The IEEE Computer Society/Software Engineering Institute Watts S. Humphrey Software Process Achievement Award (SPA) is presented to recognize outstanding achievements in improving an organization's ability to create and evolve software-dependent systems. This is an achievement award rather than a competition: awards are not necessarily made every year, and multiple awards may be made in a year.

An award may be presented to an individual, group, or team. Nominees are most often employees of an organization that produces, supports, enhances, or provides software-dependent systems. However, the Nominee's work may have been undertaken in alternative contexts: for example, within an organization that produces, supports, enhances, or provides software engineering or process improvement-related services; or within an association supporting improvement-community activities. The Nominee's organization may be for-profit, not-for-profit, or non-profit; may be industrial, academic, government organizations, or foundations; and need not be based in the United States. 

Anyone may nominate, and organizations may nominate themselves. All nominations must be seconded by a senior executive of the organization in which the nominated individual or team works, and supported by a ten-page nomination package that shows how the nominee's software engineering or process improvement work is, to an exceptional degree, significant, sustained, measured, and shared. 

Awardees will be announced and recognized by the IEEE Computer Society and the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Awardees will receive an engraved, commemorative plaque presented at a technical conference to be announced. Awardees will be required to produce a technical report describing their accomplishments and to present a paper at a technical conference to be announced, and will receive a total honorarium of $1,500.

More information regarding the nomination and award process, deadlines, and past recipients can be located at http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/spa.