AESS Annual Awards
AESS will recognize members’ achievements annually by making awards in three categories: the Freudenburg Lifetime Achievement Award, the Early Career Award, and Student Paper Award. AESS awards recognize excellence in achievement, engagement, and mentorship in the environmental, social and/or physical environmental sciences, with a special emphasis on building community and fostering diversity in related professions and practice. While the awards remain selective, there may be more than one recipient in each award category, at the discretion of the AESS Board of Directors.
Freudenburg Awards
The Lifetime Achievement Award seeks to recognize and advance the spirit of AESS co-founder, the late Professor William R. Freudenburg, whose seminal work in risk perception, social disruption and the causes of environmental degradation helped to shape our contemporary discipline. Through this award, AESS honors members of the profession who have also devoted their lives to strengthening our field by mentoring the next generation of environmental scientists and activists, by fostering disciplinary and human diversity in environmental science and studies, and by engaging in outreach to critical decision makers and the public. Involvement in AESS generally weighs heavily in the decision. People from traditionally marginalized groups are encouraged to apply.
Early Career Awards
The AESS Early Career Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promising future potential for research, policy, or activism in any field of environmental science and studies. Through this award, AESS honors individuals who are early in their careers, but have made significant contributions to knowledge, community and diversity in environmental studies and science. Nominees may or may not be working in academia. Age is not a factor in the award; recipients may be on a first or second career. Nominees should be within ten years of full-time employment. People from traditionally marginalized groups are encouraged to apply.
NEW: Mid-Career Award
The AESS Mid-Career Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and sustained excellence in research, policy, activism, or a combination of these areas. Through this award, AESS honors individuals who are mid-career and have made significant contributions to environmental studies or environmental sciences, broadly conceived. Nominees may or may not be working in academia. Age is not a factor in the award; recipients may be on a first or second career. Nominees should be practicing in their field for at least ten years to be eligible for this award. We especially encourage nominations and self-nominations of individuals from traditionally marginalized groups.
Student Poster Awards
This award recognizes the potential in graduate student research to create new insights and impact in environmental science and studies, and to engage with environmental policy, practice, and education. Submissions are open to students at all stages in their academic career. Submissions will be evaluated at the 2025 AESS Conference and results will be announced at the event.
Award Nominations
Lifetime Achievement
The Award
- Certificate and physical prize
- Lifetime honorable AESS membership
- AESS Conference registration fee covered (during award year)
- Invitation to speak at the AESS annual meeting
Nominees must have:
- a long record (e.g. 20 years or more) of environmental research, education, and/or outreach accomplishments
- addressed environmental challenges through trans-disciplinary approaches or collaborations, or by endeavoring to make their work accessible to scholars and practitioners from other disciplinary traditions;
- inspired and actively guided/mentored a generation of environmental scholars, practitioners, and/or policymakers to enact change.
Nominees might have:
- an active record of participation and service in AESS demonstrated dedication to service through service in environmental associations, the community, mentoring arrangements, and/or political boards/councils/task forces;
The AESS membership receives an email inviting them to submit nomination(s) via the online form. Nominators for the Freudenburg are asked to submit:
- 500 words that describe the nominee, with particular emphasis on the award criteria.
- Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae
The AESS Awards Committee screens the nominations and provides the AESS Board of Directors with its top recommendations. The AESS Board then selects the recipient.
Mid Career
The Award
- Certificate and physical prize
- Lifetime honorable AESS membership
- AESS Conference registration fee covered (during award year)
Nominee must:
- be “mid career,” which is defined as an individual who has been in his/her current field for at least 10 years. Post-doctoral fellows, practitioners and other outside academia are eligible for this award.
- have made significant contributions to environmental studies or environmental sciences, broadly conceived.
- be an active AESS member.
Nominee might:
- be in a first or second career; be in academia or not;
- demonstrate dedication to service through service in environmental associations, the community, mentoring arrangements, and/or political boards/councils/task forces;
- demonstrate the potential to address environmental challenges through trans-disciplinary approaches or collaborations, or by endeavoring to make his or her work accessible to scholars and practitioners from other disciplinary traditions;
- demonstrate the potential to inspire and actively guide/mentor a generation of environmental scholars, practitioners, and/or policymakers to enact change.
The AESS membership receives an email inviting them to submit nomination(s) via the online form. Nominators for the Mid Career awards are asked to submit:
- 500 words that describe the nominee, with particular emphasis on the award criteria.
- Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae
The AESS Awards Committee screens the nominations and provides the AESS Board of Directors with its top three to five recommendations. The AESS Board then selects the recipient.
Early Career
The Award
- Certificate and physical prize
- Lifetime honorable AESS membership
- AESS Conference registration fee covered (during award year)
Nominee must:
- be “early career,” which is defined as an individual who has been in his/her current field for less than 10 years. Post-doctoral fellows, practitioners and other outside academia are eligible for this award.
- be an active AESS member.
Nominee might have:
- made significant contributions to ESS theories, methods, pedagogical approaches, public awareness, policy change, and/or environmental education.
- demonstrated dedication to service through service in environmental associations, the community, mentoring arrangements, and/or political boards/councils/task forces;
- demonstrated the potential to address environmental challenges through trans-disciplinary approaches or collaborations, or by endeavoring to make his or her work accessible to scholars and practitioners from other disciplinary traditions;
- demonstrated the potential to inspire and actively guide/mentor a generation of environmental scholars, practitioners, and/or policymakers to enact change.
The AESS membership receives an email inviting them to submit nomination(s) via the online form. Nominators for the Early Career awards are asked to submit:
- 500 words that describe the nominee, with particular emphasis on the award criteria.
- Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae
The AESS Awards Committee screens the nominations and provides the AESS Board of Directors with its top three to five recommendations. The AESS Board then selects the recipient.
