and “Educating the Engineer of 2020” were especially well-received and fostered broad consensus among NAE’s membership. Wulf was also recognized for his efforts in championing ethics and greater diversity in the engineering profession during his term at NAE.</p> <p><em>The <a href="https://awards.acm.org/policy" target="_blank">ACM Policy Award</a> was established in 2014 to recognize an individual or small group that had a significant positive impact on the formation or execution of public policy affecting computing or the computing community. This can be for education, service, or leadership in a technology position; for establishing an innovative program in policy education or advice; for building the community or community resources in technology policy; or other notable policy activity. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 prize..</em></p> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columns large-4 medium-4 small-12 zone-3"> <div> <div> <div class="articles single-cta"> <div class="two-col-alt article-block"> <div class="row" data-equalizer=""> <div class="large-12 medium-12 small-12 columns"> <div class="cta shadowed " data-equalizer-watch=""> <div class="row" style="margin: inherit;"> <div class="medium-12 columns d-table top-cta"> <div class="text-wrap"> <span class="article-category">Awards & Recognition</span> <h2 class="text-left"><a href='/about/2023-service-awards' target='_blank'>ACM Honors John M. Abowd with Policy Award</a></h2> <div class="dek"> <p><a href="https://awards.acm.org/award-recipients/abowd_6135122" target="_blank"><strong>John M. Abowd</strong></a>, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, and Chief Scientist, United States Census Bureau (retired), receives the <strong><a href="https://awards.acm.org/policy" target="_blank">ACM Policy Award</a> </strong>for transformative work in modernizing the US Census Bureau’s processing and dissemination of census and survey data, which serves as a model for privacy-aware management of government collected data. Abowd’s work has transformed the government’s capacity to improve the accuracy and availability of vital statistical and data resources, while at the same time, enhancing citizens’ privacy.</p></div> </div> <a href='/about/2023-service-awards' target='_blank'><img src="/binaries/ctaimagelarge/content/gallery/acm/ctas/people/john-maron-abowd.jpg" alt="John Abowd" /></a></div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div class="articles single-cta"> <div class="two-col-alt article-block"> <div class="row" data-equalizer=""> <div class="large-12 medium-12 small-12 columns"> <div class="cta shadowed " data-equalizer-watch=""> <div class="row" style="margin: inherit;"> <div class="medium-12 columns d-table top-cta"> <div class="text-wrap"> <h2 class="text-left"></h2> <div class="dek"> <div> <div class="panel awards-navigation"> <h2 class="sidebar-header"><a href="/list-of-awards">Full List of ACM Awards</a></h2> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div class="panel awards-navigation"> <h2 class="sidebar-header">ACM Awards by Category</h2> <div class="data-list"> <dl class="awards-navigation__accordion accordion" data-accordion> <dd class="accordion-navigation"> <a href="#awards_18_0" class="awards-navigation__link"> <h3>Career-Long Contributions</h3> </a> <div id="awards_18_0" class="awards-navigation__content content"> <a class="awards-navigation__link" href="/turing">ACM A.M. 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