Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy

The Annie Jump Cannon Award is presented for outstanding research and promise for future research by a postdoctoral woman researcher. The Cannon Award includes an honorarium of $1,500 and an invitation to give an invited talk at a meeting of the AAS, for which travel expenses will be paid.

History:

The Annie Jump Cannon Award Committee was first established in June 1933 as the Cannon Committee. This became an Advisory Committee when the Award's administration was turned over to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in 1974. The AAS took over administration of the award again in 2005.

Eligibility: 

  • Female astronomer
  • Resident of North America (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico), or a member of a North American institution stationed abroad, as of the date the award is announced (usually at the January AAS Meeting following selection)
  • PhD earned within five years of the award year (note, however, that suspensions of career progress due to documented family or medical leave may be allowed as a factor in considering a person's eligibility).
    Example: The recipient of a PhD in 2022 would be eligible for the award announced in January 2027 (nomination in spring 2026), but not for the award announced in January 2028 (nomination in spring 2027).

Criteria:

  • Outstanding research
  • Promise for future research

Self-nominations are allowed. Because this prize is awarded, in part, on the promise for future research, the nominee must provide a 5-year research plan as part of their nomination package. For questions, please contact the AAS Secretary.

Nomination Deadline: 30 June

Nomination Process

View the Nomination Instructions
Submit a Nomination

Support

Donate to the Annie Jump Cannon Award Fund
Consider Volunteering to Serve on the Award Committee

Award Winners

2026 - Mary Anne Limbach

For pioneering the detection of white dwarf exoplanets and exomoons, and for developing innovative observing methods that open new windows into the diversity, evolution, and habitability of planetary systems.

2025 - Maya Fishbach

For major contributions to the field of gravitational-wave astrophysics and cosmology, including inference of the black-hole merger rate and its implications for the formation of stellar-mass black holes.

2024 - Jennifer Bergner

For her innovative astrochemical work at the intersection of laboratory experiments, theory, and observations, which has established new pathways to interstellar chemical complexity.

2023 – Marta Bryan

For her leadership in observational studies of gas-giant exoplanet formation, evolution, and impact on planetary systems.

2022 – Eve Lee

For her illuminating work on the formation of stars, debris disks, and planets.

2021 – Laura Kreidberg

For her pioneering research on the structure, composition, and dynamics of exoplanet atmospheres.

2020 – Caroline Morley

For her innovative work on modeling the atmospheres of exoplanets and brown dwarfs. She has advanced our understanding of clouds and photochemical hazes and the role they play in observations of transmission and emission spectra.

2019 – Blakesley Burkhart

For her leadership in studies of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence on all scales and in diverse astrophysical environments, using innovative techniques to carefully compare observational data with numerical simulations.

2018 – Lauren Ilsedore Cleeves

For her groundbreaking work on planet formation and protoplanetary disks. She has established herself as an expert in astrochemical signatures in circumstellar disks.
Rebekah Dawson

2017 – Rebekah Dawson

For her work modeling the dynamical interactions of exoplanets in multiplanet systems. Her studies help explain exoplanets’ mutual orbital inclinations and eccentricities as well as their migration toward and away from each other and their host star.

2016 – Laura A. Lopez

For her contributions to understanding the birth-to-death cycle of stars in our galaxy.

2015 – Smadar Naoz

For her pathbreaking contributions in cosmology and planetary dynamics.

2014 – Emily Levesque

For her innovative work using gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to explore fundamental questions of stellar astrophysics and cosmology.