The Society presents six awards annually and one award every other year, along with multiple Wiley awards associated with the annual meeting. Society members may be elected as Fellows in even-numbered years.

The Leonard Medal

The Leonard Medal honors outstanding contributions to the science of meteoritics and closely allied fields. It was established in 1962 to honor the first President of the Society, Frederick C. Leonard.

Learn moreLeonard Medal Committee

Previous Awardees: Leonard Medalists

The Barringer Award

The Barringer Medal and Award recognize outstanding work in impact cratering and/or work that has led to a better understanding of impact phenomena. This honor was established in 1982 to honor the memory of D. Moreau Barringer Sr. and his son D. Moreau Barringer Jr. and is sponsored by the Barringer Crater Company. The senior Barringer was the first to seriously propose an impact origin for the crater that now bears his name. For nearly two decades he defended this theory against the vast majority of scientific opinion. The junior Barringer was the first to identify the Odessa crater, the second known impact site on Earth.

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Previous Awardees: Barringer Award Winners

The Nier Prize

The Nier Prize recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists. The recipient will be a scientist who has not reached age 35 at the end of the year in which he or she is selected, or whose doctorate was awarded no more than seven years before the year of selection. The award was established in 1995 to honor the memory of Alfred O. C. Nier, and is supported by an endowment given by Mrs. Ardis H. Nier.

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Previous Awardees: Nier Prize Winners

The Service Award

The Service Award, established in 2005, honors members who have advanced the goals of the Society to promote research and education in meteoritics and planetary science in ways other than by conducting scientific research. Examples of activities that could be honored include, but are not limited to, education and public outreach, service to the Society and the broader scientific community, and acquisition, classification and curation of new samples for research. The award may be given annually, and should be given at least every other year. Winners will be granted lifetime membership in the Meteoritical Society.

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Previous Awardees: Service Award Winners

The Elmar K. Jessberger Award

The Jessberger Award recognizes outstanding research in the field of isotope cosmochemistry by a female scientist in the middle of her career. The recipient will be a woman who has received her doctorate at least 10 years and not more than 20 years before the year she is selected by the Council. The award is presented every other year and comes with prize money of USD 1,500. The award was established in 2019 to honor the memory of Elmar K. Jessberger, and is supported by an endowment given by the Jessberger family.

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Previous Awardees: Jessberger Award Winners

Fellows

Members who have distinguished themselves in meteoritics or in closely allied fields may be elected Fellows by the Council. No more than 1% of the members can be elected in even-numbered years.

Learn more: Leonard Medal Committee

Previous Awardees: List of Fellows

The Paul Pellas - Graham Ryder Award

The Pellas-Ryder Award, jointly sponsored by the Meteoritical Society and the Planetary Division of Geological Society of America, is for undergraduate and graduate students who are first author of a planetary science paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The award honors the memories of meteoriticist Paul Pellas and lunar scientist Graham Ryder. Any first author of a paper published on a topic listed on the cover of MAPS who was a student when the paper was submitted is eligible for consideration for the award.

Learn morePellas-Ryder Award Committee

Previous Awardees: Pellas-Ryder Award Winners

The Gordon A. McKay Award

The McKay Award honors the memory of Gordon A. McKay. It was endowed in 2008 thanks to the generous donations of the McKay family and many society members. The award is given each year to the student who gives the best oral presentation at the annual meeting of the society. The recipient must be a full-time student, a member of the society, and must not have won the McKay Award before.

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Previous Awardees: McKay Award Winners

Wiley Awards

Since 2012, the Wiley Awards have been given to a few students each year for the top oral presentations at the annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society. The awards are sponsored by Wiley, the publisher of Meteoritics and Planetary Science. The McKay Award Committee has handled the duties of nominating winners as part of the same process used to determine the McKay Award winner.

Learn moreMcKay Award Committee

Previous Awardees: Wiley Award Winners

Annual Meeting Travel Awards

Each year, the Meteoritical Society and its generous sponsors support member travel to the annual meeting through various endowment funds and external awards. Typically, at least ~$80,000 is available for travel support each year. In 2022, more than ~$107,000 was awarded to 87 members to support their travel to the annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Travel award applications are available on the abstract submission page for each annual meeting and should be submitted along with abstracts. The travel awards committee will notify applicants of decisions prior to the early bird deadline for meeting registration.

Learn more: Descriptions and eligibility requirements of travel awards