Award Nominations

Carlo Heip Excellence Award in Marine Biodiversity

The Carlo Heip Award in Marine Biodiversity was inaugurated in recognition of Carlo Heip’s leadership in marine biodiversity research and founding of the ‘World Conference of Marine Biodiversity’. We seek nominations of individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in marine biodiversity science to receive this award. Past Carlo Heip Award recipients are Carlos Duarte, Graham Edgar, Steve Hawkins, Pablo Penchaszadeh and Angelika Brandt.

Nomination Information

  • The 2023 - 2025 award nomination cycle will close on December 19th of 2025.

  • Self-nominations are excluded. The nominator must ensure the nominee has agreed to be nominated and is aware of the requirement to attend the upcoming World Conference on Marine Biodiversity in Bruges (https://www.wcmb2026.org/).

  • The award recipients will be invited to present a plenary talk at the WCMB VII in November 17th-20th, 2026.

  • The recipient may choose the topic of the talk. The presentation of the award will take place in conjunction with the talk.

  • The conference will cover the recipient’s travel to and from the conference, accommodation, and complimentary conference registration.

  • The recipients of the 2023-2025 Carlo Heip Awards will be notified in March 6th of 2026.

  • Nominations should address, in not more than 1000 words, the three evaluation criteria below:

    1. Research impact. This should be supported by a list of the candidate’s top 10 publications and a link to their Google Scholar profile (or similar).

    2. Peer recognition. This may be supported by indicators such as awards, honours, funding, and speaking invitations.

    3. This may be supported by evidence such as meetings organised, teaching, leadership, editorial responsibilities, mentorship, public outreach.

  • Nominations must contain the nominating person’s name, affiliation, and contact details and should be submitted to IABO’s President Dr. Judith Gobin (judith.gobin@gmail.com). IABO’s Recognition Task Group will serve as jury for nominations. The ranking of nominees will solely be based on the nomination documentation. Recognising that nominees are likely to be well known in the field, efforts will be made for the evaluation process to avoid conflicts of interest.

Submission Documents

  • Nomination letter, responding to the three evaluation criteria within two pages and confirming the nominee is willing to attend WCMB VII.

  • Nominee curriculum vitae documenting evidence in support of the criteria. This may include links to supporting materials.

  • A nomination may include up to three letters of support from selected referees that provide additional support for the nomination. These are optional.

  • All nomination documents must be combined in one pdf file to minimise the risk of the jury overlooking any documents.