[American Astronomical Society](https://aas.org)

June 30, 2026: Nomination (Nominator) deadline | July 15, 2026: Nominee package and Letters of Support deadline

Honorific award; no monetary prize specified.

Recognizes individuals for innovative and impactful development or improvement of astronomical instrumentation that has advanced the field of astronomy.

--- ## Description This award honors individuals who have designed, invented, or significantly improved astronomical instrumentation (excluding software), with a focus on innovations that have led to advances in astronomy. The Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation is open to candidates of any nationality and recognizes both the originality and impact of the instrumentation, regardless of when the contribution was made. The award may be given for work that introduced new technologies, enabled novel investigations, or contributed to the success of major telescopes or research programs. --- ## Due Dates - June 30, 2026: Nomination (Nominator) deadline - July 15, 2026: Nominee package and Letters of Support deadline --- ## Funding Amount - This is an honorific award. No monetary prize is specified. --- ## Eligibility - Open to individuals of any nationality; no restrictions on citizenship or country of residence. - Recognizes design, invention, or significant improvement of astronomical instrumentation (excluding software). - A considerable period of time may have elapsed between the development of the instrumentation and the granting of the award. - Both self-nominations and nominations by others are allowed. - Only AAS members may submit nominations (self-nomination or for other AAS members). - The award is given to individuals (not groups). --- ## Application Process - **Nomination:** Must be initiated by a Nominator (AAS member) by June 30, 2026, via the [AAS Prizes Nomination Portal](https://aas.secure-platform.com/a/page/AASPrizes). - **Nominee Package:** The Nominee must submit a CV (max 2 pages), bibliography (max 2 pages), abstracts of three illustrative publications, and a Professional Ethics Self-Disclosure form by July 15, 2026. - **Letters of Support:** Three letters from individuals familiar with the nominee’s work must be submitted by July 15, 2026. The Nominator is responsible for confirming agreement from all letter writers before submission. - All parts of the nomination must be complete by the respective deadlines; late or incomplete nominations will not be considered. - All nominations remain valid for three prize cycles. For more detailed nomination instructions, see the [AAS Nomination Checklist](https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/nomination-checklist). --- ## Additional Information - The award is presented annually and announced at the January AAS Meeting. - The focus is on the significance, innovation, and impact of the instrumentation on the field of astronomy. - Previous winners include individuals recognized for major advances in instrumentation used in ground- and space-based astronomy. --- ## External Links - [Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation – Program Page](https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/joseph-weber-award-astronomical-instrumentation) - [Nomination Instructions](https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/nomination-checklist) - [AAS Prizes Nomination Portal](https://aas.secure-platform.com/a/page/AASPrizes) - [AAS Honors, Grants, and Prizes](https://aas.org/honors-grants-and-prizes) --- ## Contact Information | Role | Contact | |---------------------|----------------------------------------| | AAS Secretary | [aassec@aas.org](mailto:aassec@aas.org) | | AAS General Contact | [Contact Form](https://aas.org/contact) | | Phone | +1 202-328-2010 |

Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation

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