2025 Call for Nominations
The American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists announce the call for nominations for the ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award. The IDEA Award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the annual Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one).
***Eligibility Note: No contemporary officer, editor, member of diversity committee, or meeting organizer of the three societies is eligible for the award. Membership in any of the three societies is not required to nominate someone or be nominated for this award.***
How to submit a nomination
Nominations should be submitted by October 15, 2025.
Nomination packages should include:
- Nomination Letter: A single letter of support (maximum 2 pages) including biographical information (name, title, organization) of the person or group being nominated, along with a description of the activities supporting the nomination. The letter should focus on the nature of the impact the nominee has had on inclusivity, diversity, and equity in the field. Specifically, how has the candidate’s efforts increased diversity and inclusion in the ecology and evolutionary biology community?
The evaluation committee will use the following criteria to assess nominees (the nominators should include information addressing these points):- The specific activities of the nominee
- Timeline of nominee’s activities (when/over what years was the nominee active?)
- The impacts of the nominee’s activities (who is impacted and how)
- The scale at which the nominee’s activities is directed (e.g., local, regional, national, international)
- Assessment of impact (has the nominee demonstrated their impact via formal assessments, etc.?)
- Communication of the nominee’s activities (have the nominee’s activities been communicated to the ecology and evolutionary biology community, broader scientific community, or the general public?)
- Ability of nominee’s activities to serve as a model for other fields Growth of the nominee/nominee’s activities over time (has the nominee shown sustained commitment to their activity over time? Has the activity expanded, evolved, or changed over time with the nominee’s input?)
For self-nominations, an additional letter of support from another person who is familiar with the activities of the nominee is welcome, but not required.
At the end of the letter, the nominator must include this statement: “To the best of my/our knowledge, this nominee has adhered and does adhere to the SSE/ASN/SSB Code of Ethics.” Nominators should choose one code for this statement. The ASN Code of Ethics is available here.
Successful nominees need not excel in all categories. The award has previously been made to the founders of new groups as well as career DEI professionals. - Biosketch: A brief biosketch or list of activities (maximum 3 pages) for the person/group nominated that highlights their work in inclusiveness, diversity, equity, and access. This document should focus on the activities relevant to the nomination and should include relevant materials (citations, websites, workshops, social media accounts and activities, etc.).
- Optional supplementary material: Any material you believe clarifies or captures the scope, breadth, and timeline of the activities of the nominee relevant to this award (maximum 3 pages).
Please contact committee chair Vince Formica at vformic1 [at] swarthmore.edu with any questions.
DEADLINE: October 15, 2025
Past recipients are listed here.