Major Society Awards
Society Awards Recipients
Please click here to view past recipients of MSA Society Awards.
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The nomination window is now closed.
Next year's nomination window will open on August 1, 2025!
Society Awards - Descriptions
There are seven different types of MSA Society Awards:
Distinguished Scientist Award(s)
These awards annually recognize a preeminent senior scientist from each of the Biological and Physical Sciences who has a long-standing record of achievement during his or her career in the field of microscopy or microanalysis.
Click here to view a list of previous Distinguished Scientist Award winners.
Burton Medal
The Burton Medal was initiated to honor annually the distinguished contributions to the field of microscopy and microanalysis by a scientist who is less than 40 years of age on January 1st of the award year (i.e., the awardee to be honored at M&M 2022 cannot have been born earlier than 1982).
Click here to view a list of previous Burton Medal awardees.
Hildegard H. Crowley Award for Outstanding Technologist in the Biological Sciences
This Award annually honors a technologist from the Biological sciences who has made significant contributions, such as the development of new techniques that have contributed to the advancement of microscopy and microanalysis. A technologist is defined as an individual whose primary role is in microscopy and microanalysis tool development or service. Established principal investigators are not eligible for this award.
Click here to view a list of previous Outstanding Technologist Award winners.
Chuck Fiori Award for Outstanding Technologist in the Physical Sciences
This Award annually honors a technologist from the Physical sciences who has made significant contributions, such as the development of new techniques that have contributed to the advancement of microscopy and microanalysis. A technologist is defined as an individual whose primary role is in microscopy and microanalysis tool development or service. Established principal investigators are not eligible for this award.
Click here to view a list of previous Outstanding Technologist Award winners.
Morton D. Maser Distinguished Service Award
This Award recognizes outstanding volunteer service to the Society as exemplified by Mort Maser, who served the Society for many years with great dedication. This award is made annually to honor an MSA member who has provided significant volunteer service to the Society over a sustained period of time.
George Palade Award
The George Palade Award was initiated to recognize annually the distinguished contributions to the field of microscopy and microanalysis in the life sciences of an early career scientist of not more than 6 years' standing since doctoral graduation as of January 1st of the award year (i.e., the awardee to be honored at M&M 2022 cannot have graduated before 2016) for research performed during this period.
Albert Crewe Award
The Albert Crewe Award was initiated to recognize annually the distinguished contributions to the field of microscopy and microanalysis in the physical sciences of an early career scientist of not more than 6 years' standing since doctoral graduation as of January 1st of the award year (i.e., the awardee to be honored at M&M 2022 cannot have graduated before 2016) for research performed during this period.
Society Awards Nomination Requirements
Nominations for these Society Awards should comprise the following materials.
All nomination materials must be submitted by the nominator in a single upload.
For any questions regarding a potential nominee's eligibility or for other questions regarding award nominations, please contact associationmanagement@microscopy.org.
- A letter from a nominator, who must be an MSA member, describing the nominee's eligibility and qualifications for the award, with these additional requirements:
- For the Burton Medal: birth year of nominees;
- For the Crewe or Palade Awards: year of doctoral graduation of nominees.
2. The nominee's curriculum vitae (CV).
3. Letters of support from a limited number of other members of the scientific community, who do not need to be MSA members. The committee will consider no more than:
- Distinguished Scientist Awards: four supporting letters;
- Burton Medal, Outstanding Technologist, and Maser Awards: three supporting letters;
- Crewe and Palade Awards: two supporting letters.
4. For the Crewe and Palade Awards, PDF copies of two significant publication(s) for which the nominee is to be recognized. No additional documentation is required for the Distinguished Scientist, Burton, Outstanding Technologist and Maser Awards.
Nominations are submitted through an online form by filling-in the basic nominee information and uploading the required supporting documents. Be sure to have all of the above information and documents prepared before starting to complete the nomination form. Nominations will remain under consideration for three years and may be updated during those years.
MSA Fellows
The designation "MSA Fellow" is intended to recognize those who have been conferred the Society's Distinguished Scientist Awards, as well as senior distinguished members of the Society who is a current member in good standing and has made significant contributions to the advancement of the field of microscopy and microanalysis through a combination of scientific achievement and service to the scientific community and the Society itself. Successful nominations may emphasize contributions to science or service, but must demonstrate both elements to some degree. Such notable contributions could include, for example, technique development or applications, extensive service to the microscopy profession (e.g., education, outreach), and distinguished service to the Society. Election to MSA Fellow will be highly selective but should represent a broad cross-section of the MSA membership. The number of MSA members elected to Fellowship each year is restricted to no more than 0.5% of the total MSA membership.
Nominations for MSA Fellows, Class of 2025 is now closed.
The nomination window for 2026 will open on August 1, 2025.
List of MSA Fellows
Fellows Nomination Requirements
- Eligibility:
- The nominee must be a current member of MSA* in the year of the nomination submission (e.g., someone nominated in 2023 for Class of 2024 Fellows should be a current member of MSA for the year of 2023.
- Current members of Council and the Fellows Committee are not eligible for nomination, nor may they participate in the nomination process.
- No self-nominations will be accepted.
*as indicated by Society records.
- Nomination package:
- A suggested citation statement – limited to a maximum of 30 words.
- A statement describing the nominee’s achievements or contributions, limited to a total of 10 bullet points describing the nominee’s contributions to science, service to MSA, and service to the microscopy community. Collectively, the 10 bullet points must not exceed 750 words. Use this document as a guideline for preparing this statement.
- Letters of nomination from a sponsor and co-sponsor, both of whom must be individual MSA members.
- No more than two additional supporting letters.
All nomination materials must be submitted by the sponsor in a single upload.
Fellows General Election & Process Information
- The yearly nominating period for MSA Fellows is normally between July 1 and September 30.
- The Fellows Committee makeup is as follows: nine individual MSA members, three each from the biological sciences and the physical sciences, one each from the Education and the Technologists' Forum Committees, and the President-Elect as Committee Chair.
- Ratification: Recommendations from the Fellows Committee for the "Class of [YEAR] MSA Fellows" will be ratified for election by MSA Council at that year's annual Winter Council meeting.
- Recognition: Plaques designating election to MSA Fellow will be presented to recipients at the annual M&M meeting.