First presented in 1967 and given in honor of Emmett J. Leahy (1910-1964), an American pioneer in records management, it is widely regarded as the highest award for individual accomplishment in the field.

It is the significance of the individual’s overall impact that sets it apart from other awards, which recognize professional service or are presented to project teams, groups, companies or public organizations.

The first award, in the form of a personalised plaque for the recipient to retain, was presented to Ed Rosse, US Social Security Administration, at the 1967 ARMA Annual Meeting.

Exelbert administered the award until 1980 using the IRM magazine to publicize it and solicit nominations, which widened its scope and increased the number of potential candidates.

Following the initial sponsorship by the publisher of the Information and Records Management Magazine and then the ICRM, Pierce Leahy Archives became the sponsors in the late 1980s followed by Iron Mountain in 2000.

The Committee reviews all nominations and then invites an agreed final set of nominees who meet the award criteria to submit formal applications.

They must demonstrate the individual's impact in four areas: (i) Program Development and Management, (ii) Innovation, (iii) Education and (iv) Professional and Organizational Leadership.