The Aquacultural Engineering Society honors contributions to the field and society with two awards, the Award of Excellence and the Meritorious Service Award.
This award recognizes outstanding science or technical contributions to the field of aquacultural engineering. The award can reflect very substantial single contributions or an extended record of smaller contributions. The recipient must be a member of AES. Past award winners are:
| Year | Recipient | Institution |
| 2020 | Thomas Losordo | |
| 2014 | Steve Summerfelt | The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute |
| 2010 | Fred Wheaton | University of Maryland |
| 2008 | Steve Serfling | Solar Aquafarms, Inc. |
| 2005 | Barnaby Watten | United States Geological Survey |
| 2003 | John Colt | National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration |
This award recognizes an AES member’s unswerving loyalty, dedication, and meritorious service to the society over a long period of time; and for exceptional commitment to the programs, ideals, objectives and long-term goals of AES. Past award winners are:
| Year | Recipient | Institution |
| 2020 | Jaap van Rijn | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| 2010 | Mike Timmons | Cornell University |
| 2008 | Steve Summerfelt | The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute |
| 2006 | Brian Vinci | The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute |
Nominations are solicited from the AES membership for the AES Award of Excellence and the AES Meritorious Service Award. These two awards are considered on an annual basis by the AES Board of Directors. No more than one award in each category can be made in any one year. These awards are conferred on a need-only basis – they are not mandatory. Award nominations and supporting data should be sent to info@aesweb.org , with the reference "Award Nomination", prior to the end of each year. The Awards Committee Chair ensures nomination packages are complete and then distributes nomination packages to the AES Board of Directors. The AES Board selects award recipient(s), if any, by majority vote. Awards are presented by the President of AES during the subsequent AES general membership meeting.
