ESA Student Certification Award

Sponsored by Springer Pest Solutions

Sponsored by Springer Pest Solutions, this award will be presented annually to recognize and encourage outstanding entomology graduate students with interest in the mission of the ESA certification program, and to promote the understanding and importance of the program. The award consists of a $500 cash prize and an inscribed plaque. The awardee will be presented with the plaque during the ESA Annual Meeting.

Eligibility

The nominee must be an ESA student member, who is pursuing an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in entomology at an accredited university in the United States.

Previous Winners

Please click here to see a list of those who have previously received this award.

Electronic Submission Requirements

All nomination packages must be submitted electronically according to the following specifications (paper nominations will not be accepted):

Page Limits

• The entire nomination package must not exceed 20 pages total. This includes letters of nomination or recommendation and publication lists.

• Letters of nomination and recommendation must be included in the electronic package. Printed letters sent in lieu of electronic versions will not be accepted.

File Specifications

• Only the following file formats will be accepted: PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format), RTF (Rich Text Format), TIF graphic files, or JPG graphic files. Files created on either PC or MAC platforms will be accepted. Please make sure scanned images can be clearly read on a computer screen.

• Font size for text may not be smaller than 10 point.

• A nomination package may contain no more than 6 separate files, and the size of each file must not exceed 3 MB.

Submission Methods

Nomination packages may be submitted by either of two methods:

• PREFERRED METHOD: Submit online via the Nomination Submission Website. This method eliminates problems associated with e-mailing large files. Nominators are strongly encouraged to use this method.
  OR

• E-mail the nomination package as attached files to the awards administrator. In the submission e-mail, please include the title of the award in the subject of the e-mail. In the body of the e-mail, provide the name of the nominee, the nominator's contact information, and a list of the attached files.

Nomination Requirements

Nominations may be made by anyone. Nomination packages for this award must include the following:

CV-Related Items

Nominators must provide the information called for in the CV template, either in the template's format or in their own format. To view the CV-related nomination requirements for this award, as well as the CV template, please click here.

Other Items

1. A 2-3-page essay written by the applicant on the importance of the ESA certification program (applicants should use their own words, not text from the certification brochure)

2. Up to three letters of recommendation from faculty members or other knowledgeable individuals

3. Also, an official copy of the nominee's college transcript should be sent to and received by the awards administrator (mail to: Awards Administrator, Entomological Society of America, 10001 Derekwood Lane, Suite 100, Lanham, MD 20706) by the nomination deadline. Transcripts do not count toward the 20-page limit.

Evaluation Criteria

Nominees/candidates will be judged using the following criteria for a total of 100 points:

1. Academics (40 points total)

1. Academic record and accomplishments (20)
2. Evaluation by faculty members or others (15)
3. Contributions and/or service to academic department (5)

2. Essay (50 points total)

1. Definition of the certification program? (5)
2. Benefits of the certification program (20)
3. Future of the certification program (25)

3. Service (10 points total)

1. Contributions to ESA, including the certification program at the Branch and/or national level (10)

Deadline

Nomination packages must be received by ESA headquarters by July 1. This deadline refers to receipt by the awards administrator of a complete package in a readable format. Therefore, early submission is highly recommended. The awards administrator will confirm receipt of nomination packages within two business days, and also notify nominators of any problems with nomination package files within that time.

Renomination

Any candidate nominated, but not selected, may be renominated no more than two times within the two-year period after his/her initial submission. Nomination packages will be retained for two years by the awards administrator. Nominators must send a letter of renomination to the awards administrator by the nomination deadline above. Previously submitted documentation will be used for the evaluation process unless the nominator submits new or updated documents. The renomination e-mail must contain this additional documentation. New or updated documents must follow the electronic submission requirements noted above.

Notification

The awards administrator will notify all candidates and their nominators with the results of their nomination approximately two months after the nomination submission deadline. 

For questions about this award, please click here.