The Botanical Society of America Impact Award recognizes a BSA member or group of members who have significantly contributed to advancing diversity, accessibility, equity, and/or inclusion in botanical scholarship, research and education. This award aims to honor an individual, group, and/or institution for their impactful work that demonstrates a commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive community of engaged scholars. This can include, but is not limited to, influencing practices and policies and/or increasing access to knowledge and resources through research, teaching or outreach.

The Impact Award will be presented at the BSA’s Award Ceremony during the Society’s Annual meeting. The recognition also includes a plaque and award of $1000. BSA members are encouraged to self-nominate or nominate another BSA member or external group affiliated with the Society.

Nominations will open in early 2025.

The award recipient or group will be invited to share insights into the contributions/accomplishments leading to their Impact with the botanical community. BSA will work with the award recipient to determine the best mechanism and to provide logistic and organizational support; some examples are a recorded and published video interview, a written profile in the Plant Science Bulletin, hosting an online discussion session, or presenting a seminar during the annual conference or as an advertised Botany360 webinar. The BSA DEI committee looks forward to working with the award winner after the summer conference season to develop an event or activity that centers their Impact.

Call for Nominations

Botanical Society of America invites nominations for the Impact Award. Each year BSA recognizes an outstanding member of the botanical community (or a group of members) who demonstrates exemplary commitment and/or impacts to shared ideals and values centering diversity, equity, accessibility and/or inclusion. The Impact recognized can take place within the BSA, in the workplace environment, or in the broader community of botanical students and stakeholders outside the BSA. The Impact Award recipient will have demonstrated a thorough understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion issues and impactful accomplishments showing sustained contributions across a range of possibilities, including but not limited to:

• Efforts to support retention of diverse personnel (faculty, staff, or students);
• Success in raising awareness and fostering diversity and multicultural initiatives within the community in which they live, study, or work; e.g. diversity and inclusion initiatives focused on improving campus or workplace climate
• Research, scholarship and creative activities that impact inclusion and access in the botanical sciences or across stakeholders
• Initiative/activity to promote an understanding and awareness of diversity issues among colleagues or in the classroom
• Professional development workshops/seminars/camps/other events on increasing knowledge and awareness and/or taking action.
• Initiative/efforts on creating/extending a welcoming work environment and fostering a sense of belonging
• Mentoring administrators/managers/supervisors on diversity and inclusion issues when assigned new work responsibilities or new positions.
• Development of educational (mentoring or learning) instruments/resources (such as webinars, mobile apps, etc.) on the importance of diversity and inclusion
• Initiative or project that develops strategies for raising awareness to biases and unacceptable behaviors and provides structures for eliminating barriers to access and inclusion in the workplace environment
• Development of reporting pipeline or tools to address exclusionary, intimidating, offensive and hostile behavior 

Eligibility

• Nominee must be a BSA member or affiliated tangentially with the Society or affiliated with botanical research or education
• Nominations can be at any career stage or botanically-affiliated career. Nominations from early career scientists as well from students are also welcome.
• Can be an individual or group nomination
• Self-nominations are welcomed
• Nominations must come from a BSA member
• All nominated awardees must adhere to the BSA Guidelines for Professional Ethics and the Ethical Guidelines for Nominated Awards

Nomination Guidelines

The nomination package shall consist of:

1. Nomination statement (2-page limit): focus should be on contributions that have advanced a welcoming and inclusive environment with regard to cultural, ethnic, racial, class, gender, sexual orientation, language, and other differences. Please provide examples of impact and their approach to diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion.
2. Curriculum Vitae highlighting contributions to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility in research, teaching, service and/or outreach (2-page limit) for each nominee. Be free to include links to resources that support your contributions.
3. Any additional supplementary material (e.g. letters of support or publication links, media highlights or any other forms of evidence of impacts) that you feel would support your application.
4. The lead nominator and each letter of support writer must each complete the Professional Conduct Disclosure Form; (nominated awardees must adhere to the BSA Guidelines for Professional Ethics and the Ethical Guidelines for Nominated Awards)

A single PDF of items 1-4 should be uploaded to the awards portal (see details on how to access the awards portal below) by March 1, each year (it was extended to April 1 this year). The award nomination packages will be evaluated by the BSA DEI committee.