Welcome to the EO Excellence Award 2025

With the EO Excellence Award, the European Space Agency (ESA) honors early-stage researchers who have made a notable contribution to the pioneering use of Earth observation, with a focus on the use of data from European satellites.

Following the remarkable success of the previous editions, the 2025 Award is now open for submissions. Individuals or teams can nominate themselves or by a mentor or a supporter. Two winners will be selected: one individual and one team. As last year, there will be a research grant for the winners in this round too. The individual winner can receive a grant of up to 35K Euro and the winning team can secure up to 65K Euro. These grants are intended to support and further advance the winners’ specified research.

An independent evaluation led by the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) of the European Science Foundation (ESF) will be carried out and the successful nominations will be announced in March 2025.

The EO Excellence Award is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – Don’t miss it!

As we embark on this new round, I am pleased to see how the EO Excellence Award continues to foster innovation and support early-career scientists. This award not only highlights the importance of Earth observation, but also empowers researchers to push the boundaries in unique uses of EO data, for science and applications.
Simonetta Cheli
Director of Earth Observation Programmes, ESA

Who are we looking for?

Explorers

Your research demonstrates novel approaches and innovations in the field of EO data processing, applications, engineering, or communication.

Collaborators

Your research primarily focuses on European EO Datasets, thereby encouraging international collaboration.

Contributors

Your research demonstrates a focus on demand-driven solutions that contribute to science, industry, or the society.

Innovators

Your research opens up new areas and potential in the world of European Earth Observation.

Unveiling Excellence: Behold, Our Prizes!

For more information, please check our Terms and Conditions

Become a Nominator!

Become a promoter of budding researchers in the early stages of their career and help recognize and encourage innovations in the field of Earth Observation.

Become our next Winner!

Get nominated as the next winner of the EO Excellence Award, by finding a Nominator that supports your innovation or nominate yourself.

The call for nomination opens on 5 September 2024
and will close on 5 December 2024

Following the success of the EO Excellence Award in the previous editions, it’s now time to lodge your nomination for someone or for a team that deserves recognition for their innovative use of Earth Observation.

5 Sep - 5 Dec 2024
Nomination period
Dec 2024 - Mid-March 2025
Evaluation period
Apr 2025
Announcement of winners
June 2025
Award Ceremony

during ESA’s Living Planet Symposium in Vienna

Meet our Winners

Individual 2024: Iestyn Woolway, Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom

Iestyn’s work focuses on the physics and hydrology of lakes worldwide and their links to climate using space-based observations combined with in situ data and modelling to measure water temperature, evaporation, and ice cover.

Individual 2023: Susanna Ebmeier, University of Leeds

Exploring innovative and novel approaches to use EO in monitoring volcanic activity, Susanna’s impressive research expands our understanding of volcanic deformation and hazards.

Team 2023: Andreas Kääb, Désirée Treichler, Bas Altena, Luc Girod, and Solveig H. Winsvold, University of Oslo

Providing a solid basis to ESA’s newly selected Earth Explorer 10 Harmony Mission, the Global Glacier Mass Continuity Project has taken significant steps forward in analysing the behaviour of glaciers as a response to climate change.