IAF World Space Awards - Call for Nominations

The Call for Nominations 2026 is open!

Submit your nominations by Friday 16 January 2026!

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is pleased to announce the Call for Nominations for its 2026 IAF World Space Award, the Federation’s most prestigious award, that recognizes a most eminent person (Category A) and/or team (Category B) who has made an exceptional impact to the progress of the world space activities through their outstanding contribution in space science, space technology, space medicine, space law, or space management.

Who may nominate?

Representatives of IAF Member Organizations in good standing, Chairpersons of IAF administrative and technical committees, and elective and appointive IAF officers.

Who can be nominated?

• Category A: Any person with exceptional merits in the space field
• Category B: Any team with exceptional achievement in the space field

Diversity:

We encourage nominators to take into account the Federation’s 3G+ Diversity principle, and to help us celebrate and recognize the rich diversity in our community, by considering geography, generation and gender, as well as other factors, when making nominations that otherwise fulfill the respective nominating criteria for each award.

Nominations should contain:

• Category of nomination (Specify Category A or B)
• A short citation of the exceptional merits (<5 lines)
• A justification specifying the impact of the merits to the progress of space activities on a global scale (<2 pages)
• A biography of the nominee including, i.e., the person’s profile, career achievements and history, education, list of publications, etc. (Category A)
• Detailed description of the achievements which the team accomplished (Category B)
• At least 3 letters of support by individuals other than the nominator, addressing the contributions of the nominee(s). At least two of the support letters should be issued by international colleagues from a different country as the nominee.

During the IAF Spring Meetings (24 - 26 March 2026), the IAF Honours and Awards Committee will review the nominations received for the IAF World Space Award and make a recommendation for the recipient(s) to the IAF Bureau. If no suitable candidate is found, this award will not be given in 2026.

The award consists of a medal and the recipient(s) will also be included into a special section of the IAF Hall of Fame.

IAC registration fees will be waived the year of induction for the recipient in Category A and the representative of the team in Category B. The recipient in Category A and the representative of the team in Category B will be invited to participate in the Gala Dinner as guests of the IAF President (free of charge).

The IAF World Space Award recipient(s) will be inducted during the Opening Ceremony of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye and will also be offered to give a highlight lecture during the IAC.

Nomination documents must be received by IAF Secretariat by Friday 16 January 2026 23:59 CET by email at award@iafastro.org (Subject line: NOMINEE’S LAST NAME Nominee’s First Name – 2026 IAF World Space Award).