This award is presented to the author(s) of the paper judged to be the best paper presented at the Urban Affairs Association's (UAA) conference. The selected paper is published as the lead article in the conference issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs. Recipients are given a complimentary registration to the subsequent conference where the achievement is officially recognized, including the presentation of a plaque that describes the award.

All conference papers submitted for the annual conference issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs, are eligible for the award. The deadline for submission of conference papers to the Journal of Urban Affairs is announced each spring at the conference and posted on the UAA website. Papers are subjected to the normal Journal of Urban Affairs process and finalists are determined by composite review comments. The award winner is selected by an ad hoc committee designated by the chair of the Governing Board. The committee reports its decision to the Executive Director and the Chairperson of the Board. The Executive Director informs the award recipient of the outcome.