Awards

At each Symposium three awards are given among the IPA community. These are:

1. IPA Rick Battarbee Lifetime Achievement Award
The major award of the International Paleolimnology Association (IPA) is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is a medal presented by IPA to the winner(s) at the international symposia. The award was initiated in 2008. Following a call for nominations from the Chair of IPA, nominators are asked to submit a one-page letter of nomination and a full CV of the nominee. The selection committee will be chaired by the Chair of the IPA Executive.

The following criteria are taken into account when choosing the IPA Lifetime Achievement Award winner(s):

Contributions to paleolimnology (judged by their papers, programs, inventions, students supervised, etc.);
The impact they have made on our science globally;
The extent to which they have promoted the use/value of paleolimnology in the wider field of science (e.g. by publications in peer-reviewed, non-specialist science journals);
Their contribution to the wider societal understanding of environmental change;
Whether this is the appropriate meeting for recognition or, given the merits of other nominees, whether recognition should be deferred until a future meeting. Historically, the award was given to individuals who have reached retirement age, though many such retirees continued to be active.

The winner is presented with a medal at IPS, is invited to deliver a talk at a special awards session at the IPS, and is encouraged to publish their talk (i.e. a summary of their career and reflections) in the Journal of Paleolimnology. IPA will cover IPS registration costs as well as reasonable travel and accommodation expenses.

2. IPA Early Career Researcher Award
The IPA Early Career Researcher Award, which was initiated in 2018, will be presented at our International Paleolimnology Symposia (IPS) to the successful nominee who defended their PhD thesis within the past 10 years. Allowances will be made for academic leave. Selection criteria will be based on contributions to paleolimnology, which may include, but are not necessarily limited to: academic excellence and publications, presentations at conferences and other venues, public outreach, leadership, and/or service contributions to the broad paleolimnological community. Nominations for people of diverse identity and researchers who originate from low-income and middle-income countries are encouraged.

Following a call for nominations from the Chair of IPA, nominators will be asked to submit a one-page letter of nomination and a full CV of the nominee. The selection committee will be chaired by the Early Career representative on the IPA Executive. The winner(s) will be presented with a certificate from IPA and will be invited to give a plenary address at the International Paleolimnology Symposium (IPS). IPA will cover IPS registration costs as well as reasonable travel and accommodation expenses.

3. IPA Outstanding Service Awards
The IPA Outstanding Service Awards, which were initiated in 2012, were designed to honour those who have enabled the advancement of paleolimnology through their dedicated, effective and sustained support for our research community. This Award may also recognise contributions towards promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within the field of paleolimnology.

Following a call for nominations from the Chair of IPA, nominators will be asked to submit a one-page letter of nomination describing the service of the nominee. The selection committee will be chaired by the Chair of the IPA Executive. The winner(s) will be presented with a certificate from IPA and will be invited to say a few words at the IPS awards ceremony.