Winifred Goldring Award

Scholarship Sponsored by Association for Women Geoscientists

Association for Women Geoscientists — Winifred Goldring Award

Overview
The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) invites applications for the Winifred Goldring Award. The prize includes $2,000 and membership in both the Paleontological Society and AWG for the duration of the recipient’s current degree program. This award honors Winifred Goldring, a trailblazing paleontologist who was appointed State Paleontologist of New York in 1939 and became the first female president of the Paleontological Society in 1949. Funding for the award was generously provided by David Watkins and Mary Anne Holmes.

Key deadlines and timeline
- Application packet and all required materials must be received by April 30 (no late submissions will be accepted).
- Finalist/winner notification will occur in May.
- Award funds and memberships will be issued in early summer.

Eligibility
- Applicants must be women enrolled as graduate students in paleontology or closely related sciences at an accredited, degree-granting institution.
- The applicant must be an enrolled student during the award period.
- Proof of student status (official or unofficial transcripts) is required.
- Candidates should demonstrate strong motivation, professional promise, outreach activity, and a sustained commitment to their goals.
- A student may receive the Winifred Goldring Award only once during her graduate studies.
- Prior membership in AWG or the Paleontological Society is not required.
- Applicants from other countries are welcome, except from nations under applicable sanctions.

How to apply
All application materials must be combined into a single PDF file and emailed to goldring@awg.org by April 30. The email subject line must read: Goldring Award Applicant’s Name. Questions may be sent to the same address. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

Required packet (single PDF)
1. Completed application form including name, institution, and contact email.
2. Transcript(s) (official or unofficial) for your current degree program. Student ID numbers and Social Security numbers must be redacted; applications received with unredacted identifying numbers will be disqualified.
3. Personal statement — one page maximum (up to 500 words). Address how you became interested in paleontology, your long-term career objectives, current and planned research interests, and relevant extracurricular or outreach activities.
4. Curriculum vitae — clear, dated, reverse-chronological format (most recent first). Do not exceed five pages. Include publications, meeting abstracts, awards and honors, grants, professional development, GPA, relevant work experience, and extracurricular activities. Do not list course-by-course coursework (transcripts cover that). For CV formatting guidance, see Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/.

Letters of recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required. Recommenders should be faculty members or scientific mentors and must send their letters directly to goldring@awg.org (on departmental or official letterhead). Letters should address:
a. The nature and extent of the recommender’s experience with the applicant.
b. The applicant’s current and potential contributions to paleontology and the broader community.
c. The applicant’s potential for future success in a paleontological field.
d. Strengths and weaknesses in leadership, intellectual ability, academic performance, character, and community involvement.
e. Any circumstances that may have affected academic performance and that the committee should consider.

Award obligations (if selected)
- Submit an annual progress report (250 words or fewer) to the Award Committee describing academic/research progress and related outreach. The first report is due at the end of the first year of the award and annually thereafter until completion of the current degree.
- Provide a personal statement (up to 500 words) and a photograph to Gaea in the first award year describing your interests in paleontology.
- Make every reasonable effort to attend the AWG Breakfast and the Paleontological Society Dinner at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in the first award year; the awardee will be publicly recognized at those events.

Contact and submission reminder
Send the single PDF application packet to goldring@awg.org by April 30. Ensure recommenders send their letters directly to the same address. Use the email subject line: Goldring Award Applicant’s Name.