Honoring Outstanding Psychoanalytic Work Worldwide

Trailblazing Work Expanding Psychoanalytic Thought

“The 2025 recipients’ work demonstrates a renaissance of creative and applied psychoanalytic thought. This work enhances and influences understanding and acceptance of psychoanalysis and its benefits to society,” says Robin A. Deutsch, PhD, Analyst Trustee.

“The persistent rumors of the irrelevance of psychoanalysis have once again been powerfully refuted by the extraordinary work being done around the world by clinicians, researchers, writers, activists, and artists.”

–The Sigourney Award Judge, 2025

Mary’s Mindset: Reward & Inspire

Mary Sigourney wanted to reward and inspire great work from every corner of the world. Emeritus Trustee Jim Devine shares Mary’s expansive and inclusion vision in this video. If your work, has reshaped understanding, sparked dialogue, influenced culture, or transformed lives through psychoanalytic principles or thought, we invite you to step forward and apply.

Myth or Truth

For more than three decades, The Sigourney Award has honored exceptional contributions to the field of psychoanalysis on a global scale. Mary Sigourney’s independent trust established an Award to acknowledge and foster the integration of psychoanalytic concepts across various disciplines.
 
Our mission is to inspire individuals worldwide to either submit their work for consideration or nominate others whose contributions stand out. As members of The Sigourney Award’s Volunteer Advisory Council, we hope to offer facts that dispel untruths and help broaden worldwide recognition of the Award.


2024 Advisory Council
Ines Bayona Villegas, Columbia | Stefano Bolognini, MD, Italy | Peter Fonagy PhD, United Kingdom | Glen Gabbard, MD, United States | Maria Teresa Savio Hooke, OAM, Australia | Mark Solms, MD, PhD, South Africa

  • Contrary to the belief that The Sigourney Award is a culmination of a lifetime’s work, it is not a lifetime achievement award. Mary Sigourney stipulated that the award should recognize work accomplished within the decade preceding the award year, making it accessible to a broader range of professionals at various stages of their careers.

  • While nominations are welcomed and valued, eligibility for The Sigourney Award is not contingent upon nomination by peers within the psychoanalytic community. Self-nominated and peer-nominated applicants undergo the same comprehensive evaluation process.

  • Actually, The Sigourney Award honors contributions that employ psychoanalytic concepts in innovative ways across a diverse array of fields. Work eligible for consideration may include achievements in academic research, clinical practice, and other disciplines such as anthropology, the arts, child development, criminology, law, medicine, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

  • The work needs to be outstanding or innovative, not necessarily well-known. The Sigourney Award’s application process is designed to help applicants describe the impact of their work and how it has advanced psychoanalytic thought or principles within the ten year period prior to the Award.

  • The work needs to be outstanding or innovative, The Sigourney Award is not restricted by geographic region or language barriers. The application process now accommodates submissions in over 150 languages. The Sigourney Award’s application process is designed to help applicants describe the impact of their work and how it has advanced psychoanalytic thought or principles within the ten year period prior to the Award.

In Their Own Words

Learn more about the diverse work of our honorees in these brief videos.

Welcoming the World

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Welcoming the World *

Click the red “translate” button below to view The Sigourney Award website in any of these languages: Chinese: 点击下面的红色翻译按钮 French: cliquez sur le bouton de traduction rouge ci-dessous German: klicken Sie auf die rote Übersetzungsschaltfläche unten Italian: clicca sul pulsante rosso traduci qui sotto Japanese: 下の赤い翻訳ボタンをクリックしてください Portuguese: clique no botão vermelho traduzir abaixo Spanish: haga clic en el botón rojo de traducir a continuación

Apply Now

Applicants are encouraged submit work that applies or contributes psychoanalytic principles to medicine, psychiatry, other sciences, the arts, literature, or film. Applications will be accepted from all geographic locations starting March 1, 2026.

Extraordinary Work From Around the Globe

Our community of honorees represent the forward-thinking that founder Mary Sigourney envisioned. Explore the impact made by past Award Recipient’s work.

Sigourney News