Early Career Innovation Award

About this program

The Entomological Society of America offers the Early Career Innovation Award to recognize young entomologists who have demonstrated innovation across research, teaching, extension, product development, public service, or other areas; recipients receive $1,000 and a plaque presented at the ESA Annual Meeting. Nominations are submitted electronically through the ESA awards portal and are judged by a panel using criteria weighted heavily toward contributions to the field (90 points) with additional consideration for professional participation and leadership (10 points). Eligible nominees must be current ESA members who are 2–10 years past their last degree while working in entomology (including postdoctoral positions), and may be employed in public or private sectors; up to two self-nominations are allowed per year. Nomination packages (maximum 20 pages) must include a CV with required sections, two letters of recommendation, a brief summary of the innovation (no more than two single-spaced pages), meet file-format (PDF/TIF/JPG) and 10‑point font requirements, and requests for eligibility extensions must be emailed to awards@entsoc.org by May 1.