Specialties
Since its inception, the ABA seeks to recognize its achievers and high ranking players. The Merit Award is given yearly to either an ABA or non-ABA member who has rendered meritorious service to the ABA within the previous year. Life memberships are awarded yearly to individuals who have been ABA members for at least twenty years and who have a record of outstanding service at the local sectional and national levels. Other prestigious awards are granted to those players amassing the most points within a calendar year. Although highlighting the achievements of its own, the ABA also identifies with the larger social arena in which it functions. In 1963, the ABA established the F. Alberta Peterson Scholarship Award. This program has now been incorporated into a broader arm of the American Bridge Association Education and Charitable Foundation, established in 2002. The Foundation mission is to engage in educational and charitable activities, provide scholarships, and facilitate learning o