Welcome to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and Foundation for Seaports of the Americas Submission Portal. This centralized platform is designed to streamline the application and submission process for AAPA's Lighthouse Awards and Professional Development programs, and the Foundation for Seaports of the Americas scholarships.
To begin your submission, please select the appropriate program using the link(s) below. Available options will be displayed based on current submission periods. We are proud to support excellence, innovation, and professional growth across the port industry, and look forward to receiving your submissions.
Requirements: Successful candidates are expected to complete the Port Professional Manager curriculum and, to the extent possible, attend at least four AAPA events with their cohort during the first two years of the program. Candidates have up to five years to complete all program requirements, however, they are encouraged to finish sooner.
The curriculum includes 176 hours of educational credits (approximately 44 hours per year) across 14 port management topic areas and 72 hours of program credits (approximately 18 hours per year). Program credits are earned through participation in monthly cohort meetings, active involvement in an AAPA technical committee, volunteer service through an approved activity, and completion of a capstone project (paper, project, trade mission, or one-week residency).
For your planning purposes, candidates selected for the Helm Cohort will be expected to attend the Port Leadership Summit, January 25-29, 2027, in Curaçao, which is a required cohort event.
To be eligible for the PPM® program, you must submit the $99 application fee and complete this application. Please click here to pay the fee. Payment is processed through the AAPA website using your iMIS account. This login is different from the credentials you created for the application. If you do not know your login information, please use the Find My Account tool to locate your record. If no record is found, you may Create an Account to proceed with payment.
A $1,100 program enrollment fee will be invoiced in November 2026 for candidates selected to join the Helm Cohort. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Laura Sanders at lsanders@ports.org.