ISPRS AWARDS Brochure ()

Awards Policy

Pursuant to its aims of developing and advancing international cooperation in The Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing recognizes individual accomplishments through the sponsorship of awards and honours which are granted at each quadrennial ISPRS Congress. Nominations for deserving candidates for awards are welcome and may be made by individuals or organizations at any time, but before the deadlines given overleaf. Each nomination must be in written form (e-mail is acceptable) and submitted to an ISPRS Council member. The following is a brief summary of all awards and honours granted by ISPRS. (Year of initial presentation of each award or honor is denoted in parentheses.) The terms of reference for the awards are provided on the related ISPRS pages and published in the Silver Book (ISPRS Organisation and Programmes).

• An ISPRS Honorary Member (1926), ), is elected by the Society in recognition of distinguished services to the ISPRS and its aims. According to the Statutes and Bylaws, there may not be more than ten living Honorary Members of the Society at any given time and a maximum of two Honorary Members may be elected at any Congress. Candidates for Honorary Membership may be proposed by any of the Member organizations of the Society. Honorary Members have the right to attend meetings of the Society (except Council meetings) and shall not be called upon to pay registration fees at functions sponsored in the name of ISPRS. John Trinder (Australia) & Armin Grün (Switzerland) were elected in 2008.
• The Brock Gold Medal Award (1956), sponsored by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, is presented for an outstanding landmark contribution to the evolution of photogrammetric theory, instrumentation, or practice. The award consists of a gold medallion. Ordinary Members of ISPRS are encouraged to nominate candidates for the Award. Nominations must be signed by two individuals of different nationality and also different from the candidate. Nominations should be sent to Secretary General Chen Jun by 1st October 2011. Awarded in 2008 to A. Grün (Switzerland).
• The Otto von Gruber Award (1964), sponsored by the ITC Foundation, is presented to a young (less than 40 years) sole author of a paper of outstanding merit on photogrammetry, photointerpretation or remote sensing and written in the four year period preceding the Congress. The Award consists of a medal and a monetary grant. Applicants may be self nominated or nominated by another. Applications must include three copies of the paper and be sent to President Orhan Altan by 1st January 2012. Awarded in 2008 to M. Butenuth (Germany).
• The Samuel Gamble Award (1988), sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Geomatics, is presented to up to three individuals who have contributed significantly to the development, organization or professional activities of photogrammetry and/or remote sensing, at the national or international level. The award consists of a certificate. Nominations by Member organizations of the Society should be sent to Secretary General Chen Jun by 1st January 2012. Award in 2008 to Wilber K. Ottichilo (Kenya), Jide Kufoniyi (Nigeria) & Li Deren (China).
• The Schwidefsky Medal (1988), sponsored by the German Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, is presented to persons who have made significant contributions to photogrammetry and remote sensing, either through the medium of publication as author or editor, or in another form. The award consists of a medal manufactured in porcelain and a certificate. Nominations for the Medal should be sent by Member organizations of the Society to President Orhan Altan by 1st January 2012. Awards in 2008 to Gerhard Kemper & Klaus Szangolies (Germany).
• The Willem Schermerhorn Award (1988), sponsored by Geo-Information Netherlands, is presented to a person who has most significantly contributed to the activities of a Working Group of the ISPRS during the four year Congress period. The award consists of a certificate. Nominations for the Award should be sent by ISPRS Technical Commissions to President Orhan Altan by 1st January 2012. Award in 2008 to Sisi Zlatanova (Netherlands).
• The Eduard Dolezal Award (1996), sponsored by the Austrian Society for Surveying and Geoinformation, is a limited travel and expense grant to assist individuals or representatives of institutions, from developing or reform countries, to participate in the ISPRS Congress. Candidates are those who have permanently implemented a practical application of photogrammetry, remote sensing or GIS in an efficient manner or which documents their outstanding success in support of these fields. Applicants may be self nominated or nominated by another. Applications should be submitted to Secretary General Chen Jun by 1st January 2012. Awards in 2008 to Nguyen Dinh Duong (Vietnam).
• The U.V. Helava Award (2000), sponsored by Elsevier Science bv and Leica Geosystems, LLC, consists of a grand prize of SFr. 10,000 and a silver plaque presented to the author(s) of the most outstanding paper published exclusively in the ISPRS international Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing during the four years preceding the Congress and three runner up prizes of a Journal subscription and certificate presented to the author(s) of the best paper published in each of the other three years. Grand prize awarded in 2008 to Martin Raubal (USA), Stephan Winter (Australia), Sven Teβmann (Germany) & Christian Gaisbauerand (Australia).
• The Gino Cassinis Award (2000), sponsored by the Italian Society for Surveying and Photogrammetry (SIFET) is presented to a person who has significantly enhanced the mathematical and statistical foundations of the photogrammetry, remote sensing or spatial information sciences in the four years preceding the Congress. The award consists of SFr 2,500 and a certificate. Nominations should be submitted by Member organizations of the Society to President Orhan Altan 1st January 2012. Award in 2008 to Zhilin Li (Hong Kong).
• The Wang Zhizhuo Award, which will be awarded for the first time in 2008, is sponsored by the Chinese Society of Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography (CSGPC). It will be granted at each quadrennial ISPRS Congress to a person who has made significant achievement or innovation in the spatial information sciences. It consists of a medal and a monetary grant (SwF 2,500). Nominations for the Award should be sent by Member organizations of the Society to President Orhan Altan by 1st January 2012.Award in 2008 to Christopher Gold (UK).
• The The Karl Kraus Medal, is donated by the German Society of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, and Spatial Information Sciences (DGPF), the Austrian Society of Surveying and Geoinformation (OVG), and the Swiss Society of Photogrammetry, Image Analysis, and Remote Sensing (SGPBF). It will be awarded at each quadrennial ISPRS Congress to authors of excellent textbooks in the fields of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, and Spatial Information Sciences, written in one of the official languages of the ISPRS, and published no more than eight years prior to the commencement of the quadrennial ISPRS Congress at which it is to be presented. Nomination of authors of textbooks from an Ordinary Member of the ISPRS, or by authors themselves, together with three copies of the nominated textbook, shall reach the General Secretary of ISPRS not later than six months prior the ISPRS Congress at which it shall be presented.
• The President's Honorary Citation (1988), is a certificate of recognition presented by the President of ISPRS to a chairperson, co-chairperson or member of a working group of each ISPRS Technical Commission. The citation is to recognize special, personal and meritorious contributions to the operation of the relevant Technical Commission's activities and advancement of its interests, during the quadrennial term of the Society. Nominations should be made by the Technical Commission Presidents to President Dowman by 1st March 2008.
• The ISPRS Prizes for Best Papers by Young Authors are sponsored by donor organizations and by ISPRS to authors who are less than 35 years old and are the sole author of a high quality paper presented to the Congress. Each prize consists of a certificate, free registration and a travel grant to make it possible for the winner to participate in the Congress. To be eligible, young authors must submit their paper to Congress Director Chen Jun by 31st January 2008 together with documentary evidence that they were born on or after the 1 July 1973. Awards in 2008 to Marta Blazquez (Spain), Margarita Kokla (Greece), Min Deng (Hong Kong, China), Sander Oude Elberink (Netherlands), Pengfeng Xiao (China), David Belton (Australia), Francesco Dell’Endice (Switzerland), Long-qi Zhang (China) & Yuan Li (China).
• At the Congress, a total of 14 Best Poster Papers Awards (1988) are sponsored by ISPRS. A jury for each of the eight ISPRS Commissions observes the poster presentations and selects the two best Poster Papers from the Commission. The award consists of a gift and certificate from the Congress Director.
• The Sherman Wu Young Authors Awards On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Sherman Wu, well known for his work on mapping Mars and winner of the ISPRS Cassini Award in 2004, and his wife, have donated $2500 to The ISPRS Foundation to fund an award for Young Authors at the ISPRS Congress to be held in Beijing in July 2008. The award will be made for the best paper by an author under 35 years of age on the topic of either 'Space Science' or 'Real-time Photogrammetry'. Award in 2008 to Yunhang Chen (USA)
• Also at the Congress, The CATCON Prizes (1996), a software Computer Assisted Teaching Contest, is organized by ISPRS Technical Commission VI and sponsored by donor companies. The main objective of the contest is to promote the development and dissemination of good/user-friendly software packages, www contents and data sets for computer assisted teaching, which preferably are non-commercial and free. Typically the prizes consist of a Gold Award (SFr. 1,000), Silver Award (SFr. 700), and Bronze Award (SFr. 500) and a certificate.
  For further information about CATCON: