Which organization inaugurated the Ada Lovelace Award in 1981?

The organization that inaugurated the Ada Lovelace Award in 1981 was the Association for Women in Computing.

The award honors Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, and recognizes achievements in computing as well as exceptional service to the computing community on behalf of women. It began in 1981 under the name Service Award; it was renamed the Augusta Ada Lovelace Award the following year.

The first recipient was computer scientist Thelma Estrin. Later honorees included Grace Hopper, Ruth M. Davis, Margaret Hamilton, Jean E. Sammet, Anita Borg, and Frances E. Allen, making the award part of the history of women’s contributions to computing.

The answer is sometimes confused with the Association for Computing Machinery, the major professional computing society, or the British Computer Society, which awards the Lovelace Medal. Those organizations have their own honors, but the Ada Lovelace Award belongs to the Association for Women in Computing.