American Society of Naturalists

A membership society whose goal is to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences.

Nominations for the IDEA Award

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2026 Call for Nominations

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The American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists announce the call for nominations for the ASN/SSE/SSB IDEA Award. The IDEA Award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting access and inclusion in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the annual Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one).

Eligibility

No contemporary officer, editor, member of the AIC committee, or meeting organizer of the three societies is eligible for the award. Membership in any of the three societies is not required to nominate someone or be nominated for this award.

Resubmissions (with or without updates) of previous nominees who did not receive the award are welcomed.

How to submit a nomination

Nominations should be submitted by November 1, 2026.

Nomination packages should include:

  1. Nomination Letter: A single letter of support (maximum 2 pages) including biographical information (name, title, organization) of the person or group being nominated, along with a description of the activities supporting the nomination. The letter should focus on the nature of the impact the nominee has had on access and inclusion in our community. In the letter, nominators should also address the breadth of the nominee’s impact, the scale and timeframe of their efforts, and the extent to which the nominee has a plan to assess the impact of their activities. Specifically, how have the candidate’s efforts increased access and inclusion in the ecology and evolutionary biology community?
    For self-nominations, an additional letter of support from another person who is familiar with the activities of the nominee is welcome, but not required. At the end of the letter, the nominator must include this statement: “To the best of my/our knowledge, this nominee has adhered and does adhere to the SSE/ASN/SSB Code of Ethics.” Nominators should choose one code for this statement. The ASN Code of Ethics is available here.
  2. Biosketch: A brief biosketch or list of activities (maximum 3 pages) for the person/group nominated that highlights their work increasing inclusion and access. This document should focus on the activities relevant to the nomination and should include relevant materials (citations, websites, workshops, social media accounts and activities, etc.).
  3. Code of Ethics: A statement confirming that you have reviewed the ASN, SSE, or SSB Code of Ethics and that to your knowledge, the nominee has not violated the Code of Ethics.
  4. Optional supplementary material: Any material you believe clarifies or captures the scope, breadth, and timeline of the activities of the nominee relevant to this award (maximum 3 pages).

Please contact committee chair Susana Wadgymar at suwadgymar [at] davidson [dot] edu with any questions.

DEADLINE: November 1, 2026

Click here to apply!

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation committee will use the following criteria to assess nominees. The nominators should include information addressing these points in the nomination letter:

  • The specific activities of the nominee
  • Timeline of nominee’s activities (when/over what years was the nominee active?)
  • The impacts of the nominee’s activities (who is impacted and how)
  • The scale at which the nominee’s activities is directed (e.g., local, regional, national, international)
  • Assessment of impact (has the nominee demonstrated their impact via formal assessments, etc.?)
  • Communication of the nominee’s activities (have the nominee’s activities been communicated to the ecology and evolutionary biology community, broader scientific community, or the general public?)
  • Ability of nominee’s activities to serve as a model for other fields
  • Growth of the nominee/nominee’s activities over time (has the nominee shown sustained commitment to their activity over time? Has the activity expanded, evolved, or changed over time with the nominee’s input?)

Successful nominees need not excel in all categories. The award has previously been made to the founders of new groups as well as career professionals.

Award

The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the annual Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one).

Past Recipients

Past recipients are listed here.

About the IDEA Award

The IDEA Award was created in 2019 by the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), and the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB). The IDEA Award is given to a person or group at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting access and inclusiveness in our fields. The recipient will receive a plaque at the annual meeting of the joint societies and a $1000 honorarium.