The IAFA Distinguished Scholarship Award is a career award, presented annually since 1986, that recognizes distinguished contributions to the scholarship and criticism of the fantastic.
Past Winners of the IAFA Distinguished Scholarship Award
| Year | Awardee |
| 2023 | Isiah Lavender III |
| 2022 | Farah Mendelsohn |
| 2020 | Stacy Alaimo |
| 2019 |
Mark Bould |
| 2018 |
Fred Botting |
| 2017 |
Edward James |
| 2016 |
Cristina Bacchilega |
| 2015 |
Colin Milburn |
| 2014 |
Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr. |
| 2013 |
Constance Penley |
| 2012 |
Jeffrey J. Cohe |
| 2011 |
Andrea Hairston |
| 2010 |
Takayuki Tatsumi |
| 2009 |
Maria Nikolajeva |
| 2008 |
Roger Luckhurst |
| 2007 |
Jane Donawerth |
| 2006 |
M. Thomas Inge |
| 2005 |
Damien Broderick |
| 2004 |
Marcial Souto |
| 2003 |
S. T. Joshi |
| 2002 |
Roderick McGillis |
| 2001 |
Brooks Landon |
| 2000 |
Nina Auerbach |
| 1999 |
John Clute |
| 1998 |
Gary K. Wolf |
| 1997 |
N. Katherine Hayle |
| 1996 |
T. A. Shippe |
| 1995 |
Peter Hunt |
| 1994 |
James Flannery |
| 1993 |
Sir Devendra P. Varma |
| 1992 |
Jack Zipes |
| 1991 |
Brian Attebery |
| 1990 |
H. Bruce Franklin |
| 1989 |
C. N. Manlove |
| 1988 |
Kathryn Hume |
| 1987 |
Brian Stableford |
| 1986 |
Brian W. Aldiss |