Author: Anne Pawsey

Nominations are now open for the EPS distinctions and awards to be remitted at Council in March 2024. These distinctions and awards recognise scientific excellence in the form of EPS Honorary Membership, Fellowships and Early Career awards and they seek to recognise  service to the Scientific and EPS community with the Gero Thomas Medal and the EPS Achievement Award.  To ensure we reward the excellence we need to attract nominations from right across the physics community and we encourage you to propose physicists from a diverse range of backgrounds.

EPS Fellows

EPS Members are invited to nominate EPS Individual Members as EPS Fellows. Individuals whose achievements in physics, whether in research, industry or education and/or through commitment to the EPS warrant specific recognition are eligible to become EPS Fellows.

More information about EPS Fellows, including the list of current EPS Fellows and the rules for nomination, is available on the EPS website.

Honorary Members

EPS Members are invited to nominate outstanding individuals as Honorary Members of the EPS.
Distinguished persons whose outstanding achievements in physics or a related science whom the European Physical Society especially desires to honour can be elected EPS Honorary Members. In addition, distinguished individuals whom the EPS may desire to honour for exceptional service to the Society in furtherance of its aims and objectives shall also be eligible to become Honorary Members.

More information, including the list of current EPS Honorary Members and the rules for nomination, is available on the EPS website.

Gero Thomas medal

The Gero Thomas Commemorative Medal was created in 2000 to honour the memory of G. Thomas, who was the Secretary General of the EPS from 1973 to 1997 and played an essential role in the growth and the development of the Society. The Commemorative Medal is awarded to individuals for their outstanding service to the Society. More information about the award, and a list of recipients can be found here: http://www.eps.org/?page=distinction_prize_gt 

EPS Members (Member Societies, Individual Members, and Associate members) are invited to make nominations for the 2023 Gero Thomas Commemorative Medal. 

Please note that The Medal may not be awarded to any person currently member or having been member of the Executive Committee in the past three years.  To complete the nomination, the nominator is asked to provide the following documents:
(i) The references of the nominee (Name, first name, full postal address, email address, phone and fax numbers)
(ii) A description of the services of the individual to the Society (maximum & A4 page)
(iii) A suggested citation (maximum 250 words)
(iv) Nominee's academic and professional background, and professional honours
(v) Three supporters statements 

All proposals will be treated in confidence. Although they will be acknowledged there will be no further communication.

EPS Achievement Award

The EPS Achievement Award is given annually by the European Physical Society for excellent contributions to the promotion and development of: EPS Divisions or their Sections; EPS Groups; EPS Committees. This award recognises activities, and achievements, which have favoured EPS internal collaboration and effectively promoted the image and the impact of the EPS within the scientific community, policy makers and other stakeholders

More information about the award can be found here: https://www.eps.org/page/distinction_prize_AA

EPS Early Career Prizes

The EPS has two Early Career prizes to be awarded each year – one each for achievements of a mainly theoretical or experimental nature. Those eligible for these awards should have made a substantial contribution to the development or reputation of physics in Europe.

"Early Career" is defined as those individuals in the first 12 years of their career in physics following their first degree or equivalent, with allowance for any career breaks.
Terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.eps.org/page/distinction_prize_ec

EPS Emmy Noether Distinction

The European Physical Society launched the Emmy Noether Distinction to recognize noteworthy women physicists who have a strong connection to Europe through their nationality or work.

Emmy Noether, with her fundamental and revolutionary work in the abstract algebra and on conservation laws in theoretical physics, is an exceptional historical figure for all generations - past, present and future - of physicists.

The laureates of the Emmy Noether Distinction are chosen for their capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially encourage women to pursue a career in physics. Attribution criteria therefore focus on the candidate’s: 

• research achievements
• endeavours to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in physics
• coordination of projects and management activity
• service to the scientific community and research administration

Nominators are encouraged to address these four points in their proposal.

Commencing 2022, the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics is to be awarded once a year, to two distinguished women physicists. Namely, the Emmy Noether Distinction will be awarded to an early- and mid–career laureate, as well as to a more advanced candidate, as a Distinction for her full career.

To make a nomination,  apply via this site or submit the following documents to the EPS Secretariat:

• A cover letter, detailing (in no more than 3 paragraphs) the motivation for awarding the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction to the nominee;

• The nominee’s name, institution and email

• The nominee’s CV

• The nominator’s name, institution, and email

• Optional: No more than 3 support letters 

Download the distinction charter

Read more about the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction on the EPS website