Awards

The 50 Under 50 Award is a joint initiative of the Geological Society of America (GSA), the Geological Association of Canada (GAC-AGC), and the Sociedad Geológica Mexicana (SGM) that honors outstanding mid-career geoscientists across North America who are making significant contributions through research, service, and mentorship.

Up to 50 geoscientists under the age of 50 will be recognized each year, and awardees will be highlighted by the societies and invited to participate in special sessions and activities at upcoming meetings, helping elevate their work and expand their professional visibility.

Applications can be submitted in English, Spanish, or French at geosociety.co/50-Under-50, where you can also find a complete list of application requirements.

Extended Nomination deadline: 26 May 2026

Exceptional geoscientists who have distinguished themselves in exemplary scientific investigations may be elected as Honorary Fellows. Candidates are non-North Americans who live and work outside of North America. Most Honorary Fellows have been elected after many years of outstanding and internationally recognized contributions to the science. Honorary Fellows do not have to be members of GSA to be considered. The program was established by the GSA Council in 1909, and since then, except during a few war years, one or more Honorary Fellows have been elected annually. The Council of the Society encourages the membership to submit names of qualified candidates for this honor. In preparing a nomination, it is imperative that the original research and scientific advances of the candidate be stressed.

Nomination deadline: 15 February, 2026

Current Honorary Fellow Award Recipients

The Distinguished Career Award will be given to a GSA member who has made numerous, distinguished, and significant contributions that have clearly advanced the international geological sciences through both scientific investigations and service. The award will consist of a plaque inscribed with the name of the recipient, the name of the award, the name of the nominee’s Section, and the emblem of The Geological Society of America. The award will be presented to the awardee at the national GSA meeting. International encourages the membership to submit names of qualified candidates for this honor.

Nomination deadline: 15 February, 2026

Nomination period is closed

Current Recipient(s)

Research Grant Awards from the GSA International Interdisciplinary Interest Group (IIG)
This grant is to encourage and support arid desert studies by GSA student members world-wide either in their senior year of their undergraduate studies, or at the Masters or Ph.D. level.

Nomination deadline: 18 February

2026 Recipients

• Bethany Blakey, Utah State University, USA
  “Temporary Rivers: Quantifying Geomorphic Change in Dryland Non-Perennial Streams”
• Elishua Shepherd, Purdue University, USA
  “Integrating Native American and Western perspectives on the development of the Colorado Plateau”
• Lizangela Huallpara, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia
  “Hydrogeochemical and geogenic controls of Arsenic, Boron, Lithium in groundwater from Coipasa Salt Flat Basin, Lithium Triangle Region (Bolivia)”
• Michaela Shallue, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
  “Hydraulic geometry and channel-forming flows in dryland rivers”
• Natasha Tagle, University of Tennessee, USA
  "Ephemeral Saline Lake Systems as Analogs for Martian Crater Lakes: Insights from Shoemaker Crater"