Rules applicable to the Galileo Galilei Award

1 - The Galileo Galilei medal of ICO is awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of optics which are achieved under comparatively unfavorable circumstances.

2.1 - The outstanding contributions in the field of optics should refer to:
- fundamental scientific questions or problems, or
- research or development of optical methods or devices, or
- scientific or technical leadership in the establishment of regional optical centers.

2.2 - "Comparatively unfavorable circumstances" refers to difficult economic or social conditions or lack of access to scientific or technical facilities or sources of information.

2.3 - The outstanding contributions must be documented, if applicable, by internationally acknowledged publications. Exceptionally, reports can be considered, provided that they are made available to the Award Committee.

3 - The award is normally given to one person. Exceptionally, however, if a collective contribution is judged to be worthy of the award a team of several persons may be selected.

4 - Every year, the ICO Committee for the Regional Development of Optics issues a call for nominations that is published in the ICO Newsletter, receives the nominations and selects the winner for approval by the Bureau at its next meeting. The award need not be given every year if the Bureau so chooses.

5 - The award consists of:
a) the Galileo Galilei Medal,
b) assistance in travel to present an invited paper and receive the award at the next ICO Congress or another ICO meeting mutually agreed to by the Bureau and the award winner,
c) a cash donation
c) special attention and appropriate measures of ICO to support the future activities of the award winner.

Additional general information about the Galileo Galilei Award

The Italian Society of Optics and Photonics, SIOF (Società Italiana di Ottica e Fotonica) has agreed to support ICO's initiative and donate the silver medal with the portrait of Galileo Galilei to be given to the recipient.

The Award contributes to one of the essential missions of the International Commission for Optics: recognize the promotion of Optics under difficult circumstances. The award was established by the 1993 General Assembly of ICO and has be awarded annually since 1994.

The award winners to this date are