Awards, Honors & Fellowships

ICRS Members! Please nominate your ICRS colleagues for their research and conservation accomplishments.

The ICRS awards acknowledge the scholarship and work of its members. A list of past awardees and honorees can be found here.

We solicit and encourage nominations from Society members for each of the awards listed below. The closing date for receipt of most award and fellowship nominations is February 15th of each year, with the exception of the Darwin Medal, which closes on December 15th prior to Symposium years. Due dates for Student travel grants will be announced separately prior to each symposium. Look for the call for applications on the ICRS main page.

NEW: Sustainability Award grant awarded for sustainable practices at coral reef-related events, promoting climate neutrality. Dec 15

 

Principal Recognitions of ICRS Members

	Award / Honor / Fellowship	Description	Nomination due
	Darwin Medal	The Society’s premier honor, awarded once every 4 years to an eminent late-career scientist	Dec 15 prior to symposium year
	Honorary Membership	The status of lifetime Honorary Member is awarded to an eminent person who has benefited either the world’s reefs or the society; this status may be held by a maximum of 10 individuals at any one time	Contact the ICRS president to discuss potential nominations.
	Eminence in Research Award	In recognition of a scientist for an outstanding body of research performed over twenty years or more (up to two per year)	February 15
	Mid-Career Scientist Award	In recognition of excellence in research by a mid-career scientist (ten to twenty years post-PhD) performed over the preceding ~10 years (one per year)	February 15
	Early-Career Scientist Award	In recognition of a publication or series of publications by a scientist no more than ten years post-PhD (one per year)	February 15
	ICRS Fellow	In recognition of scientific, conservation, or management achievement and service to ICRS over a significant period of time. A maximum of 15% of ICRS members can be fellows at any one time.	February 15
	World Reef Award	In recognition of scientific or conservation achievement by an individual who is a member of an under-represented demographic in the field of reef science or management (one per year)	February 15
	John Ogden President’s Awards	Two types of awards will be dedicated to support scientists, managers, and policy makers from developing countries involved in coral reef research and conservation. Membership Awards recipients will receive a one-year membership (renewable) in ICRS. Meeting Attendance Award recipients will be provided with funds needed to attend the 2026 ICRS in New Zealand.	February 15
	Coral Reef Conservation Award	In recognition of a regionally or globally significant contribution to the protection of coral reefs (typically one per year)	February 15
	Best Paper Award	To the authors of the best scientific paper in Coral Reefs for the calendar year, as determined by the journal’s editors (one per year)	February 15
	Ruth Gates Fellowship	In memory of Dr. Ruth Gates, this research grant is available to students and early-career scientists no more than 3 years post-PhD (one per year)	February 15
	Graduate Fellowships	A grant awarded to registered post-graduate research students to assist in the costs of undertaking fieldwork or visiting laboratories (typically 6 per year)	February 15
	Science Communication Fellowship	A grant awarded for an ICRS member at any career stage in any type of position (e.g., academic, NGO, government, private sector, other) to gain science communication skills through a workshop, course, internship, or equivalent experience.	February 15
	Student Travel Grants	Grants to support the travel of student members to the International Coral Reef Symposia and certain other symposia.
	Sustainability Award	An annual grant awarded to host institutions between 2024 and 2028, fostering sustainable practices at coral reef-related events and promoting climate neutrality.	Dec 15

See further details regarding the nomination process for the above awards and honors.

Questions about awards and honors should be addressed to the Awards Committee Chair.