All award nominations are to be submitted electronically via email to the Awards Committee Chair. The deadline for all awards is April 1, of the current year. Materials should be saved in pdf format and submitted as a single packet (one file).

Josie Coverdale Award for Outstanding Young Professional

Purpose: This award will be presented to an equine professional under the age of 40 who has made meritorious contribution to equine science in teaching, research, public service, or industry.

The award will consist of a suitable plaque and a $250 stipend.

Eligibility:

• The candidate must be under the age of 40 and have less than 10 years of service in academia and industry combined.
• The candidate must have been a member of ESS for at least 4 years.
• The nominator does not have to be an ESS member.

Guidelines for Nomination Materials: Please use 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Please adhere to the page limits stated below. The dossier should include the following:

• A nominating letter (up to 3 pages) describing the nominee's contributions to equine science.
• A curriculum vitae on the nominee.
• At least 3, but no more than 10, letters of support. At least 2 letters must be from society members from 2 states other than the nominee's state of residence.
• A short citation (300 words or less) suitable for reading at the awards banquet or for publication.

Nomination dossier must be submitted electronically via email as a pdf and submitted as a single packet (one file). The nomination materials must be submitted no later than April 1, of the current year to the Awards Committee Chair.

Outstanding Educator Award

Purpose: This award will be presented to a society member involved in teaching, extension, or industry who has demonstrated excellence in the area of equine education to either students or persons in the industry. The award is meant to recognize the development of programs that are exceptionally effective at disseminating research-based information in a manner that has an effect on the long-term well-being of horses or the horse industry.

The award will consist of a suitable plaque and a $250 stipend.

Eligibility:

• Candidate must have been an ESS member for at least 4 years.
• The nominator does not have to be an ESS member.

Guidelines for Nomination Materials: Please use 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Please adhere to the page limits stated below. The dossier should include the following:

• A nominating letter (up to 3 pages) describing the nominee's contributions and accomplishments in equine education.
• A curriculum vitae for the nominee.
• At least 3, but no more than 10, letters of support. At least 2 letters must be from society members from 2 states other than the nominee's state of residence.
• A short citation (300 words or less) suitable for reading at the awards banquet or for publication.

Nomination dossier must be submitted electronically via email as a pdf and submitted as a single packet (one file). The nomination materials must be submitted no later than April 1, of the current year to the Awards Committee Chair.

Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science

Purpose: The Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science is designed to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of equine science. This award is the most prestigious honor that the Equine Science Society can bestow upon one of its members.

Eligibility:

• The nominee must be a member or an affiliate member of ESS.
• The nominee must be of high moral character and have a record of outstanding accomplishments in teaching, research, extension, or service as it relates to advancement of the equine sciences and horse industry.
• The nominee must have provided distinguished service to ESS (formerly ENPS) and the horse industry.
• The nominator does not have to be an ESS member.

Criteria for Evaluating Nominees:

• Documented scholarly activities in equine science, including publication of peer-reviewed research papers, books, or book chapters, extension publications, and so on.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in undergraduate or graduate student training in equine science, including classroom teaching and extracurricular activities, or demonstrated effectiveness in other youth educational programs in equine science.
• Evidence of effective transfer of technology to the horse industry and related industries.
• Evidence of other service that contributes to the horse industry, including active involvement in local, state, national, and international horse organizations.

Guidelines for Nomination Materials: Please use 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Please adhere to the page limits stated below. The dossier should include the following:

• A nominating letter (up to 3 pages) describing the nominee's contributions to equine science.
• Biographical sketch of the nominee
• Documentation to establish the nature and value of the nominee's contributions to the field of equine science considering the above criteria. A summary of the nominee's career, including education, employment, awards, and other accomplishments as appropriate (list of graduate students, service to professional organizations, and so on). The career summary should not exceed 4 pages.
• Other supporting material as may be deemed essential by the nominator.
• At least 3, but no more than 10, letters of support. At least 2 letters must be from society members from 2 states other than the nominee's state of residence.
• A short citation (300 words or less) suitable for reading at the awards banquet or for publication.

Nomination dossier must be submitted electronically via email as a pdf and submitted as a single packet (one file). The nomination materials must be submitted no later than April 1, of the current year to the Awards Committee Chair.

Fellows of the Equine Science Society

Purpose: The Fellow Award recognizes distinguished service to the horse industry and to ESS (formerly ENPS) over a long period of time. No more than 6 fellows should be awarded at each meeting.

Eligibility: Any person who has rendered distinguished service to the horse industry and has been a member in good standing in the society for a minimum of 10 years is eligible.

Guidelines for Nomination Materials: Please use 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Please adhere to the page limits stated below. The dossier should include the following:

• A nominating letter (up to 3 pages) describing the nominee's contributions to equine science.
• Biographical sketch of the nominee
• Documentation to establish the nature and value of the nominee's contributions to the field of equine science considering the above criteria. A summary of the nominee's career, including education, employment, awards, and other accomplishments as appropriate (list of graduate students, service to professional organizations, and so on). The career summary should not exceed 4 pages.
• Other supporting material as may be deemed essential by the nominator.
• At least 3, but no more than 10, letters of support. At least 2 letters must be from society members from 2 states other than the nominee's state of residence.
• A short citation (300 words or less) suitable for reading at the awards banquet or for publication.

Nomination dossier must be submitted electronically via email as a pdf and submitted as a single packet (one file). The nomination materials must be submitted no later than April 1, of the current year to the Awards Committee Chair.

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Award in Equine Nutrition Research

Purpose: To stimulate research excellence in equine nutrition

Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria:

• The nominee must be actively involved in original equine nutrition research.
• Research work published in the last 10 years immediately prior to the year of nomination will be given strongest consideration.
• The research upon which the nomination is based must be different from that submitted for other AFIA Awards (such as the AFIA non-ruminant research award) if the nominee is a previous winner of another AFIA award.
• The nominee must have been an ESS member for at least 4 consecutive years, including the year of nomination.
• The nominator does not have to be an ESS member.

Guidelines for Nomination Materials: Please use 12-point font, double spacing, and 1-inch margins. Please adhere to the page limits stated below. The dossier should include the following:

• A nominating letter (up to 3 pages) describing the nominee's contributions to equine nutrition research. This letter should highlight the major accomplishments of the nominee's research program and the impact of his/her research on equine feeding management or the feed industry.
• A citation of less than 300 words suitable for use at the awards ceremony or for publication.
• A summary of the nominee's career, including education, employment, awards, and other accomplishments as appropriate (list of graduate students, service to professional organizations, and so on). The career summary should not exceed 4 pages.
• A complete list of the nominee's research publications in chronological order with most recent publications last. Publications should be separated into the following categories: books, invited reviews and book chapters, refereed journal articles, and other (proceedings, abstracts, experiment station reports).

Nomination dossier must be submitted electronically via email as a pdf and submitted as a single packet. The nomination materials must be submitted no later than April 1, of the current year to the Awards Committee Chair.

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (JEVS) Graduate Student Publication Award

JEVS offers an award to the top two graduate students who present research at the ESS Symposium and submit their research for publication in JEVS within 6 months (before or after) of the Symposium. Manuscripts must be submitted within 6 months of the ESS Symposium, but not necessarily published. We understand acceptance and publicationtakes time depending on reviewer availability and the amount of edits required.

Eligibility: Graduate students who have had an ESS Symposium abstract accepted and plan to participate in the graduate student competition are eligible. In addition, the graduate student must be planning to submit (or have already submitted) their research for publication in JEVS within 6 months of the ESS Symposium.

Scoring: The two graduate students receiving the highest ranking for their abstracts and presentations at the ESS Symposium will receive a certificate and a $500 award, each, after their manuscripts have been accepted by JEVS. Rankings will be based on how each student places within their section (e.g., 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd); ties will be broken using the average numerical scores from the judge’s rubrics. Using a ranking system allows all graduate students to compete and helps to mitigate any differences among judges in each section. However, all judges do use the same rubric and are advised on consistent scoring by the Student Competition Committee.  

How to Apply: Graduate students who meet the above criteria should contact the Chairperson of the Student Competition Committee via e-mail and copy their major advisor(s), indicating they would like to be considered for this award by May 15 of the current year. At the ESS Awards Ceremony, two finalists will be announced. In addition, two runners-up will also be announced; these will be the graduate students with the third and fourth highest ranking (and average score if needed). Runners-up will only be considered for the award if one, or both, of the finalists fail to submit manuscripts by the deadline or fail to have their manuscripts accepted. Runners-up will be held to the same timeline and should prepare their manuscripts accordingly. After the manuscript is accepted, the student will be mailed their certificate and cash award. If no graduate students (or only one) are able to meet the criteria, any remaining award funds will be saved and used at future ESS Symposiums.