About The Awards
If you are a student (undergraduate or graduate) who is the presenting author of a contributed talk or poster, and who is the sole or lead author of the talk or poster, you are eligible to be considered. Presentation formats other than contributed are not eligible. Presentations will be judged on significance of ideas, creativity, quality of methodology, validity of conclusions drawn from results, clarity of presentation, and ability to answer questions. The students selected for these awards will be announced in a press release. The students will receive a travel award, as well as a plaque and check for $500 at the following ESA Annual Meeting. While all students are encouraged to apply, winning talks typically describe fully completed projects.
We apologize, the note about applications being open was sent out in error — we are currently only accepting applications to judge.
Outstanding Student Talk – Murray F. Buell Award for Excellence in Ecology
Murray F. Buell had a long and distinguished record of service and accomplishment in the Ecological Society of America. Among other things, he ascribed great importance to the participation of students in meetings and to excellence in the presentation of papers. To honor his selfless dedication to the younger generation of ecologists, the Murray F. Buell Award is given to a student for the outstanding oral paper presented at the ESA Annual Meeting.
Outstanding Student Poster – Lucy Braun Award for Excellence in Ecology
Lucy Braun, an eminent plant ecologist and one of the charter members of the Society, studied and mapped the deciduous forest regions of eastern North America and described them in her classic book The Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America. To honor her, the E. Lucy Braun Award is given to a student for the outstanding poster presentation at the ESA Annual Meeting.
How to apply
The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm Pacific Time).
Submit an Application
To apply for the award, you must have already submitted an abstract. Please note the abstract ID number that you received in your confirmation email. Then, submit an online application by the deadline. You must complete the entire application in order to be considered.
Application components
- Student name, email address, affiliation, gender, ethnicity
- Presentation preference* (contributed talk or contributed poster)
- Student status:
- undergraduate, graduate, recent doctorate (within the past 9 months)
- Are you sole or lead author?
- Does the research presented describe the results of a fully completed project?
- Abstract ID # (from your completed abstract submission)
- Essay: In 250 words or less, explain 1) how your results advance the field of ecology, 2) how your study takes a creative approach to the problem, and 3) the potential impacts of your research.
- Citation
- Maximum of 50 words to be used if chosen for the award
- Abstract
- Copy and paste your abstract title, author list, and body text
*Please note that your presentation preference type may change based on the assignment that you receive from the Program Subcommittee.
Questions? For any questions, please contact awards@esa.org.
