SPIE and supporting organizations recognize contributions that have been made by experts, and we honor their accomplishments with the following prestigious awards.
13032 (DCS108) Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery XXXI
Best Student Paper Award
In order to be considered for this award, the student must be the presenter and the primary author and marked as student and presenter in the submission system. A panel of experts will evaluate the papers, both for quality and content with regard to: 1) innovation, clarity, and style, and 2) the importance of the work to the field.
13034 (DCS110) Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2024
Best Paper Award
The award will be given to a paper for its originality and contributions to the multimodal image exploitation and learning field. The criteria for evaluation will include:
To be considered, authors must:
To select the winners of the best paper award, the evaluation committee will go through a rigorous two-stage selection process:
Conference chairs will not participate in the evaluation process of the papers. The evaluation committee will make all decisions regarding the selection of the best paper.
13035 (DCS112) Synthetic Data for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Tools, Techniques, and Applications II
Best Oral Presentation Award
Best Poster Award
We are pleased to announce two awards for this conference:
Award winners will receive an awards certificate.
All accepted presentations in this conference are automatically eligible.
13036 (DCS113) Big Data VI: Learning, Analytics, and Applications
Best Paper Award
One paper will be selected for the best paper award among the papers of this conference (accepted, in-person presented by one of the authors, and published). The selection will be made by a designated award sub-committee, comprising three members of the conference program committee and/or chairs. All eligible papers will be evaluated for technical quality and merit. The criteria for evaluation will include: 1) innovation; 2) clarity and quality of the manuscript submitted for publication; and 3) the significance and impact of the work reported. In order to be considered for the award, one of the authors must make their oral presentation and submit their final manuscript as scheduled and according to the due date. There is no monetary prize for this award.
13039 (DCS116) Automatic Target Recognition XXXIV
Best Paper Award and Best Student Paper Award
To be eligible for this award, you must submit a manuscript, be accepted for an oral presentation, and you or your co-author must present your paper on-site. All students are eligible if the abstract was accepted during the academic year the student graduated. Students are required to be enrolled in university degree granting program. Manuscripts will be judged on technical merit, presentation/speaking skills, and audience interaction. Winners will be announced after the meeting and will be included in the proceedings. All winners will receive an Award Certificate and recognition on SPIE.org.
13045 (DCS204) Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXXV
Infrared Imaging Systems Best Presentation Award
Innovation Award: Test Technique
Young Researcher Innovation Award: Modeling, Simulation, Analysis
This year, this conference grants three awards: 1) Best presentation is selected by the conference committee; 2) Santa Barbara Infrared (SBIR) is offering a $250.00 honorarium for an innovation award, granted for the most innovative test technique; and 3) True Colors Infrared Imaging (TCII) is awarding a $250.00 honorarium to the most innovative modeling and simulation driven imager design or analysis paper presented by a student or young researcher. All awardees will receive recognition on their published paper in the conference proceedings, provided that the manuscript is submitted before the end of the conference.
Innovation Awards sponsored by:
13047 (DCS206) Thermosense: Thermal Infrared Applications XLVI
Thermosense Best Student Paper Award
The chairs and committee will recognize one outstanding young researcher with a best student paper award for this conference. The award is open to any first author student presenting an oral presentation at SPIE Thermosense. A certificate and $500 monetary award will be granted to the student winner.
To be eligible for the best student paper award, you must:
Award sponsored by:
13048 (DCS207) Radar Sensor Technology XXVIII
Early career research awards
The Radar Sensor Technology conference encourages submissions of relevant research to dedicated sessions of early-career researchers, which includes undergraduate students, graduate students, and young professionals (who have accrued five years or less of experience within the workforce, after graduation). A Radar Sensor Technology Early Career Research Award will be given to the first author/presenter of the top three best early-career research paper and presentation combination (i.e. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded, after evaluation of the paper and presentation as a package).
Radar Sensor Technology Early Career Research Award recipients will receive conference recognition in the form of:
To be eligible for the Radar Sensor Technology Early Career Research Award, you must self-identify your abstract submission by choosing the topic "Early-Career Research" during the abstract submission process.
13051 (DCS301) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Multi-Domain Operations Applications VI
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Best Paper Award
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Best Student Paper Award
All accepted and presented full papers in the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Multi-Domain Operations Applications conference will compete for: 1) Best Paper Award, and 2) Best Student Paper Award. Manuscripts will be evaluated on originality, technical merit, and significance to MDO applications. Judging is based on the complete submitted manuscripts. Winners will be announced at the symposium. The manuscript due date is 3 April 2024. Program committee and chair papers are excluded from these best paper awards.
Awards sponsored by:
13053 (DCS303) Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping IX
Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Best Student Paper Award
The chairs and committee are excited to be able to recognize pioneers in the field with a best paper award sponsored by Syngenta. One winner will be selected for the Best Paper Award and a runner-up will also be recognized. This award is open to student and postdoctoral presenters who are lead authors in this conference. Judging is based on both the presentation and the manuscript. Winners will be notified after the symposium.
Award sponsored by:
13057 (DCS308) Signal Processing, Sensor/Information Fusion, and Target Recognition XXXIII
Best Student Paper Award
We are happy to announce a best student paper award, to be judged at the conference (papers must acknowledge first student author when submitting). The best student paper award for the SPIE Signal Processing, Sensor/Information Fusion, and Target Recognition conference is picked by a committee delegated by the program chairs of the conference. It recognizes the very best work appearing at the conference where the first author is a student. Judging is based on the complete submitted manuscripts. Winners will be announced at the symposium. The manuscript due date is 3 April 2024.
13058 (DCS309) Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences VIII
Student Emerging and Disruptive Innovation Award
Award support may be provided to undergraduate students who submit abstracts based upon their own independent research or ideas and who have their ideas accepted by the program committee. Applicants and their area of research must focus around the topical focus of the Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences conference. Students applying for award must indicate during submission of their abstract that they are an undergraduate seeking award by selecting "student award" in the topics section.
13061 (DCS313) Ocean Sensing and Monitoring XV
Best Paper Award
We are pleased to announce a best paper award for the Ocean Sensing and Monitoring conference. All accepted presentation in this conference are eligible. The award will be announced at the end of the conference.
13062 (DCS314) Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XVII
Sensors and Systems for Space Applications Best Paper Award
Sensors and Systems for Space Applications Best Student Paper Award
We are pleased to announce best paper awards in sensors and systems. An award will be given to the best paper and best student paper in the Sensors and Systems for Space Applications conference. Qualifying papers will be evaluated by the awards committee. Manuscripts will be judged based on scientific merit, impact, and clarity. The winners will be announced during the conference and the presenting authors will be awarded.
To be eligible for the best paper award, you must:
To be eligible for the best student paper award, you must:
Thank you to the committee and chairs for reviewing and selecting the SPIE DCS 2023 conference award recipients:
| Conference | Award/Sponsor | Award Winner/Paper Number |
| Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery XXX | Best Student Paper | James Chapman, Univ. of California, Los Angeles (United States), 12520-13 |
| Automatic Target Recognition XXXIII | Best Paper  |
Shoaib Meraj Sami, West Virginia Univ. (United States), 12521-8 |
| Automatic Target Recognition XXXIII | Best Paper |
Kristen Jaskie, Prime Solutions Group, Inc. (United States), 12521-38 |
| Automatic Target Recognition XXXIII | Best Student Paper |
Sophia Abraham, Univ. of Notre Dame (United States), 12521-6 |
| Big Data: Learning, Analytics, and Applications V | Best Student Paper | Tianma Shen, Santa Clara Univ. (United States), 12522-6 |
| Big Data: Learning, Analytics, and Applications V | Best Student Paper | Garrett I. Cayce, Univ. of North Texas (United States), 12522-7 |
| Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2023 | Best Paper | Arthur C. Depoian, Univ. of North Texas (United States), 12526-6 |
| Synthetic Data for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Tools, Techniques, and Applications | Best Oral Presentation | Vickram Rajendran, Applied Intuition (United States), 12529-29 |
| Synthetic Data for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Tools, Techniques, and Applications | Best Poster | Guangkun Li, Johns Hopkins Univ. Applied Physics Lab., LLC (United States), 12529-32 |
| Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXXIV | Best Presentation | Lindsey Wiley, Wyant College of Optical Sciences (United States), 12533-9 |
| Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXXIV | Infrared Imaging Systems Innovation |
Allen J. Parker, DEVCOM C5ISR (United States), 12533-25 |
| Radar Sensor Technology XXVII | Early Career Research Award - 1st place | Zachary Landicini, Battelle Memorial Institute (United States), 12535-20 |
| Radar Sensor Technology XXVII | Early Career Research Award - 2nd place | Samu-Ville Pälli, Aalto Univ. (Finland), 12535-27 |
| Radar Sensor Technology XXVII | Early Career Research Award - 3rd place | JStavros Vakalis, Univ. of South Florida (United States), 12535-21 |
| Thermosense: Thermal Infrared Applications XLV | Best Student Paper |
Christoph Tuschl, Montan Univ. Leoben (Austria), 12536-12 |
| Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Multi-Domain Operations Applications V | Best Paper |
Emily Strube, Georgia Tech Research Institute (United States), 12538-26 |
| Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Multi-Domain Operations Applications V | Best Student Paper |
Pretom Roy Ovi, Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County (United States), 12538-32 |
| Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping VIII | Best Student Paper |
Thevathayarajh Thayananthan, Mississippi State Univ. (United States), 12539-15 |
| Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping VIII | Best Student Paper Runner Up |
Pappu K. Yadav, Univ. of Florida (United States), 12539-5 |
| Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences VI |
Student Emerging and Disruptive Innovation | Robert P. Dizor, Univ. of West Florida (United States), 12542-34 |
| Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences VI |
Student Emerging and Disruptive Innovation | Scotty Black, Naval Postgraduate School (United States), 12542-36 |
| Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences VI |
Student Emerging and Disruptive Innovation | Olha Danilova, Naval Postgraduate School (United States), 12542-37 |
| Disruptive Technologies in Information Sciences VI |
Student Emerging and Disruptive Innovation | Nelson Jaimes, The George Washington Univ. (United States), 12542-38 |
| Ocean Sensing and Monitoring XIV | Best Paper | Anna Gribbon, Univ. of Strathclyde (United Kingdom), 12543-2 |
| Ocean Sensing and Monitoring XIV | Best Paper Honorable Mention | Mateusz Malinowski, The City College of New York (United States), 12543-23 |
| Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XVI | Best Paper | Justin K. A. Henry, The Pennsylvania State Univ. (United States) 12546-12 |
| Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XVI |
Best Student Paper | Sanket Lokhande, Univ. of Nevada, Reno (United States) 12546-9 |
| Signal Processing, Sensor/Information Fusion, and Target Recognition XXXII | Best Student Paper | Emily Hunter, Queen's Univ. (Canada), 12547-1 |