OSA Awards
Awards and Honors are a vital part of the OSA legacy, and we work hard to ensure that the endowments which make these awards possible will continue for future generations.
Contributors support the endowments of existing awards, and provide funding for the establishment of new prizes. Please visit Current Campaigns to learn more about supporting an existing honor or contact our staff for information about establishing a new program.
For more information on the awards and or directions for submitting a nomination, please visit the OSA Awards Nomination page or email awards@osa.org.
- the highest award of the Society, the Ives Medal recognizes overall distinction in optics
- recognizes outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education
- recognizes contributions to physical optics
- recognizes service to the optical community (usually presented in even-numbered years only)
- recognizes individuals for their innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics, regardless of their career stage.
- recognizes team technical achievements in optical engineering. Deadline is July 2
- recognizes research accomplishments in the field of optical engineering
- recognizes authorship of an outstanding book in the field of optics and photonics, published in the last six years, that has contributed significantly to research, teaching, or the optics and photonics industry (co-sponsored with SPIE). (presented in even-numbered years only)
- recognizes contributions to optics based on semiconductor-based devices and optical materials, including basic science and technological applications
- recognizes an individual or group who has had a significant impact on the global optics and photonics community or has had a significant impact on society as a whole stemming from non-research oriented activities
- recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies, and products (co-sponsored with the Society for Imaging Science and Technology)
- recognizes outstanding leadership in founding or growing the optics and photonics community locally.
- recognizes seminal contributions to the field of optical information processing
- recognizes contributions to vibrational spectroscopy (co-sponsored with the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy)
- recognizes noteworthy contributions made to optics before reaching the age of 35
- recognizes interdisciplinary and international contributions (presented in odd-numbered years only)
- recognizes outstanding work in spectroscopy
- recognizes contributions to optical engineering, primarily in the commercial and industrial sector
- recognizes distinguished work in the field of vision (awarded in even-numbered years only)
- recognizes contributions to quantum electronics
- recognizes contributions to fiber optic technology (co-sponsored with the IEEE/Photonics Society). Deadline is August 10
- recognizes distinguished contributions in quantum optics and atomic physics as well as leadership in the international scientific community (co-sponsored with Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG))
- recognizes an outstanding discovery, scientific or technological achievement or invention
Past OSA Awards
- from 1997 to 2008, the award program served to encourage research excellence, presentation prowess and leadership in the optics community among OSA student members
- recognized outstanding contributions to atmospheric remote sensing while a graduate student
- recognized an outstanding graduate student in photonics and optical engineering
- recognized the best feature article in Optics & Photonics News.