Each year, the statistical profession recognizes outstanding members at the Joint Statistical Meetings in an awards ceremony organized by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS). Nominations are an important part of the process, and everyone can contribute—from the newest to most senior members of our societies. We recognize excellence in our mentors, colleagues, and friends, and it is important to single out those who have made exceptional contributions to the profession. So take a few minutes, review the various COPSS Awards for 2016, and see if you can identify worthy individuals.

Nominations are being sought for the following COPSS awards, which will be presented at the 2016 JSM in Chicago, Illinois (July 30 – Aug 4):

The Fisher Award and Lectureship is awarded yearly for outstanding contributions to aspects of statistics and probability that closely relate to the scientific collection and interpretation of data. The award exists to recognize the importance of statistical methods for scientific investigations. The awardee’s hour-long lecture is delivered during JSM. Eligible nominations should be sent in PDF format by December 15, 2015 to the Fisher Award committee chair, Hans Kuensch, at hans-ruedi.kuensch@stat.math.ethz.ch

The Presidents’ Award is presented yearly in recognition of outstanding contributions to the statistics profession. It is typically granted to an individual who has not yet reached his or her 41st birthday. In the special case of an individual who has received his or her statistically related terminal degree fewer than 12 years prior to the nomination deadline, the individual will be eligible if he or she has not yet reached his or her 46th birthday during the year of the award. Nominations should be sent in PDF format by January 15, 2016, to the Presidents’ Award committee chair, Jeremy Taylor, at jmgt@umich.edu

The Elizabeth L. Scott Award is presented biennially (even years) to an individual who has helped foster opportunities in statistics for women and exemplifies the contributions of Elizabeth Scott’s lifelong efforts to further the careers of women in academia. Nominations should be submitted in PDF format by January 15, 2016, to the Elizabeth Scott Award committee chair, Barry Graubard, at graubarb@mail.nih.gov.

These awards are jointly sponsored by the American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, Eastern and Western Regions of the International Biometric Society (ENAR and WNAR), and Statistical Society of Canada. They represent a discipline-wide acknowledgement of the outstanding contributions of statisticians, regardless of their affiliations with any professional society.

See copss.org for specific information about the awards and their criteria.