IISL Awards and competitions

IISL honors exceptional contributions to space law at its Annual Awards Dinner during the annual IISL Colloquium, with accolades including the Lifetime Achievement Award and Distinguished Service Award, among others. Stay updated on our events and celebrate the achievements of distinguished professionals in the field of space law with us.

Updates: 2024 IISL Awards Season

Update 26 March 2024

The Institute received nominations for the 2024 IISL Awards until 25 March 2024. The Awards Committee presented the proposed candidates to the Board of Directors, at the IISL Spring Board Meeting on 27 April 2024.

Update 25 February 2024

The Institute is currently calling for nominations for the 2024 IISL Awards!

Nominations should be made in the prescribed nomination form in one of the five categories of IISL awards. The deadline for this year's nomination period is Monday, 25 March 2024 (extended from originally 29 February 2024).

Nominations must be submitted electronically to <awards@iisl.space>, by filling and e-mailing the prescribed form, and providing all the required information and documentation. Nomination forms and eligibility criteria for each category, and the procedure for nominations, can be accessed below. Nominated individuals for the Space Law Award for Young Achievers should be below 40 years of age as of 31 March 2024.

Please note that the scope of the IISL Awards is global and not limited to IISL members, therefore we invite all members to actively participate in the nominations. 

The IISL's Awards

Each year, IISL recognises eminent and extraordinary contributions and services in the field of space law, and in advancing the broader objectives of the Institute through prestigious IISL annual awards.

The Institute gives out annual awards in five categories:

• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Distinguished Service Award
• Award of Appreciation
• Certificate of Gratitude
• Space Law Award for Young Achievers

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises outstanding lifetime dedication to the development and furtherance of space law. The Distinguished Service Award honours extraordinary achievements to the goals of IISL. The Award of Appreciation expresses appreciation for special contributions and services for the furtherance of the Institute. The Certificate of gratitude recognises extraordinary services rendered to the Institute. The Space Law Award for Young Achievers was introduced as a new category of award in early 2019 and recognises meritorious contributions or outstanding achievements relevant to the field of space law or distinctive service to the activities, events or goals of IISL by young individuals. The nominated individuals should be below 40 years of age as of 31 March of the year of the nomination period.

The IISL awards and certificates are presented every year at the IISL's Annual Awards Dinner held during the IISL Colloquium. As most of the work of the Institute is undertaken honorarily by its members, the awards and certificates denote an important appreciation expressing the IISL's recognition of the furtherance of its goals and objectives as well as efforts undertaken to further the Institute.

The Diederiks-Verschoor Award

The IISL Board of Directors additionally annually grants the Prof. Dr I.H.Ph. Diederiks-Verschoor Award. This Award is given to the best paper accepted for presentation at the Institute’s Colloquium during the International Astronautical Congress by an author not older than 30 years and who has not published more than five papers in the Proceedings of IISL Colloquia. A medal is donated each year by the initiator of the Award, Prof. Oscar Fernandez Brital from Argentina.

The Diederiks-Verschoor Award is presented along with the IISL Awards at the annual IISL's Annual Awards Dinner held during the IISL Colloquium.

Find more information on the Diederiks-Verschoor Award here:

Nomination form and procedure

For nominations in the five categories of awards and certificates mentioned above, please use the Nomination form below.

Nominations should be made in the prescribed nomination form in one of the five categories of IISL awards. The deadline for this year's nomination period is Thursday, 29 February 2024.

Nominations must be submitted electronically to <awards@iisl.space>, by filling and e-mailing the prescribed form, and providing all the required information and documentation. Nomination forms and eligibility criteria for each category, and the procedure for nominations, can be accessed below. Nominated individuals for the Space Law Award for Young Achievers should be below 40 years of age as of 31 March 2024.

Please note that the scope of the IISL Awards is global and not limited to IISL members.

Please see below for the Nomination form (docx) to be used for nominations for IISL Awards and Instructions on IISL Awards and Certificates (pdf).

A specific nomination for the Prof. Dr I.H.Ph. Diederiks-Verschoor Award is not needed; the organisers of the IISL Colloquium will award the distinction to one of the papers submitted in the annual first session of the IISL Colloqium, entitled Nandasiri Jasentuliyana Keynote and Young Scholars Session.

Previous IISL Awards winners