2026 Award Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award

To date, 6 individuals have been selected for this prestigious honor, Ms. Marilyn Peterson of the U.S. in 2020, Dr. Bob de Graaff of The Netherlands in 2022, Mr. Robert Heibel of the U.S. in 2023, Randy Pherson and Joseph Gordon in 2024, and Dr. John Nomikos in 2025.

  • To be eligible, a nominee must have made invaluable contributions to the field of intelligence, and especially intelligence scholarship, for an extended period of at least 20 years. Thus, the term “lifetime” denotes this award recognizes dedicated service in education or training over an extended period, not just a few short-term, albeit significant, contributions or achievements.
  • The pool of eligible candidates includes full professors or university/college/program administrators involved in the teaching of intelligence; senior civilian or military government officials who are considered experienced intelligence practitioners; or high-level intelligence consumers who, over many years, have greatly promoted and supported the profession of intelligence.
  • Nominees may be active or retired from the intelligence enterprise and must be a citizen of one of the nations represented within the membership ranks of IAFIE. Nominees may also be honored posthumously as an exception to normal practice if the Board so decides.
  • Being a current or past member of the Association is preferred, but not a strict requirement. That said, a nominee’s qualifications definitely would be enhanced by present or past membership/involvement in IAFIE programs.
  • Self-nominations for this award, the highest one bestowed by IAFIE, are not authorized. Candidates must be sponsored by a current IAFIE member, who will prepare and submit the application packet.
  • The Board has the flexibility to decide whether or not to designate an awardee each year, which is the norm, and in unusual circumstances may decide to select no one at all or more than one individual.

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, the honoree will be designated an IAFIE Distinguished Fellow, granted complimentary lifetime membership in the Association, and urged to participate in major activities for at least the following three years. The Association will cover the recipient’s registration fees for the conference at which he/she is recognized. The recipient will be expected to make a scholarly presentation during the conference, if able to attend. If not, IAFIE will honor the selectee at the earliest opportunity during an international, national, or chapter-level event.

2026 IAFIE Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Mark Lowenthal

Instructor of the Year Award

In alignment with IAFIE’s mission to foster the development of a highly educated and well-trained intelligence workforce, IAFIE’s Instructor of the Year Award honors those who have demonstrated exceptional performance in the field of intelligence instruction, training, scholarship, or program development! This prestigious award is presented annually at IAFIE's Annual Global Conference.

  • The award recipient will be recognized as a special guest at the IAFIE Annual Global Vonference. In addition to a commemorative award, The awardee will receive complimentary conference registration and support for travel costs.
  • Nominations may be submitted by a supervisor, colleague, or other professional acquaintances. Self-nominations are also welcome.
  • All nominees must be an IAFIE member in good standing and must submit a complete application package by the specified deadline.

2026 IAFIE Instructor of the Year Award

Dr. David Strachan-Morris,
Ph.D., SFHEA, FISRM, MSecII

Randy Pherson Award for Advancing the
Tradecraft of Analysis

International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) is dedicated to fostering the development of a highly educated and well-trained intelligence workforce. In alignment with this mission, the Randy Pherson Award for Advancing the Tradecraft of Analysis honors members who have advanced the intelligence profession through excellence and innovation in analytic tradecraft.

  • Improves Analytical Rigor:
    • Uses rigorous analytical methodologies to evaluate complex intelligence information.
    • Produces accurate and insightful assessments that contribute to informed decision-making.
  • Enhances Critical Thinking:
    • Facilitates management of ambiguous or challenging information streams and/or scenarios.
    • Assists in identifying and questioning assumptions.
    • Helps to draw, explain, or test logical conclusions or assumptions.
  • Shows Innovative Analysis:
    • Pioneers an innovative approach to intelligence analysis.
    • Contributes to the development of a new and effective analytical technique.
    • Uses creative thinking to solve an existing or emergent intelligence challenge.
  • Demonstrates Leadership and Initiative:
    • How innovative analysis showed initiative.
    • Implementation took leadership and helped solve a problem or drive a project forward.
    • Exhibits a positive role model and inspiration to others.
    • Exhibits a commitment to professional growth and the advancement of the intelligence analysis field.

2026 Randy Pherson Award
for Advancing the Tradecraft of Analysis

Mr. Freddy Murstad (Freddy M.)

Student Essay Competition

This competition promotes IAFIE’s twin goals of supporting students pursuing a career in intelligence, and of providing a forum for the creation of knowledge and the dissemination and exchange of ideas and information for those interested in and concerned with intelligence education.

  • Any full or part-time undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled with a college or university studying intelligence or closely related discipline. Students should not be full-time intelligence professionals working within the wider intelligence domain.
  • The winner will receive a $1,000 cash award, a certificate, and the conference fee will be waived for the year of the award only.
  • The winner will have the opportunity to publish their essay on the IAFIE website if interested and will also receive a one-year free student membership in IAFIE.
  • If no submissions are of a sufficiently high standard, the committee reserves the right not to make an award.

IAFIE encourages professors and academic staff to nominate or encourage students to submit quality papers for the essay competition. Professors and academic staff overseeing intelligence programs at universities and colleges might like to consider integrating the essay competition into their programmed assessments for courses and units of study. In order that the competition fit the wide scope of intelligence and related degree programs, no specific topic or question will be set; there are simply five broad themes.
   
Papers may be submitted that address an intelligence issue or challenge in one of the following general categories:

  1. Intelligence education
  2. Intelligence organizations
  3. Intelligence operations
  4. Intelligence history
  5. Intelligence failures and successes

2026 IAFIE Student Essay Contest Winner

Mr. Terrence Matsuo

Student Essay: The Missing Dimension: Foreign HUMINT and Japan’s Intelligence Capabilities