USPA presents awards to members in recognition of their accomplishments in skydiving.
USPA reserves its service awards for special USPA members whose contributions to the organization and the sport meet the awards’ criteria. These awards include the Gold Medal for Meritorious Service, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Regional Achievement Award and the Chesley H. Judy Safety Award. The committee also selects nominees for several international skydiving awards, including those for awards given by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and National Aeronautic Association.
Service awards recognize excellence in areas such as safety, innovation, instruction, and community involvement. Member participation is essential in identifying individuals who deserve these honors. By nominating fellow skydivers, you can help ensure that their contributions and dedication are recognized and preserved in USPA history. USPA accepts nominations annually at uspa.org/awards.
The USPA Lifetime Achievement Award is perhaps the most respected honor offered by the United States Parachute Association. It was originally conceived and created in 1970 as a result of an initial gift of $3,000 from an anonymous donor. The sum was eventually enlarged to a total of $30,000 over a period of years and the funds were placed on deposit with the National Aeronautic Association, which agreed to administer them on behalf of the United States Parachute Association for the purpose of underwriting the cost of a variety of perpetual competition trophies, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award. The fund ceased to exist in 1982 when the final money available was used to construct the floor-to ceiling display cases at USPA’s Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The agreement signed on May 13, 1970, between Attorney John Kerr Wilson, acting for the anonymous donor; National Aeronautic Association Executive Director General Brooke E. Allen, acting for the National Aeronautic Association; and Dr. Edward A. Fitch, president of the United States Parachute Association, acting for USPA, stipulates (among other things) that at any time on or after May 13, 1975, the anonymous donor may identify himself and direct that any and all awards created through his gift carry his name. To date the anonymous donor has not seen fit to exercise this privilege.
The May 13, 1970, agreement, as accepted by USPA, describes the award itself and the qualifications required of recipients, using this language:
“To provide a bowl or other suitable trophy to be known initially as ‘The United States Parachute Association Achievement Award’ [renamed ‘USPA Lifetime Achievement Award’ in July, 2004], which shall be perpetual and will be awarded annually to an expert active or retired sport parachute jumper in recognition of outstanding sportsmanship, skill, or personal contribution to the sport of parachuting and the United States Parachute Association, its goals and purposes. The recipient of such award will be selected by the board of directors by a majority vote during a closed regular or special meeting. In the event a majority of the board of directors cannot agree upon a recipient of such award on account of a lack of preeminence of the sport parachutist in any one year, the award will be made at least once each two years. Such trophy will be kept permanently in an appropriate location to be determined by the board of directors.”
The trophy itself is a sterling silver bowl, 15 inches in diameter, seated on an octagonal teakwood base which bears carved wooden replicas of the USPA emblem on four faces and sterling silver plates listing the names and qualifications of recipients of the award on the other four faces. Traditionally, each year the recipient receives a smaller, eight-inch diameter replica sterling-silver bowl as his or her personal possession.
Traditionally, the award is made for the year prior to the year in which it is presented. While the deed of gift requires that the award be given only to an individual, in 1974, the presentation was made to the United States Army Parachute Team and in 2024 to Arizona Airspeed, which suggests that the language in the deed is usable more as a guideline than as a strict requirement.
The Membership Services Committee and the board has usually regarded the statement, “In recognition of personal contribution to the United States Parachute Association, its goals and purposes” as an overriding requirement (i.e., achievements in sport parachuting unrelated to the United States Parachute Association would normally not be considered sufficient to qualify a recipient, lacking specific contributions to USPA).
While the deed of gift states that the award must be made at least once every two years, neither in 1991 nor in 1992 was a recipient named, thereby again suggesting that this particular language serves more as a guideline than as a requirement.
No current member of the USPA Board of Directors may be recommended for the USPA Lifetime Achievement Award during his or her term as a member of the board. In practice, this requirement has been extended to forbid a nomination for at least two full years after the end of board service. It is enlarged to include as ineligible current or former USPA employees, also until at least two years after their employment ends.
The USPA Gold Medal for Meritorious Service was established on July 13, 1997, by the USPA Board of Directors. The award is given to no more than three recipients per year, in the form of a struck-brass medal that measures three inches in diameter, weighs approximately five ounces and is slotted at the top for attachment of a 30-inch gold fabric ribbon. On permanent display at USPA Headquarters is a large wooden plaque measuring two feet by six feet and adorned with an exact replica of the medal along with brass metal strips bearing the name of each recipient and the year awarded.
The USPA Gold Medal for Meritorious Service honors outstanding USPA members who, by their efforts over a period of years, have made significant contributions to the skydiving community. Each recipient must be or have been a USPA member and been active in sport parachuting for at least 20 years in the areas of, but not limited to judging, instruction, jumpmastering, photography (still and video), competition, and safety.
No current member of the USPA Board of Directors may be considered for the award and no past member of the board of directors of USPA may be considered for the award until at least two years after retiring from the board. No current employee of USPA may be considered for the award and no past employee of USPA may be considered for the award until at least two years after leaving USPA employment.
The USPA Regional Achievement Award honors an outstanding member of a USPA region who, by their efforts over a period of time or one outstanding act, has made a significant contribution to that region’s skydiving community. The award is presented in the form of a certificate to a total of no more than five recipients per year.
No current member of the USPA Board of Directors may be considered for the award and no past member of the USPA Board of Directors may be considered for the award until they have been off the board for at least two years. No current employee of USPA may be considered for the award and no past employee of USPA may be considered for the award until at least two years after leaving USPA employment.
The USPA Chesley H. Judy Safety Award was created in 2004 to honor members who had promoted skydiving safety. The USPA Board determined that the award was consistent with the original intent of the Ches Judy Safety Fund established in 1997 to honor the memory of Ches Judy, former USPA Director of Safety and Training, who was killed in a skydiving plane crash two years earlier. Distribution of the fund was in abeyance pending the development of a suitable safety-related program.
USPA Headquarters developed the certificate, which is available at no charge to each drop zone to honor the local USPA member who is most deserving of the award. The award is to be presented on USPA Safety Day in conjunction with the other planned activities for the annual event.
The selection for the award recipient should be based on the previous year’s actions or accomplishments of any current USPA member who, through example, deed, training, or innovation, had promoted safe skydiving in a substantive way. The USPA S&TA in consultation with the drop zone owner selects one individual from the drop zone to which the award is appointed based on the above criteria.
The S&TA should request a certificate from headquarters either online or by email to safety@uspa.org. The request should include the correctly spelled name of the recipient and the name of the drop zone. USPA will provide the completed certificate to the requesting S&TA for presentation during that year’s Safety Day activities.
USPA members earn achievement awards by accumulating significant levels of experience. For number of freefall jumps, USPA issues Jump Wings in 1,000-jump increments and, for amount of freefall time, Freefall Badges in 12-hour increments.
USPA issues canopy performance awards for accomplishments in canopy formation skydiving. These include the 4-Stack Award, CCR (Canopy Crest Recipient) or 8-Stack Award, and CCS (Canopy Crest Soloist) Award, and include night versions of each.
Upon request, USPA issues tenure certificates to acknowledge membership in USPA for significant periods of time, beginning at 10 years of USPA membership and for each five-year increment thereafter.
USPA established the Ted Strong Award for Extraordinary Sportsmanship in 2012 to honor extraordinary sportsmanship displayed by teams or individuals at a USPA National Championships. For further information, see USPA National Skydiving Championships General Competition Rules in the Skydiver’s Competition Manual.
For more details on these awards, visit uspa.org/awards.
Nominations for Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and National Aeronautic Association awards go through the Membership Services and Competition Committees of the USPA Board of Directors for endorsement, then to USPA Headquarters for submission to the NAA.
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale General Awards
The Paul Tissandier Diploma is awarded to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular, by their work, initiative, devotion, or in other ways. Each year, the United States may submit the names of up to three candidates.
The FAI Honorary Group Diploma, as its name implies, may be awarded to groups of people (design offices, scientific bodies, aeronautical publications, etc.) that have contributed significantly to the progress of aeronautics or astronautics during the previous year or years. Each year, an FAI member may submit the names of two candidates, one for aeronautics and one for astronautics.
The FAI Gold Parachuting Medal may be awarded annually for an outstanding accomplishment in connection with parachuting, in the realm of sport, safety, or an invention. The medal was created by an endowment fund provided by Mr. J.A. Istel, President of Honour of the FAI Parachuting Commission.
The Leonardo da Vinci Diploma is awarded to a parachutist who has any one of the following:
- been at least twice an individual champion or a member of a champion team at a first-category event
- established at least three world parachuting records
- have been at least three times an FAI/IPC official at a first-category event (Chief Judge, FAI Parachuting Judge, FAI Controller, International Jury Member or any combination thereof)
- have been at least three times a competition director at a first-category event
- have been for at least six years the chair of an IPC Committee (IPC Internal Regulations 6.7) or an IPC Bureau Member or any combination thereof
The Faust Vrančić Medal was established in memory of the first person to construct a functioning parachute and is awarded annually for technical innovation or achievement in parachuting. It cannot be awarded to delegates to the FAI Parachuting Commission.
The Sabiha Gökçen Medal is awarded to the woman who performs the most outstanding achievement in any air sport in the previous year. It was created in 2002 upon a proposal from Turk Hava Kurumu, and is supplied by the Turkish NAC. Sabiha Gökçen, winner of the FAI Gold Air Medal, was Turkey's first woman pilot and, in 1937, became the world's first female military pilot. She was an inspiration to women pilots.
Refer to www.fai.org/page/civa-awards and naa.aero/awards for the most up-to-date information. FAI parachuting awards are subject to approval by the FAI Parachuting Commission.
National Aeronautic Association Service Awards
The Frank G. Brewer Trophy, awarded annually, is given to an individual, group or organization for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States. The nomination period is open from May 1 through August 31 every year.
The Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation Awards honor outstanding Americans who, by their efforts over a period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics and have reflected credit upon America and themselves. The nomination period is open from May 1 through August 31 every year. A nominee must:
- be a living citizen of the U.S who has for at least 25 years been actively identified with aeronautics and has made contributions of significant value to aeronautics;
- have exhibited qualities of patriotism, integrity, and moral courage worthy of emulation;
- be well and favorably known as a person of ability and character.
Refer to naa.aero/awards for the most up-to-date information.