Awards & Recognition
Image credit: Rhonda Nass, member since 1992
Accolades for our
Community
GNSI began with a vision of how illustrators could band together and help each other thrive. That tradition has continued for over 50 years as motivated volunteers take the reins and move the organization and the field forward. For these exceptional leaders, GNSI has three awards to recognize the dedication and long-time efforts of its most impactful members.
SPECIAL PROJECTS AWARD
For those individuals who showed innovation, creativity, and a driven determination to spearhead a major project that was instrumental in furthering GNSI's mission.
SPECIAL SERVICE AWARD
A flexible award to recognize long-term dedication to the Guild through efforts of volunteerism, service, teaching, mentoring, or other ongoing and substantial support of the organization.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
For long-term dedicated individuals who have put in countless hours on the Board, in lead conference coordination roles, and many other critical positions.
Image credit: Dino Pulera, member since 2004
Image credit: Elizabeth Sisk, member since 2017
Special Projects Award
Established in 1994, this award is given for major projects, such as the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, Science Insights, the GNSI website, or a comprehensive membership survey used in strategic planning. The handful of recipients for this prestigious award showed innovation, creativity, a driven determination to pursue into being some project that was instrumental in furthering the GNSI mission or key to education on and outreach for natural science illustration as a field, avocation, and passion.
- 2021 - Joel Floyd
- 2018 - Diana Marques; Gail Guth and Britt Griswold; Kalliopi Monoyios
- 2016 - Kris Kirkeby
- 2015 - Ikumi Kayama
- 2009 - Britt Griswold
- 2006 - Norm Frisch
- 1999 - Bev Benner
- 1998 - Taina Litwak
- 1995 - Norm Frisch
- 1994 - Sally Bensusen
Special Service Award
Created in 2008, this flexible award was developed for long-term dedication to the Guild through efforts of volunteerism, service, teaching, mentoring, or other ongoing and substantial support of the organization. Special Service Award recipients are longtime members or associates who, although they may not have held a leadership role such as board service or deep conference planning involvement, have nevertheless been an integral and important member of this professional community.
- 2014 - Trudy Nicholson
- 2013 - Nancy Halliday
- 2012 - John Cody; Gerald Hodge
- 2008 - Leslie Becker; John Norton
- 2002 - Elaine Hodges
Image credit: Robert Long, member since 2018
Image credit: Kim Moss, member since 2017
Distinguished Service Award
Established in 1994, this award is given to long-term dedicated workers, those who have put in countless hours and have usually served both on the Board and have coordinated conferences or portions of conferences. The award is given after many years of ongoing service on the part of the member.
- 2019 - Ikumi Kayama
- 2017 - Amelia Janes
- 2012 - Sara Taliaferro
- 2011 - Marlene Hill Donnelly
- 2009 - Gail Guth
- 2007 - Julie Kulak
- 2006 - Gretchen Halpert
- 2005 - Karen Ackoff
- 2004 - Marj Leggitt
- 2003 - Dick Rauh
- 2001 - Mary Jane Spring Brush
- 2000 - Virge Kask
- 1999 - Alice Tangerini
- 1998 - Kris Kirkeby
- 1997 - Trudy Nicholson
- 1995 - Elaine Hodges
- 1994 - Britt Griswold
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Image credit: Claudia Roman, member since 2021