Winifred Goldring Award

Scholarship Sponsored by Association for Women Geoscientists

Introduction
The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) invites applications for the Winifred Goldring Award. The prize includes a $2,000 cash award and AWG and Paleontological Society memberships for the duration of the recipient’s graduate enrollment. This award honors Winifred Goldring, a trailblazing paleontologist who became New York State Paleontologist in 1939 and served as the first female president of the Paleontological Society in 1949. The award is funded through the generosity of David Watkins and Mary Anne Holmes.

Important dates and contact
- Deadline: materials must be received by the April deadline (late submissions will not be accepted).
- Notification: the winner will be informed in May; funds will be distributed in early summer.
- Questions and submissions: send to goldring@awg.org. Please put “Goldring Award Applicant’s Name” in the email subject line.

Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following:
1. Identify as women and be enrolled as graduate students in paleontology or closely related sciences at a degree-granting institution.
2. Be actively enrolled as a student during the award period.
3. Provide proof of student status via transcripts (official or unofficial).
4. Demonstrate strong motivation, professional promise, outreach activity, and sustained commitment to their goals.
5. Receive the Winifred Goldring Award only once during their graduate career.
6. Membership in AWG or the Paleontological Society is not required prior to applying.
7. Applicants from outside the United States may apply, except for applicants from sanctioned countries.

Application packet — single PDF
AWG must receive one complete PDF packet by the April deadline containing the following items:
1. Completed application form with full name, institution, and email address.
2. Transcripts (official or unofficial) for the current degree program. Student ID numbers or Social Security numbers MUST BE REDACTED/BLACKED OUT; applications that include unredacted IDs will not be considered.
3. A one-page personal statement (maximum 500 words) describing: how you became interested in paleontology, long-range career goals, current and planned research interests, and related extracurricular activities.
4. Curriculum vitae (clearly dated and ordered most recent to past). The CV should not exceed five pages. Include publications, abstracts, relevant work experience, professional development, awards and honors, grants, GPA, and extracurriculars. Do not list coursework (transcripts cover this). For CV formatting guidance, see: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/.

Letters of recommendation
In addition to the PDF packet, AWG requires two letters of recommendation from faculty members or scientific mentors on departmental or official letterhead. Recommenders should submit letters directly to goldring@awg.org. Each letter should address:
a. The nature and duration of the recommender’s experience with the applicant.
b. The applicant’s current and anticipated contributions to paleontology and the larger community.
c. The applicant’s potential for future success in a paleontological career.
d. Strengths and weaknesses relevant to leadership, intellectual capability, academic performance, character, and community involvement.
e. Any circumstances that may have affected the student’s academic record and do not reflect her full potential.

Award obligations
Recipients must fulfill the following while holding the award:
1. Submit an annual progress report (250 words or less) to the Award Committee at the end of the first year and each subsequent year until the degree program is completed. The report should summarize academic and research progress and outreach activities.
2. Provide a personal statement (up to 500 words) and a photograph to Gaea during the first year of the award describing paleontological interests.
3. Make every reasonable effort to attend the AWG Breakfast and the Paleontological Society Dinner at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in the award’s first year, where the recipient will be recognized.

Submission reminders
- Assemble the application materials into a single PDF before sending.
- Letters of recommendation must be sent separately by the referees to goldring@awg.org on official letterhead.
- Use the email subject line: Goldring Award Applicant’s Name.