The MAC Presidents' Award was established in 1986 as a means for MAC to recognize significant contributions to the archival profession by individuals, institutions, and organizations not directly involved in archival work but knowledgeable about its purpose and value. Recipients are chosen by a committee comprising the three most recent past presidents of MAC from nominations submitted by committees in each of the 13 states in the MAC region. At the state level, nominations may be made by contacting the state chair directly, or through solicitation of nominations by the chair or members of the state committee. Each state committee may put forward only one nomination per year. As many as three awards may be presented each year. Recipients are invited to attend the members' meeting heldat MAC's annual meeting in the spring to receive their certificates.
The Presidents' Award committee is also responsible for collecting nominations and passing recommendations to Council for the MAC Distinguished Service Award, which is presented at the Awards Luncheon at the spring meeting.
| 2007 |
Ada Woodson Adams |
President, Multicultural Genealogical Center |
| 2006 | Studs Terkel | Author and Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, Chicago Historical Society |
| 2006 | Fred DeLap | Edgar County (Illinois) Genealogical Society |
| 2005 | Ralph DuPae | Steamboat Photograph Collection, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Department of Special Collections |
| 2004 | N/A | None |
| 2003 | | National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive Advisory Committee |
| 2002 | Prof. Clarke Chambers | Social Welfare History Archives |
| 2002 | Katherine Lederer | Ozarks African-American History Collection |
| 2001 | Rev. Lowell G. Almen | Evangelical Church of America |
| 2001 | Robert L. Payton | Philanthropic Studies Collection |
| 2000 | Prof. Emeritus John J. Baughman | Indiana |
| 2000 | Kermit B. Karns | for his role in indexing N.D. Germans records |
| 2000 | Neal W. Moore | Ozarks Labor History Society |
| 1999 | U.S. Congressman Sidney Yates | Illinois |
| 1999 | Dr. Elton J. Bruins | Jt. Archives of Holland |
| 1998 | | Sheldon F. Reese Foundation and Margaret Reese |
| 1998 | | Friends of the Center Alliance Ltd. (FOCAL) |
| 1997 | | 3M Corporation |
| 1996 | Stewart S. Howe Foundation | Illinois |
| 1996 | Richard L. D. Morse | Consumer Movement Archives |
| 1995 | | Abraham Lincoln Association |
| 1995 | Brooks McCormick, Chief CEO (retired) | Navistar International Transportation Company |
| 1994 | Louise Noun and Mary Louise Smith | Iowa Women’s Archives founders |
| 1993 | Gerry Ray | Helped establish the only Kansas county archives |
| 1992 | | The United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Workers of America |
| 1992 | Minnesota State Senator Allan H. Spear and Representative Steve Trimble | Minnesota |
| 1992 | Adolf E. and Rebecca B. Schroeder | |
| 1991 | | Curt Teich Foundation |
| 1991 | | Cleveland Foundation |
| 1990 | Shirley Herd and Virtea Downey | Indianapolis teachers |
| 1989 | Joseph Cardinal Bernardin | Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago |
| 1989 | | Minnesota Future Resources Commission |
| 1989 | | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Santa Fe Southern Pacific Foundation |
| 1988 | U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton | Missouri |
| 1988 | | Iowa Federation of Labor |
