Sponsored by the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee (EMCC), the IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices recognizes an IEEE member or an organization employing IEEE members for (a) exemplary ethical behavior/practices or (b) persuasive advocacy or promotion of ethical behavior/practices related to the IEEE Code of Ethics.

Nominations will be accepted from 1 April 2024 through 1 July 2024.

The award recipient will be announced in November.

For questions about the award, please contact ethics@ieee.org.

Basis for judging and selection

Nominations for the award are required and shall include evidence of (a) exemplary ethical behavior/practices or (b) persuasive advocacy of ethical behavior/practices while demonstrating the relationship of that behavior or those practices to the IEEE Code of Ethics.

 

Nominations should address:

  • What was happening (or not happening) that the nominee felt was unethical?
  • In what ways did the nominee demonstrate ethical leadership, courage, innovation, or honor to make the situation better?
  • What was the overall impact of the nominee's actions?

 

Strong nominations may include answers to the following:

  • What impact did the nominee’s actions have on a field of engineering represented within the scope of IEEE?  
  • What geographic reach did the nominee’s ethical contributions have or influence?
  • How many professionals represented within the scope of IEEE were positively influenced by the nominee’s ethical contribution?
  • Over what time period was the nominee’s ethical contribution sustained?
  • In what way was the nominee’s ethical contribution innovative to the field?

 

It is understood that some of these questions may not be applicable to every nomination.  It is recommended that the questions be considered as a general guide to assist nominators in building the case for their nominee.

Frequency

This award may be presented annually, unless in the judgment of the EMCC, a suitable candidate is not available.

Eligibility

A member of the IEEE or an organization that employs IEEE members can be nominated for the award. There are no restrictions as to IEEE membership grade, gender, or age.

Eligibility limitations adhere to IEEE Policy 4.4.H - “Individuals serving on any board or committee involved at any stage of the recipient selection or approval process for an award shall be ineligible to receive, or act as a nominator or reference for that award. This conflict-of-interest limitation shall apply to all awards given by the IEEE or any of its organizational units”.

Administration

This award will be administered by the three-person subcommittee of the EMCC that shall screen the nominations and make a recommendation to the full EMCC for selection. The IEEE Board of Directors shall have final approval.

Citation

The Citation shall be in the form of a plaque.

The Citation may be proposed by the person originating the nomination. The Citation will be reviewed and modified as appropriate by the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee.

Presentation

The award shall be presented at a meeting or other event mutually agreed upon by the awardee and the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee.

Schedule

The candidate is recommended to the IEEE Board of Directors with the presentation made the following year.

Nominations

Proposals for nominations of candidates for this award shall be made on the nomination form.

Any person (member or non-member) may nominate or support a candidate for this award, with the following exceptions:

  • Members of the IEEE Board of Directors
  • Members of the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee
  • Self nominations
  • IEEE staff

Only one nominator per nominee is permitted (i.e., “co-nominators” will not be accepted).

Nomination form

The nomination form requires:

  • A copy of the nominee’s brief CV or bio-sketch (3 pages maximum). A publication list is not required unless directly related to the nomination of this award.
  • A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 letters of support (“References”)

If nominating a company, a majority of the References must come from outside of the nominated company. Members of the IEEE Board of Directors or the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee are not eligible to serve as references.

Nomination forms are considered incomplete until all References have been received. 

It is the responsibility of the nominator to secure all References prior to submitting the nomination form. 

Nominations will open on 1 April 2024.