The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) Awards Program
The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) Awards program honors individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the fields of geoscience and remote sensing. These awards recognize achievements in technical innovation, education, service, and leadership within the GRSS community. By celebrating excellence across various domains, the GRSS Awards aim to inspire continued advancement and engagement in geoscience and remote sensing disciplines. GRSS recognizes its members’ contributions with the following four categories of awards. Major and Special award nomination deadlines are typically December 15th annually.
Major Awards:
The GRSS Major Awards represent the Society’s highest honors, celebrating exceptional individuals whose contributions have had a transformative impact on the fields of geoscience and remote sensing. These prestigious awards recognize groundbreaking research, visionary leadership, and enduring service to the global scientific community. Each award highlights the excellence and dedication that drive innovation and progress within GRSS and beyond.
Please note:
Members of the Administrative Committee (AdCom) of the GRS Society are not allowed to submit any nomination to the GRSS Major Awards. AdCom member may however serve as provider of reference letters for nominees who are not member of the AdCom. Individuals who have received a GRSS Major Award are not eligible to receive another GRSS Major Award within 5 years.
Individuals who have received the Goldin Florin Award or David Landgrebe Award are not eligible to receive a Major Award within 3 years.
Individual Awards
- Fawwaz Ulaby Distinguished Achievement Award:
To recognize an individual who has made significant technical and scientific contributions over a sustained period. - Golden Florin Award:
This is a joint Italian Centre for Microwave Remote Sensing (CeTeM) and GRSS Award to recognize contributions of eminent GRSS members for their outstanding contributions to microwave remote sensing. - Outstanding Service Award:
To recognize an individual who has given outstanding service for the benefit and advancement of the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. - Education Award:
To recognize an individual who has made significant educational contributions in terms of the innovation and extent of its overall impact. - Industry Leader Award:
To recognize an individual who has made significant contributions over a sustained period of time in industrial and/or commercial remote sensing discipline.
Special Awards:
The GRSS Special Awards honor unique contributions and outstanding achievements that may fall outside the scope of the Society’s major recognitions. These awards highlight impactful efforts in areas such as education, public service, and interdisciplinary collaboration—reflecting the diverse ways GRSS members advance the mission of geoscience and remote sensing. They celebrate individuals and teams whose work strengthens the community and broadens the reach of our field.
Individual Awards
- Chapter Excellence Award:
The Chapter Excellence Award recognizes excellence in a Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Chapter or Joint Local Chapter demonstrated by exemplary local GRSS activities during the previous year. The award shall be considered annually and presented only when a deserving Chapter is identified. - Student Branch Chapter Excellence Award:
The award is to recognize excellence in a Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Student Branch Chapter or Joint IEEE Student Branch Chapter demonstrated by exemplary local GRSS activities during the previous calendar year with respect to the date of application. The award shall be considered annually and presented only when a deserving Chapter is identified. - Early Career Award:
The GRSS Early Career Award is established to promote, recognize and support young scientists and engineers within the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society who have shown great potential in their fields of expertise and demonstrated promise for significant contributions in the future. - Regional Leader Award:
The IEEE GRSS established the Regional Leader Award to promote, recognize and support members within the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society who have made significant technical, scientific and/or organizational achievements in the areas of interest to the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing community. The award shall be considered annually and presented if an outstanding candidate is identified. - David Landgrebe Award:
The IEEE GRSS David Landgrebe Award is a GRSS career award, which is awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of remote sensing image analysis. The contributions shall be related to at least one of the following fields: classification, image analysis, feature extraction, change detection, data fusion, data mining, etc.
Publications Awards:
The GRSS Publications Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the Society’s journals and conferences, celebrating excellence in scientific writing, innovation, and technical merit. These honors are awarded to authors whose published work advances the state of knowledge in geoscience and remote sensing, setting high standards for research quality and impact. Through these awards, GRSS highlights the vital role that publications play in disseminating cutting-edge discoveries across the global scientific community.
Individual Awards
- Highest Impact Paper Award:
To recognize the author(s) who have published during the past five years in an IEEE GRSS Journal, the scientific paper that has received the highest number of citations and impact over the past five years, as measured by the Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation index. A previously selected paper shall not be eligible for this award in the following years. - Transactions Prize Paper Award:
To recognize the best papers published in the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. - Letters Prize Paper Award:
To recognize the best papers published in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. - J-STARS Prize Paper Award:
To recognize the author(s) who has published in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing during the calendar year an exceptional paper in terms of content and impact on the GRS Society.
Symposium Awards:
The GRSS Symposium Awards celebrate exceptional contributions presented at GRSS-sponsored conferences, particularly the flagship International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). These awards recognize excellence in oral and poster presentations, student research, and innovative ideas shared during the event. By honoring high-quality work showcased at symposia, GRSS encourages active participation, professional development, and the exchange of cutting-edge research within the global remote sensing community.
Individual Awards
- Symposium Prize Paper Award:
To recognize the best papers presented at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. - Symposium Interactive Session Prize Paper Award:
To recognize an exceptional paper posted and published in an Interactive Session of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). - Mikio Takagi Student Prize:
To recognize the best student paper in 1st place presented at the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). (see also here) - Student Prize Paper Awards:
To recognize the best student paper(s) 2nd and 3rd place papers presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). The award shall be considered annually.