The James J. Rubovits award honors the best paper presented during the NEERO annual conference.  All attendees have the opportunity to nominate a paper during the conference and winners are notified prior to the following year's conference. The award presentation is a highlight of the conference.

The Rubovits Award is named for James J. Rubovits, professor emeritus of psychology at Rhode Island College. In addition to his significant contributions at Rhode Island College, he was active for many years in the NEERO organization, serving as both its conference director and board member.