Prizes

The DPS sponsors four prizes:

The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize
honors outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science.
The Harold C. Urey Prize
recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary research by a young scientist.
The Harold Masursky Award
acknowledges outstanding service to planetary science and exploration.
The Carl Sagan Medal
recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.
The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award
recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.

Previous Winners

Kuiper Prize Urey Prize Masursky Award Sagan Medal Eberhard Award
1984 E. M.Shoemaker D. J.Stevenson
1985 F. L.Whipple L. W.Esposito
1986 G. W.Wetherill J. L.Wisdom
1987 D. M.Hunten S. W.Squyres
1988 R. A.Hanel J. I.Lunine
1989 J. B.Pollack C. P.McKay
1990 V. S.Safronov D. J.Tholen
1991 E.Anders R. P.Binzel C.Sagan
1992 P.Goldreich J. J.Lissauer H. J.Smith
1993 J. R.Arnold R.Yelle M. S.Matthews
1994 J. A.Van Allen K. J.Meech J. A.Burns
1995 M. J.Belton E.Lellouch W.Brunk
1996 B. J.Conrath H. B.Hammel W.Quaide
1997 I. I.Shapiro R.Malhotra J. T.Trauger
1998 C. E.Sagan E. I.Asphaug J. H.Rahe W. K.Hartmann
1999 A. H.Delsemme D. P.Hamilton W. T.Huntress C. R.Chapman
2000 C. B.Leovy A.Morbidelli G.Brown L.Lebofsky
2001 B.Hapke M.Brown A.Brahic
2002 E.Grün B. J.Gladman H. B.Hammel
2003 S. J.Ostro R. M.Canup R. F.Beebe
2004 C. M.Pieters J.-L.Margot A.Basilevsky D.Morrison
2005 W.Hubbard D.Nesvorny J. K.Beatty R.Lopes
2006 D. P.Cruikshank T.Guillot G.Lee D. H.Grinspoon
2007 A. P.Ingersoll F.Nimmo T.Gehrels
2008 M.A'Hearn J.Giorgini G. J.Taylor

Nomination

All DPS members are encouraged to submit nominations for DPS prizes.

This year's deadline for Prize nominations is past, nominations for 2009 will be due in the spring.

A complete nomination submitted by the deadline will be considered by the Prize subcommittee for 3 years (i.e. for this year's award, next year's award, and the year after that), or for the duration of a candidate's eligibility, whichever is less. Please fill out the nomination form and email it (PDF preferred) to the Prize Subcommittee Chair, dpsprize@aas.org.

Prize Subcommittee Rules and Procedures

Selection Procedure

The final responsibility for determining the frequency of prizes and for selecting the recipients lies with the DPS Committee. The Prize Subcommittee assists the Committee in selecting recipients by reviewing all nominations received, verifying eligibility, and preparing a slate of up to three candidates for each award.

Anyone may submit a nomination. The Prize Subcommittee also may solicit nominations from the DPS membership or the scientific community at large. A completed nomination will be retained and considered by the Prize Subcommittee for three years, or as long as the nominee is eligible, whichever is less. Past nominees may be re-nominated after the expiration of a prior nomination.

Though DPS Prizes are primarily intended to honor living people, a posthumous nomination (except for the Sagan Medal) may be submitted within the nomination period containing the first anniversary of the date of death of the nominee, and will be considered for three years, or in the case of the Urey Prize, up to three years until the nominee would have reached the age limit as specified for living recipients. Posthumous nominations are not renewable. Only living nominees will be considered for the Sagan Medal.

All the nominations and selection procedures will be carried out in a confidential manner.

Prior to the annual meeting of the DPS, the Prize Subcommittee shall provide the DPS Committee with an ordered slate of not less than three choices for each prize, unless there are fewer than three valid nominations for a prize, in which case all valid nominations shall be included in the slate. One of the choices may be a recommendation for no award, which may be placed in any order in the slate of choices. The Subcommittee shall also provide the DPS Committee with all documentation supporting each nominee on the slate.

Final selection, or the choice not to make an award, will be made by the DPS Committee. At an appropriate time, the prize and award recipients will be publically announced through the DPS Press Officer.

The Eberhard Award has different rules and procedures than the other DPS Prizes, please see its page for more information.

Prize Details

For Prize details, see individual listings (Kuiper Prize, Urey Prize, Masursky Award, Sagan Medal, Eberhard Award).

Prize Subcommittee Membership

Archived Session Video from DPS 40

Reaching out to Congress