Many of you will be familiar with COSPAR. If not, have a glance at https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/. COSPAR presents a number of awards at each of its Scientific Assemblies. Nominations for the 2024 awards must reach the COSPAR Secretariat no later than the end November this year.

You can see the awards and past winners at https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/awards/ . Full instructions on the nomination process can be found on that website. In the words of COSPAR… “Nominations for all awards, except Outstanding Paper and Distinguished Service, may be submitted by anyone although they are to be signed or endorsed by a COSPAR Bureau member, a representative of a COSPAR National or Scientific Union member, a member of the COSPAR Scientific Advisory Committee, a COSPAR Scientific Commission or Panel chair or vice-chair, or by a previous recipient of a COSPAR honour (except Zeldovich or Outstanding Paper).” I will point out that we have a UK COSPAR National Committee that I chair, so we can sign and endorse submissions. Alternatively, you can suggest nominees to our Committee and we can follow up your suggestions. So, please do contact me.

So, can I encourage you to have a look at the awards and consider the people around you, particularly the younger researchers, and come back to me. To ensure that the Committee can process nominations and get them back to COSPAR well in time, please can I ask you to submit anything well before the end of September.

Thank you,

Richard Harrison, RAL Space (richard.harrison@stfc.ac.uk)