Award Criteria
INCOSE strives to recognize those who contribute to the advancement of the systems engineering profession as well as the advancement of our organization.
Award recipients are recognized at our international events, in our members newsletter, on our website, and on social media. Some award recipients also receive plaques or certificates, and/or complimentary attendance to various INCOSE activities.
Criteria for our INCOSE awards are shown below:
Contact Info
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend.
INCOSE
1281 Win Hentschel Blvd.,
Suite 1300
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Pioneer Award
Deadline 28 February
The Pioneer Award will be presented to one distinguished individual or team, who by their achievements in the engineering of systems, has contributed uniquely to major products or outcomes enhancing society or meeting its needs. The criteria may apply to a single outstanding outcome or a lifetime of significant achievements in effecting successful systems.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend.
Criteria
The Pioneer Award is intended to recognize outstanding pioneer- applications of Systems Engineering in the development of successful products or services of benefit to society. Some examples would include, but not be limited to; applying systems engineering principles to unique, highly complex problems; the successful application of systems engineering to brand new market segments and outstanding examples of advancing the state of the art and/or practice of systems engineering beyond its current bounds.
Nomination Process
Any INCOSE member in good standing may initiate a Pioneer Award nomination but they may only nominate or provide a letter of support for one (1) individual or team for Pioneer per year. The nominator shall prepare a nomination letter describing the nominator’s qualifications for making the nomination and the contributions made by the nominee that qualify them for consideration for this award. The nomination letter must be accompanied by a minimum of three (3) detailed letters of support. Of the three letters of support, at least two (2) shall be from INCOSE members in good standing. Each letter of support must be from an individual other than the nominator and shall state the supporter’s qualifications for supporting the nomination and why they believe the nominee is qualified for consideration for this award.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination letter and the letters of support into a nomination package and submit the nomination package to the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee not later than 28 February for consideration. Nomination packages received after that date will not be considered.
The Honors and Awards Committee (see CMT-100: Committees) shall evaluate the Pioneer Award nomination packages and make a rank-ordered recommendation to the BOD of a maximum of three candidates for the award. The Board of Directors shall select the award recipient at the Second Calendar Quarter Board of Directors meeting by voted resolution.
Once the Board of Directors decision is made, the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee shall prepare the citation for the Award and provide the Citation to the INCOSE Secretary within two (2) weeks following the Board of Directors decision.
Recognition
The Pioneer award will be made at the annual International Symposium with a reading of the citation and the presentation of an appropriate memento of recognition. Recipients of the Pioneer Award shall be granted for their personal use free registration for life to both the annual INCOSE symposium and the annual workshop. The recipient shall receive one additional free dinner ticket for the banquet at the annual INCOSE symposium.
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC 106: Pioneer Award
Past Pioneer Award Recipients
Fellows Award
Deadline 1 December
Fellows are INCOSE members who have been recognized as having made significant sustained verifiable contributions to the field of Systems Engineering.
This recognition is awarded for life.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend your original submission.
Criteria
Nominators shall select candidates who have distinguished themselves as systems engineers, who have a passion for systems engineering, and who have made significant sustained verifiable contributions to the field of systems engineering (including closely related areas such as systems theory, systems science and systems thinking). These contributions can be made by practitioners, researchers, and those who inspire and enable people to learn and put into effective practice systems principles and concepts.
Nominators shall ensure that every nominee meets the following specific criteria:
- The nominee shall have provided significant impact through thought leadership which advanced the field of systems engineering.
- The nominee shall be a current member with a 2-year membership minimum.
- The nominee shall have developed and/or applied and/or promulgated approaches that enable the successful realization, use, and retirement of engineered systems.
- The nominee shall have exhibited a significant influence on others resulting in noticeable improvement of the practice of systems engineering in industry or on major national or international efforts, and/or made significant advances in the theory/science of systems engineering, or specific innovations which have been widely adopted. This influence may be:
- Direct (e.g., the practical application of systems engineering on challenging real-world problems)
- Indirect (e.g., the development of a new framework, process, method, or tool adopted across multiple organizations)
- Underpinning (e.g., a fundamental advance that advances the theoretical underpinnings of systems engineering)
Service to INCOSE is not required for a person to be nominated to be a Fellow.Nominators are encouraged to highlight achievements that reflect the definition of systems engineering.
Nomination Process
The nominator will provide a package to the Fellows Selection Committee that will consist of a Fellow Nomination Form and Letters of Support. Forms and guidance are available at the following links:
Neither the Chair of the Fellows Committee, the Vice Chair of the Fellows Committee, members of the Fellows Selection Committee, the President of INCOSE, the President-Elect of INCOSE, nor the Executive Director of INCOSE (nor anyone having been elected or selected to serve an upcoming term in these positions) shall nominate or provide a letter of support.
At least four letters of support shall be provided by:
a) At least two senior decision-makers (e.g., managers or customers of the nominee’s organization(s), or academic peers at other organizations, or industry leaders, or top governmental officials), who have detailed insight into the specific contributions (to the criteria above) of the nominee.
b) At least two INCOSE Fellows who have insight into the nominee’s contributions and impact.
c) A colleague who has visibility into the wider impacts of the nominee’s contributions in the field of systems engineering beyond the nominee’s own organization if these wider impacts are not included in (a) and (b).Nomination packages with the nomination form and the letters of support shall be emailed to [email protected]
and shall be received by December 1st.
Recognition
The Fellow Awards will be recognized at the annual INCOSE Symposium.
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC 101: Fellows Award
View past Fellows
Frequently Asked Questions
This covers FAQs for:
(1) INCOSE Fellows asked to nominate someone
(2) for people wanting to be nominated.
Individuals may not self-nominate for the recognition of INCOSE Fellow—they must be nominated in accordance with extant policies and procedures that relate to the recognition.
These FAQs are focused on providing alternatives to (1) self-nomination and (2) anyone asking to be mentored to become a Fellow. Nonetheless, it is reasonably common for a Fellow to be contacted by a Member who aspires to become a Fellow. Some Fellows may find the conversation difficult if engaged without the opportunity to prepare a response. These FAQs therefore provide some general advice to Fellows when responding to questions from an individual interested in becoming an INCOSE Fellow.
FAQ for INCOSE Fellows when engaged by an individual interested in becoming an INCOSE Fellow
What should I do if an INCOSE member asks me to nominate them to be a Fellow?
First, ask yourself if you know this person’s systems engineering work well enough to decide for yourself whether they are a good candidate to be a Fellow. If not, tell them that you do not have enough insight into their work to consider nominating them. If you are open to learning about their work, you can suggest ways they could educate you about their work and its wider impacts.
If you do know their work well enough to decide, and you think they would be a good candidate for Fellow, ask yourself if you have enough time, energy, and willingness to be their nominator.
If so, nominate them, including coaching them through the process of providing enough information so that you can write a strong nomination package, and recruit the appropriate others to provide letters of support.
If not, tell them that you do not have the bandwidth to be their nominator. Consider whether you wish to ask someone else if they would be willing to nominate this person; if so, ask that someone if they might be willing to nominate this person to be a Fellow. Also, if you have enough time, energy, and willingness, consider letting them know that you are willing to write a letter of support.
If you do know their work well enough to decide, and you do not think they are ready to be a good candidate for Fellow, share your insights on how they fall short of the Fellows criteria and if you have any ideas, tell them what additional efforts you think they might undertake to potentially become qualified to be nominated to be a Fellow.
How should I respond if someone asks me how to get Fellows to be familiar with my systems engineering achievements?
First, tell them that going to individual Fellows and describing your achievements is highly discouraged; Fellows are liable to think they are being lobbied, and this tends to lead to negative votes on a nomination.
Next, you can offer constructive ways for them to bring their work and its impacts on the systems engineering discipline and community to the attention of INCOSE Fellows. Suggestions may include:
Invite Fellows to a Working Group briefing which highlights your work and its impacts.
Arrange a joint meeting between a Working Group you lead and another Working Group (which includes INCOSE Fellows as members) to discuss ways your Working Group could take advantage of the innovations you have made.
Make one or more Fellows aware of a paper or panel presentation at which your work and its impact will be highlighted.
Ask influential people (such as top managers of your own organization, or your customers’ organizations, or senior government officials who have seen the results of your work) to invite INCOSE Fellows to a briefing or meeting at which your systems engineering achievements and their impact, are being discussed. This usually works best if the influential people you ask already know the INCOSE Fellows you suggest they invite.
FAQ for Advice to an INCOSE Member Aspiring to be Nominated to be an INCOSE Fellow
How can I find someone to nominate me to be a Fellow?
The best way is to have a well-respected INCOSE member conclude on their own that your systems engineering work, and its significant sustained impact on the discipline and the systems engineering community, are impressive enough that they think you should be nominated to be a Fellow. You might prompt someone to consider this by asking them “Do you think my achievements and the impact they have had are sufficient that I should be nominated to be an INCOSE Fellow?”
But what if none of the well-respected INCOSE members know enough about my work and its impact?
You should seek opportunities for influential people (such as top managers of your own organization, or your customers’ organizations, or senior government officials who have seen the results of your work) to share their perspectives with INCOSE members on your work as it relates to meeting the INCOSE Fellows selection criteria. You might do this by:
Asking influential people familiar with your work and its wider impact to participate in INCOSE events which offer the opportunity for discussions with INCOSE members. You could, for example, ask an influential person if they would be willing to deliver a keynote address, or participate in a panel discussion, at an upcoming INCOSE event, and then coordinate with the INCOSE event planners to suggest they invite this influential person to speak or be on a panel.
Inviting the influential person to participate in a Working Group meeting which offers an opportunity to discuss your work and its wider impact.
Using a discussion at an industry gathering to connect influential people aware of your work and its impact with INCOSE members, especially INCOSE Fellowss
Founder’s Award
Deadline 28 February
One (1) Founder’s Award will be presented annually at the International Symposium. The Founder’s Award is a highly prestigious award intended to recognize an individual INCOSE member who has made major contributions to INCOSE.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend your original submission.
Criteria
The Founder’s Award is intended to recognize outstanding individual contributions to INCOSE, be they a single event or significant events over sustained period of service. Contributions should be of a highly significant nature and contribute positively to the advancement of INCOSE or an INCOSE Chapter. A few examples of such contributions would include, but not be limited to; extending INCOSE’s international growth, developing new Chapters, significantly advancing INCOSE’s professional status and making significant personal commitments to INCOSE such as long-term service in a leadership role.
Nomination Process
Any INCOSE member in good standing may initiate a Founder’s Award nomination but they may only nominate or provide a letter of reference for one (1) Founder per year. The nominator shall prepare a nomination letter describing the nominator’s qualifications for making the nomination and the contributions made by the nominee that qualify them for consideration for this award. The nomination letter must be accompanied by a minimum of three (3) detailed letters of support, each letter from a different INCOSE member other than the nominator, who are also members in good standing. Each letter of support shall state the supporter’s qualifications for supporting the nomination and why they believe the nominee is qualified for consideration for this award.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination letter and letters of support into a nomination package and submit the nomination package electronically to the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee not later than 28 February for consideration. Nomination packages received after that date may not be considered.
The Honors and Awards Committee (see CMT-100; Committees) shall evaluate the Founder’s Award nomination packages and make a rank-ordered recommendation to the Board of Directors with a maximum of three (3) candidates for the Founders Award. The Board of Directors shall select the Founder’s Award recipient at the Second Calendar Quarter Board of Directors Meeting by voted resolution.
Once the Board of Directors decision is made, the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee shall prepare the citation for the Award and provide the Citation to the INCOSE Secretary within two (2) weeks following the Board of Directors decision. Nominators will be notified of the Board decision by the end of April.
Recognition
The Founder’s award will be made at the annual International Symposium with a reading of the citation, the presentation of an appropriate memento of recognition and the presentation of a red sweater. Recipients of the Founder’s Award shall be granted for their personal use free registration and one additional free dinner ticket for the banquet at the annual INCOSE symposium in the year of award.
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC 105: Founder’s Award
View past Founder Award recipients
Outstanding
Service Award
Deadline 1 December
Awards for outstanding service are presented to recognize INCOSE members who have contributed significant volunteer effort on behalf of INCOSE.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend.
Criteria
Nominees for the Outstanding Service Award must have been INCOSE members for a minimum of five (5) years. Under exceptional circumstances, the Board of Directors may waive this requirement. Candidates must have volunteered significant and arduous effort on behalf of INCOSE either in one act of outstanding service or through extended contributions in one (1) or more of the following three (3) areas:
Service at the international, national, or local level in an elected office as a chair, or as a leader of a task force, advisory group, or working group;
Service at the international level as an editorial, publication, or symposium leader; or
Service at the international level as an advocate or liaison with other professional, scientific, public, or humanitarian organizations.
Nomination Process
Nominators must be INCOSE members and may not self-nominate.
Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination package – that consists of the following:
Completed Nomination Package (MS Word or PDF):
- Name of candidate
- Accomplishments vs. Outstanding Service Award Criteria
- Proposal for the citation
- List of letters of support to match the criteria
Letters of Support provided by the nominator and at least two (2) other people. These letters are limited to two (2) typewritten pages, and should provide:
- Name of Supporter,
- Basis of knowledge about the candidate, which provides substantiation for the award,
- Evaluation of the candidate against the Service Award Criteria.
Those writing letters of support should have the candidates information and qualifications available to them, but all letters of support should be independently written.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination package and submit the complete nomination package electronically to the Chair of the Honors & Awards Committee not later than 1 December for consideration. Nomination packages received after that date may not be considered for this award. Nomination packages that are not awarded in the year they are submitted may be resubmitted for consideration the following year if the nominator so desires.
Recognition
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC-102: Outstanding Service Award
View Past OSA Receipients
Working Group
Award
All Working Groups that have approved charters under Technical Operations are eligible to receive awards under the Working Group Awards and Recognition Program. Not all awards are awarded every year. The Awards recognise exemplary Working Group activities in specific areas: All Working Groups that have approved charters under Technical Operations are eligible to receive awards under the Working Group Awards and Recognition Program. Not all awards are awarded every year. The Awards recognise exemplary Working Group activities in specific areas:
- Achieving the Systems Engineering Vision award is presented to the Working Group that has made the most significant contribution toward achieving the Systems Engineering Vision 2020.
- Product of the Year award is presented to the Working Group that, either independently or working in collaboration with other Working Groups and/or other INCOSE stakeholders, has developed and published the product which is considered to provide the most significant value to INCOSE’s stakeholders,. This award may be shared between two or more Working Groups.
- Sustained Performance award is presented to an individual Working Group that has provided exemplary value to INCOSE stakeholders over a multi-year period.
- Collaboration award is presented to the leadership of the Working Groups that have demonstrated the most exemplary collaboration in working with other Working Groups and/or other INCOSE stakeholders.
- Outreach award is presented to the Working Group, or combination of Working Groups, that has made the most significant contribution to the development of INCOSE in a non-aerospace/defence domain, and/or outside of the USA.
Systems Engineering Influencer Award
Deadline 28 February
INCOSE recognizes efforts and achievements of a person(s) who has been instrumental in influencing the acceptance, adoption, and implementation Systems Engineering.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend.
Criteria
Candidates must have had a significant effect on influencing decision-makers, markets, industries and/or cultures to recognize the value of systems engineering and adopt or significantly increase the usage of Systems Engineering. The candidate does not need to be a systems engineer themselves, but must clearly see and communicate the value of systems engineering. They should have a demonstrated track record of successfully making the business case for the application of systems engineering in areas in which it is not currently being applied or areas in which it is not being as fully applied as would be appropriate.
Nomination Process
Any INCOSE member in good standing may initiate a nomination, but they may only nominate one (1) SE Influencer per year and provide letters of support for at most two (2) nominees per year. INCOSE members may not self-nominate. The nominator shall prepare a nomination letter describing the nominator’s qualifications for making the nomination and the contributions made by the nominee that qualify them for consideration for this award. The nomination letter must be accompanied by a minimum of three (3) detailed letters of support, each letter from a different INCOSE member other than the nominator, who are also members in good standing. At least one letter of support shall be from a member of the INCOSE Board of Directors, an INCOSE past President, an Associate or Assistant Director, an INCOSE Fellow, a working group Chair/Co-Chair, or a Chapter President or President-Elect. Each letter of support shall state the supporter’s qualifications for supporting the nomination and why they believe the nominee is qualified for consideration for this award. The letter of support should be limited to no more than two (2) pages.
Posthumous nominations shall not be accepted.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination letter and letters of support into a nomination package and submit the nomination package to the Chair of the Honors and Awards Committee no later than 28 February for consideration. Nomination packages received after that date will not be considered, unless an extension has been formally announced.
Recognition
One (1) SE Influencer Award shall be presented annually at the International Symposium. Under special circumstances, the Board of Directors’ may approve more than one award recipient in any one year.
This award shall be announced at the annual International Symposium. INCOSE shall prepare a press release to coincide with the ceremonial presentation of the SE Influencer Award. The recipient shall be asked to keep the information confidential until presentation.
Recipients of the SE Influencer Award shall be granted for their personal use, free registration to the annual International Symposium in the year of their award. If at this event a social evening is offered, two (2) complimentary tickets shall also be offered.
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC-113: Systems Engineering Influencer Award
View Past SE Influencer Award Recipients
Presidential
Benefactor Award
Deadline 28 February
The Presidential Benefactor Award is intended to recognize an individual member or group, who by their actions and personal generosity has contributed uniquely to the enhanced reputation and recognition of systems engineering in society-at-large, and directly to the advancement and betterment of INCOSE.
All award nomination packages should be sent electronically by their respective deadlines to [email protected]. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within one week. If you do not receive a confirmation, please resend.
Criteria
Contributions should be of a highly significant nature in systems engineering and contribute positively to society at large and to the advancement and betterment of INCOSE. Some examples of such contributions include, but not be limited to: monetary contributions toward the education of students, or the emergence of a new chapter; use of systems engineering to the betterment of a humanitarian effort (such as community rebuilding); elevation of systems engineering to a national or international attention (such as publication of a Foresight Report).
Nomination Process
Any INCOSE member in good standing may initiate a Presidential Benefactor Award nomination but they may only nominate or provide a letter of support for one (1) individual or group for Presidential Benefactor per year. The nominator shall prepare a nomination letter describing the nominator’s qualifications for making the nomination and the contributions made by the nominee that qualify them for consideration for this award. The nomination letter must be accompanied by a minimum of three (3) detailed letters of support, each letter from a different INCOSE member other than the nominator, who are also members in good standing. At least one letter of support shall be from a member of the INCOSE Board of Directors, an INCOSE past President, an Associate or Assistant Director, an INCOSE Fellow, a working group Chair/Co-Chair, or a Chapter President or President-Elect. Each letter of support shall state the supporter’s qualifications for supporting the nomination and why they believe the nominee is qualified for consideration for this award.
Posthumous nominations shall not be accepted.
The nominator shall assemble the nomination letter and the letters of support into a nomination package and submit the nomination package to the INCOSE President not later than 28 February for consideration. Nomination packages received after that date will not be considered.
Recognition
The Presidential Benefactor Award shall be limited to a maximum of one (1) per year. It is anticipated that this award will not be granted annually.
This award shall be announced at the annual International Symposium. INCOSE shall prepare a press release to coincide with the ceremonial presentation of the Presidential Benefactor Award. The recipient shall be asked to keep the information confidential until presentation.
Recipients of the Presidential Benefactor Award shall be granted for their personal use, free registration to the annual International Symposium in the year of their award. If at this event a social evening is offered, two (2) complimentary tickets to this function shall also be offered.
Reference: INCOSE Policy REC-111: Presidential Benefactor Award