Awards

The David Linton Award is given to a geomorphologist who has made a leading contribution to the discipline over a sustained period. The winner will receive a Medal and is invited to present the Linton Lecture, which is one of the central elements of the BSG Annual General Meeting.

Nominations are drawn together for the selection process in January each year and should be submitted by the end of December of the preceding year. In the nomination form you need to include the details of nominee (name, email and institution), a section outlining their key contributions and a statement of nomination (maximum 2000 characters).

Applications are assessed  and ranked independently by the members of the Research sub-committee and  then collectively discussed in the February/March sub-committee meeting to decide which nominations are to be awarded. These are then taken to the Executive Committee for ratification.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate the sustained impact of the applicant on the geomorphological community; this can be based on publications, the enhancement of knowledge, policy or wider outreach activities and/or mentoring and development. Each  application is judged on their individual merit within  the field.

Unsuccessful nominations will be carried forward for a maximum of two further years, if (i) the Research Committee deems them to be of a sufficiently high calibre to be competitive in future years and (ii) the nominee remains eligible for the Award.

Professor David Thomas

Citation: Professor David Thomas is a hugely influential scholar who has made outsized contributions to dryland and desert geomorphology research. His phenomenal track record covers contemporary processes that shape arid landscapes, reconstruction of Quaternary landscapes, and the interplay between desertification and human migration and mobility. He has published over 220 refereed papers, 11 books and been a PI or CI on numerous competitively funded research proposals. His work has attracted over 23,000 citations. Whilst sustaining this impressive research track record, Professor Thomas has also been an outstanding advocate for our discipline, championing geomorphology through a number of senior national and international leadership positions including Chair of the REF2021 Geography and Environmental Studies sub panel, Chair of the QAA Geography benchmark review panel in 2013-14, Vice-President of the Research and Higher Education Committee at the RGS, and Chair of the (then) BGRG in 2002-3. He has also served as Head of Department at both Sheffield (1997-2000) and Oxford (2008-2012) and has been invited to lead evaluations in Kuwait, Israel, Estonia, Hong Kong amongst others. Professor Thomas has already received a number of awards in recognition of his sustained contribution his outstanding research including the RGS Victoria Medal, El-Baz Award from the Geological Society of America and was in the inaugural BSG Fellowship. He has made a sustained and enormous contribution towards geomorphology and is a highly deserving recipient of the Linton Award.

• Sanjeev Gupta (2024)
• Colin Woodroffe (2023)
• Andrew Brook (2022)
• Lynne Frostick (2021)
• Ellen Wohl (2020)
• Tavi Murray (2019)
• Herve Piegay (2018)
• Tim Burt (2017)
• Jean Poesen (2016)
• Keith Richards (2015)
• Jonathan Phillips (2014)
• Gerald Nanson (2013)
• Angela Gurnell (2012)
• John Lewin (2011)
• Adrian Harvey (2010)
• Andrew Goudie (2009)
• Tom Dunne (2008)
• Des Walling (2007)
• Bill Dietrich (2006)
• Rob Ferguson (2005)
• David Sugden (2004)
• Olav Slaymaker (2003)
• Athol Abrahams (2002)
• Michael Thomas (2001)
• William Graf (2000)
• Ken Gregory (1999)
• John Thornes (1998)
• Asher Schick (1997)
• Michael Church (1996)
• Vic Baker (1995)
• M. Gordon Wolman (1994)
• Denys Brunsden (1993)
• Frank Oldfield (1992)
• C.A.M. King (1991)
• George H. Dury (1990)
• Mike Kirkby (1989)
• E.H. Brown (1988)
• J De Ploey (1987)
• Luna B. Leopold (1986)
• Leszek Starkel (1985)
• R.J. Chorley (1984)
• J.R.L. Allen (1983)
• Stanley Schumm (1982)
• R.A. Bagnold (1981)

The Gordon Warwick Award is made annually for excellence in geomorphological research by someone within 15 years of being awarded their doctorate (i.e. time since graduation). The winner will receive a Medal and is invited to present the Gordon Warwick Lecture, which is one of the central elements of the BSG Annual General Meeting.

Nominations are drawn together for the selection process in January each year and should be submitted by the end of December of the preceding year. In the nomination form you need to include the details of nominee (name, month/year PhD awarded, email and institution), a section outlining their key publications and a statement of nomination (maximum 2000 characters).

Applications are assessed  and ranked independently by the members of the Research sub-committee and  then collectively discussed in the February/March sub-committee meeting to decide which nominations are to be awarded. These are then taken to the Executive Committee for ratification.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate the impact of the applicant on geomorphological research; this is through both high quality publications and developing understanding in their field of geomorphology. Consideration may also be given to the nominees wider external esteem (such as contribution to expert panels and policy, editor roles, mentorship etc.)..

Unsuccessful nominations will be carried forward for a maximum of two further years, if (i) the Research Committee deems them to be of a sufficiently high calibre to be competitive in future years and (ii) the nominee remains eligible for the Award.

Professor Lisa Mol

Citation: Professor Lisa Mol gained her PhD at the University of Oxford (2011) on the topic of sandstone weathering, where she subsequently completed a two-year Researcher post before taking up a lectureship in Physical Geography within the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University (2014-2015). After joining UWE in 2015 as a Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer, she was appointed to Chair of Geomorphology and Heritage in Conflict in 2023 in recognition of her achievements and contributions to research with impact. Prof Mol’s research truly pushes the boundaries of geomorphological research, using highly innovative applications of rock weathering scholarship to experimentally quantify complex rock deterioration processes associated with ballistic and explosive impacts in heritage sites. Prof Mol and her team use pioneering remote assistance techniques to aid documentation and analysis of conflict-driven rock deterioration processes in multiple locations including Ukraine, Yemen, Libya and Tunisia. This humanitarian support work has enabled the documentation of highly endangered sites across the MENA region, and has effectively informed policy in the sustainable conservation of at-risk cultural heritage sites. Furthermore, Prof Mol’s work has also investigated the effect of climate change on these already fragile sites, to inform early adaptation and conservation techniques to maintain the sites and develop new heritage-based revenue streams for local economies. Her work has featured in high-profile outlets such as Nature, Scientific American and the LA Times, garnering interest within and beyond the scientific community, with her public engagement work also evident through invited speaking engagements at public institutions such as the Smithsonian Museums, and the V&A. Prof Mol’s exceptional research is firmly rooted in geomorphology but her interdisciplinary approach has shown how geomorphic research can transcend traditional discipline boundaries, bringing geomorphology to the forefront in addressing challenging research questions in conflict areas. As such, she is a very worthy recipient of the Warwick Award.

• Georgina King (2024)
• Louise Slater (2023)
• Rebecca Hodge (2022)
• Bethan Davies (2021)
• Joe Wheaton (2020)
• Walter Bertoldi (2019)
• Larissa Naylor (2018)
• Martin Austin (2017)
• Doug Jerolmack (2016)
• Kirstie Fryirs (2015)
• Simon Mudd (2014)
• Chris Stokes (2013)
• Dimitri Lague (2012)
• Joe Holden (2011)
• Dan Parsons (2010)
• Ian Candy (2009)
• Kristof Van Oost (2008)
• Niels Hovius (2007)
• Tom Coulthard (2006)
• Stephen Tooth (2005)
• Jo Bullard (2004)
• David Nash (2003)
• Andrew Nicholas (2002)
• David Higgitt (2001)
• Tavi Murray (2000)
• John Wainwright (1999)
• J.J. McDonell (1998)
• Tim Quine (1997)
• Gerard Govers (1996)
• J.R. French (1995)
• J Best (1994)
• Mark Macklin (1993)
• John Dearing (1992)
• Kenneth Pye (1991)
• M. Sharp (1990)
• J.S. Walder (1988)
• Colin Ballantyne (1987)
• Bill Dietrich (1986)

One of Dick Chorley’s lasting contributions to geomorphology lies in the post-graduate students whom he inspired and guided at the start of their academic careers. Many have gone on to academic careers themselves, and include several of the leading figures in British geomorphology. In recognition of Dick’s commitment to serving the future of the discipline, the BSG has decided to honour his memory by creating the Dick Chorley Medal and Prize (£500) for Postgraduate Research.

The award is made for a published paper based on PhD research, where the nominee is expected to be the first author. Nominees should be within 4 years of their PhD award at the time of nomination. The winner will receive a Medal and is invited to present the Dick Chorley Lecture, which is one of the central elements of the BSG Annual General Meeting.

Nominations are drawn together for the selection process in January each year and should be submitted by the end of December of the preceding year. In the nomination form you need to include the details of nominee (name, month/year of PhD, email and institution PhD was awarded at), details of the nominated publication (included a PDF copy to upload) and a statement of nomination (maximum 2000 characters).

Applications are assessed  and ranked independently by the members of the Research sub-committee and  then collectively discussed in the February/March sub-committee meeting to decide which nominations are to be awarded. These are then taken to the Executive Committee for ratification.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate the geomorphological significance of the nominated paper; the nominee must be the first author of the publication and where there is evidence of the nominee showing research independence and clear leadership of the research will be viewed favourably.

Unsuccessful nominations will be carried forward for a maximum of two further years, if (i) the Research Committee deems them to be of a sufficiently high calibre to be competitive in future years and (ii) the nominee remains eligible for the Award.

Awarded to the paper by Dr Sophie Horton:

Horton, S. L., Stephenson, W. J. and Dickson, M. E. (2022) Changes in shore platform wetting and drying cycles following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake: Implications for incipient marine terrace evolution. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 47(12), 2972-2988. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5438

Citation: The paper “Changes in shore platform wetting and drying cycles following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake: Implications for incipient marine terrace evolution” by Sophie Horton, Wayne Stephenson and Mark Dickson is an excellent piece of research led by Dr Sophie Horton during her PhD, and which is highly deserving of the Dick Chorley Award. This study is notable for its contributions to shore platform geomorphology. Specifically, Sophie’s paper is derived from her PhD thesis which examined the impact of co-seismic uplift on shore platforms at Kaikoura, New Zealand. This paper considered changes in the distribution of wetting and drying cycles (as the primary weathering agent) across those platforms. Change were examined over the 10-year period 2011–2020 using a new empirical model that considered tidal inundation, insolation, rainfall, and algal suppression. Following co-seismic uplift of 0.8–1.0 m around Kaikoura Peninsula, most of the shore platforms were found to have had a reduction in annual wetting and drying cycles, which in turn leads to accelerated denudation. A key implication of the study is that the accelerated rates of denudation due to enhanced drying post-uplift could return sections of the incipient mudstone terraces to their former intertidal pre-uplift state, thereby potentially erasing evidence of the co-seismic uplift event. In summary, the approach, findings, and the contribution it makes to geomorphology make this paper led by Dr Sophie Horton a work that is highly deserving of recognition.

• Anya Leeman (2024)
• Carmine Donatelli (2023)
• Zacchary Larkin (2022)
•  Alvise Finotello (2021)
• Duna Roda-Boulda (2020)
• Nico Batz (2019)
• Edwin Baynes (2018)
• Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva (2017)
• Jeremy Ely (2016)
• Michelle Johnson (2015)
• Ann Rowan (2014)
• Victoria Milner (2013)
• Elisa Vignaga (2012)
• Ian Thrasher (2010)
• Tibi Codilean (2009)
• Alex Whittaker (2008)
• Keith Richardson (2007)

The Mike Kirkby award is given to the best paper published in the BSG’s Journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (ESPL), as decided by the ESPL editorial board. The paper is selected from the volume of the journal for the year previous to the Award.

Awarded to the paper by Wren Raming, Kelin Whipple and Ayron Strauch:
Raming, L.W., Whipple, K.X. & Strauch, A.M. (2024) Limits to knickzone retreat and bedrock river incision on the Hawaiian islands. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(6), 1914–1931. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5806

Citation: The 2025 Michael J. Kirkby award for the best paper published in the journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms for 2024 is made to Wren Raming, Kelin Whipple and Ayron Strauch for a paper entitled Limits to knickzone retreat and bedrock river incision on the Hawaiian islands. The ESPL Editorial Board noted that in this conceptually and methodologically wide-ranging paper, the authors used the special nature of volcanic islands of different age to identify the critical condition that causes knick zones to stall rather than continue to migrate upstream. They showed that this critical condition is related to a narrow range of unit stream power values required for bedrock incision. The results are of potentially very wide-ranging importance for how we interpret landscape evolution across a range of different environments as well as for how the landscape response to wider climate and other forcings.

• Alexander Neely (2024)
• Edwin Baynes (2023)
• Rebekah Harries (2022)
• Olivia Steinemann et al (2021)
• Catriona Thompson (2020)
• Joanmarie Del Vecchio (2019)
• Bradley Johnson (2018)
• Stuart Grieve (2017)
• Herve Guillon (2016)
• Liran Goren (2015)
• Clifford Riebe and Darryl Granger (2014)
• Sebastian Doetteri (2013)
• Gary Parker (2012)
• Peter Haff (2011)
• Walter Bertoldi (2010)
• Richard Hindmarsh and Chris Stokes (2009)
• Paul Bishop (2008)

These awards are made upon recommendation by the BSG’s Journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (ESPL) Board as a tribute to Fiona Kirkby, who was the Assistant Editor of ESPL from 1978 to 2019. They recognise outstanding contribution to the journal by reviewers. ESPL is, of course, very fortunate to have an extremely large number of excellent reviewers. But, occasionally, we see reviewers who go the extra kilometre in supporting our authors in publishing the very best geomorphological research and want to recognise this.

This years award winners will be announced at the BSG Annual Meeting in September.

2024:

• Dr. Heinrich Bahlburg, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany
  Dr. Constanza Carbonari, University of Florence, Italy
  Dr. Irene Delgado Fernandez, University of Cadiz, Spain
  Dr. Inci Guneralp, Texas A&M University, USA
  Dr. Harrison Martin, California Institute of Technology, USA
  Dr. Nicole Pietrasiak, University of Nevada, USA
  Dr. Charlotte Priddy, University of Aberdeen, UK

2023:

• Katy Burrows, Geosciences Environment Toulouse, France
• Rebecca Hodge, Durham University, UK
• Evan Miles, WSL, Switzerland
• Steffen Mischke, University of Iceland, Iceland
• Annette Patton, University of Oregon, USA
• Simon Stephenson, University of Oxford, UK
• Daniel White , Colorado State University, USA
• Vincent Godard, Aix-Marseille Université, France

2022:

• Dr. Rachel Bosch, Northern Kentucky University, USA
• Dr. Christine Fey, University of Natural Resources, Vienna, Austria
• Dr. Sarah Greenwood,Department of Geological Sciences, University of Stockholm, Sweden
• Dr. Guillaume Piton, INRAE, University of Grenoble, France
• Dr. Anne Sofie Søndergaard, Institute of Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
• Dr. Wei Wang, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, China
• Dr. Laure Guerit,Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France
• Dr. John Mylroie, Mississippi State University, Geosciences, USA

2021: Jamie Woodward, University of Leeds

2020: Dr. Katie Whitbread, British Geological Survey

The Marjorie Sweeting Dissertation Prize is awarded annually for the best undergraduate geomorphological dissertation (no higher than Level 6) undertaken at a UK university.

The nomination deadline is September 30th every year.

Entries are invited for this annual competition. Applications are assessed by the BSG Outreach and Education sub-committee.

The award (£200 plus funded attendance at the BSG Annual Conference) is presented to the successful nominee at the Annual General Meeting.

Full details of the nomination criteria can be found here.

This years award winner will be announced at the BSG Annual Meeting in September.

• Athena Eftychiou (2024)
• Tamsin Carpenter (2023)
• Tom Cockbain (2022)
• Jennelle Anderson (2021)
• Aaron Wyld (2020)
• Jessica Kitch (2019)
• Natasha Wallum (2018)
• Caitlin Curry (2017)
•  James Cave (2016)
• Hannah Mallinson (2015)
• Benjamin Chandler (2014)
• Emma Washington (2013)
• Barnaby Bedford (2012)
• Chris Checkley (2011)
• Sophie Brown (2010)
• Alexander Lane (2009)
• Sally Tyldesley (2009)
• Ellen Flint (2008)
• Helen Miller (2008)

Bernie Smith’s enduring impact on geomorphology is evident through the post-graduate students he mentored and inspired. In tribute to Bernie’s dedication to fostering the discipline’s future, the BSG has chosen to commemorate his legacy by establishing the Bernie Smith Postgraduate Award linked to the BSG Annual General Meeting every year.

The Bernie Smith Postgraduate Awards are given to the best poster and talk by a postgraduate at the BSG Annual General Meeting.

The Bernie Smith Award winners from the 2024 BSG Annual General Meeting are:

Best talk: Adam Smith (University College London) – Discovery of lithospheric drip explains topographic rejuvenation of the Uinta Mountains, USA

Best poster: Zareena Khan (Queen Mary University of London) – Global signatures of life in landscapes: magnitude and coherence of animal geomorphic effects

Only members of the BSG can nominate a colleague for an award – not a member? Click here, and click ‘Register’ to join the society

All nominees must be in compliance with BSG Conflict of Interest policy outlined here.

Process for nomination:

1. On the BSG website go into “My Account” and you will see the  “Award Nominations” section listed on the left-hand panel.
2. Select this and it will show the Awards that are open for nomination.
3. You will be asked to supply details of the nominee (including their institution and email address) and a 2000 character statement of nomination – specific requirements for each award is detailed in the individual award categories.

The deadline for nominations is 31 December each year.