Catchers in the Rye
"I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff."
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Assembly Catchers in the Rye Awards
Nominate a fellow AACAP member, component, or regional organization of child and adolescent psychiatry today!
The Assembly Catchers in the Rye Awards are the Assembly’s most prestigious awards that recognize an AACAP member, an AACAP component, and a regional organization of the AACAP Assembly for outstanding advocacy efforts done on behalf of children and adolescents.
Advocacy efforts could include organizing mental health services for an underserved population, advocating for children and families politically, or enhancing the efforts of child and adolescent psychiatrists to provide high quality mental health services.
AACAP recognizes advocacy in three categories:
- Individual (AACAP member)
- AACAP Component (committee or task force)
- Regional Organization
Nominations should describe the nominee’s advocacy work and why the nominee deserves the award (150-350 words).
The awardees will be honored during the fall Assembly Meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 in Seattle, WA.
Submit nominations to the Executive Office executive@aacap.org by June 30, 2025.
Humanitarian Award
The AACAP Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award is awarded by the AACAP Executive Committee. It was established in 1990 to honor an individual who has made sustained and significant contributions to the field of children's mental health. Contributions may include but are not limited to advocacy, increasing awareness, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, research, and/or acts of bravery/kindness.
Application Instructions
Nominations are now being accepted for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)'s Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award.
- Name and contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address, of nominator;
- Name and contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address, of nominee;
- 250-500 word explanation of why the nominee deserves the award;
- 2-3 paragraph biography or abridged CV (no more than 4 pages) of the nominee;
- If available, supporting information that would be helpful to inform the selection committee, such as a website, book, magazine, or journal profile.
Humanitarian Award Nominees:
Please submit the following information with the nomination:
- Name and contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address, of nominator
- Name and contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address, of the nominee
- 2-3 paragraph biography or C.V. of the nominee
- 250 – 500 word explanation of why the nominee deserves the award
- If available, supporting information that would be helpful to inform the selection committee, such as a website, book, magazine or journal profile
All nominations must be submitted to the AACAP Development Office via email at development@aacap.org. Nominations must be in a Word or PDF format. Please write “AACAP 2025 Humanitarian Award Nomination” in the subject line of the email.
Nominations for the AACAP Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award close on April 2, 2025.
AACAP's Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award recipient will be recognized for their impact on children's mental health at AACAP's 72nd Annual Meeting. Recipients are required to attend the awards ceremony at AACAP's Annual Meeting.
Past AACAP Catchers in the Rye Humanitarian Award Recipients