WILLIAM R. CHERRY AWARD
About the Award
This award is named in honor of William R. Cherry, a founder of the photovoltaic community. In the 1950s he was instrumental in establishing solar cells as the ideal power source for space satellites, and in recognizing, advocating and nurturing the use of photovoltaic systems for terrestrial applications. The award was instituted in 1980, shortly after his death.
It recognizes an individual engineer or scientist who devoted part of their professional life to advancing 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, disseminated through substantial publications and presentations. Professional society activities and promotional or organizational efforts are not considerations for the award.
Award package: a plaque, a 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 with significant contributions to the science and/or technology of PV energy conversion, disseminated through substantial publications and presentations.
- Nominee must have 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 do not need 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 are not accepted.
- Nominations may be re-submitted in later years.
- Unsuccessful nominations automatically carry over once into the following year.
- Multiple nominations for the same candidate are accepted if each represents the nominator’s personal view.
Nomination Package
- Electronic Nomination FormWith the nominee’s name, current affiliation and contact information, plus the nominator’s name, address, phone number and email.
- Rationale and citationA rationale (under 150 words) on the nominee’s contributions to the PV field, and a citation (under 40 words) listing the specific contributions that make them deserving of the award.
- Supporting materialA list of the nominee’s activities in the field, a current CV and a headshot.
- Your personal viewDescribe the candidate’s work and contributions in your own words. Quality is better than quantity: where possible avoid multiple nominations for the same candidate, for example by bundling letters of support.
The submission form lets you upload supporting documents; combine multiple documents into one file. Any additional documents can be emailed to Margaux Toral at [email protected].
Questions? Contact Thorsten Trupke at [email protected].
Past Recipients
- 2026Prof. Uwe Rau
- 2025Dr. David Mitzi
- 2024Dr. Chris Xixiang Xu
- 2023Prof. Jenny Nelson
- 2022Prof. Stephen R. Forrest
- 2021Prof. Thorsten Trupke
- 2020Prof. James Sites
- 2019Dr. Harry Atwater
- 2018Prof. Vasilis Fthenakis
- 2017Prof. Eli Yablonovitch
- 2016Dr. Pierre Verlinden
- 2015Dr. Christiana Honsberg
- 2014Dr. Ronald A. Sinton
- 2013Dr. Keith Emery
- 2012Dr. Sarah Kurtz
- 2011Dr. Jerry M. Olson
- 2010Dr. Richard R. King
- 2009Dr. Stuart Wenham
- 2008Dr. Masafumi Yamaguchi
- 2006Dr. Antonio Luque
- 2005Dr. Timothy J. Coutts
- 2003Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi
- 2002Dr. Richard M. Swanson
- 2000Dr. Christopher R. Wronski
- 1998Dr. Richard J. Schwartz
- 1997Dr. Adolf Goetzberger
- 1996Dr. Allen M. Barnett
- 1994Prof. Yoshihiro Hamakawa
- 1993Dr. Lawrence L. Kazmerski
- 1991Mr. Peter A. Iles
- 1990Dr. Martin A. Green
- 1988Dr. David E. Carlson
- 1987Dr. Charles E. Backus
- 1985Mr. Eugene L. Ralph
- 1984Dr. Henry W. Brandhorst
- 1982Prof. Martin Wolf
- 1981Dr. Joseph L. Loferski
- 1980Dr. Paul Rappaport