Named in honor of the late Dr. Jack Sharp, the award encourages students of bryophtes and lichens, just as he did during his lifetime. This award is given for the best student paper presented in the Bryological and Lichenological sessions.

2024 - No Award in 2024

2023 - Blair Young, Rutgers University, For the Presentation: A Potential Symbiosis of Nitrogen Fixing Bacterial Endophytes and Their Bryophyte Hosts. Co-authors: Nicole Vaccaro, Lena Struwe, James White 

2021-2022 - No Awards Given

2020 - Bryan Piatkowski, Duke University, For the Presentation: Carbon Storage and Niche Preference Track Phylogeny in Sphagnum (peat moss). Co-authors: Joseph Yavitt, Merritt Turetsky, and Jonathan Shaw.

Honorable Mention:
Katherine Whitaker, University of Tennessee, For the Presentation: Exploring Sporophyte Transpiration Rates in Mosses. Co-author: Jessica Budke

2019 - Carly Anderson Stuart, University of Colorado at Boulder
For the Presentation: Using restriction site associated sequencing (RADseq) data for phylogenetic analysis of Cladonia lichens. Co-author: Erin A. Tripp

Honorable Mentions:
Jenna Ekwealor, Rachel Keuler, Patrick Lauriault

2016-2018 - No A. J. Sharp Awards were given between 2016-2018

2015 - Manuela Dal Forno, George Mason University
For the paper "Mycobiont cladogenesis triggered by photobiont speciation: A case study of the Rhizonema-Cora lichen symbiosis." Co-authors: James D. Lawrey and LRobert Lucking

2014 - Gajendra Shrestha, Brigham Young University
For his paper "Lichen, Man’s new best friend: How simple symbionts might defeat bacterial pathogens ." Co-authors: Andrew Thompson, Steven Leavitt, Richard Robison, and Larry St. Clair

2013 - Matthew Nelsen, University of Chicago
For his paper "Lichen-associated algae: we hardly know you." Co-author: Steven D. Leavitt

2010 - Juan Carlos Villarreal, University of Connecticut
For his paper "Thousands of years without sex: The case of the Southern Appalachian Nothoceros aenigmaticus."

2006 - Norm Wickett, University of Connecticut
For his paper “Towards a complete chloroplast genome sequence of the non-photosynthetic liverwort Cryptothallus mirabilis (Metzgeriales, Marchantiophyta).Lepraria and Thamnolia.”

2005 - Mathew P. Nelson, University of Wisconsin
For his paper “Photobiont diversity and fungal specificity in the lichen genera Lepraria and Thamnolia.” His co-author was Andrea Gargas.

2004 - Erin Martin, Oregon State University
For her for her paper “Variation in the occurrence of rare epiphytic lichens of the western Oregon Cascades” Her co-authors were Bruce McCune and Linda Geiser.

2003 - Dorothybelle Poli, University of Maryland
For her paper "Auxin regulation of axial growth in bryophytesporophytes: Its potential significance for the evolution of early landplants" Her co-authors were Mark Jacobs and Todd Cooke.

2001 - Dennis P. Wall, University of California, Berkeley
For his paper "Population structure and patterns of island radiation in the paleotropic endemic moss, Mitthyridium: insights from a rapidly evolving nuclear gene, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd)"

2000 - Shanti Berryman, Oregon State University
For her presentation "Differences in epiphytic lichen communities and biomass among forest stand types in the Blue River watershed of western Oregon."

1999 - John R. Clark, University of Cincinatti
For his paper entitled "Observations in the development of the cleistocarpous moss, Eccremidium floridanum Crum (Ditrichaceae)." His research advisor is Jerry Snider.

1998 - Abbey Rosso, Oregon State University
For her paper entitled "Responses of shrub epiphyte communities to overstory thinning in forest of Western Oregon."

1997 - Katherine Preston, Indiana University
For her paper entitled "Ecological and developmental studies on the dwarf male breeding system of the moss Dicranum scoparium in the North Carolina Piedmont." Her research advisor was Brent Mischler, then at Duke University.

1991 - Paula dePriest
For her paper entitled "Multiple insertions in the small subunit ribosomal DNA of the Cladonia chlorophaea complex (lichen-forming Ascomycotina)."

1989 - Francois Lutzoni, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa
For his paper, "Systematics of the Ionaspis-Hymenelia complex (lichenized Ascomycotina) in North America."