PVSC PROGRAM

About the Award

This award is named in honor of William R. Cherry, a founder of the photovoltaic community. In the 1950's, he was instrumental in establishing solar cells as the ideal power source for space satellites and for recognizing, advocating, and nurturing the use of photovoltaic systems for terrestrial applications. The William R. Cherry award was instituted in 1980, shortly after his death. The purpose of the award is to recognize an individual engineer or scientist who devoted a part of their professional life to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion. The nominee must have made significant contributions to the science and/or technology of PV energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations. Professional society activities, promotional and/or organizational efforts and achievements are not considerations in the election for the award.

Award Package

The award consists of a plaque, monetary award, recognition at the IEEE PVSC Opening Ceremony and a dedicated Cherry Award Talk during the Opening Ceremony.

Rules & Eligibility

• Nominee must be a scientist or engineer who has made significant contributions to the science and/or technology of PV energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations.
• Nominee must have had an extended period of activity in PV, contributions to the PVSC, and the expectation of continued activity.  Single outstanding contributions are not sufficient.
  
• Professional and/or organizational efforts and achievements are not considerations for this award.
  
• Nominees are not required to be members of IEEE or EDS.
  
• Nominees from any country and institution are eligible. 
  
• Previous recipients of the Cherry Award are not eligible.
  
• Self-nominations will not be accepted.
  
• Nominations may be re-submitted in subsequent years.
• Unsuccessful nominations in any year will automatically carry over once into the following year.
• Multiple nominations for the same candidate are accepted as long as each nomination represents the personal view of the nominator

Nomination Package Requirements

• Complete Electronic Nomination Form with name of nominee, and his/her current affiliation and contact information.
• Nominator's name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
• A rationale (less than 150 words) of the nominee's contributions to the advancement of the PV field.
• A citation (less than 40 words) listing the nominee's specific contributions to make them deserving of the award.
• A list of the nominee's activities in the field.
• A current CV for the nominee.
• The nominee's photo (headshot)
• Give a personal view of the work and contributions of the candidate. Professional society activities, promotional and/or organizational efforts and achievements are not considerations in the election for the award. Note: Quality is better than quantity: Multiple nominations for the same candidate are accepted as long as each nomination represents the personal view of the nominator. However, wherever possible multiple nominations should be avoided, for example by bundling letters of support for the same candidate.