Restrictions
The sole author, or lead author and recognized co-authors, do not need to be an AAPG member but must have been 35 years of age or younger at the time of submittal of the paper. The paper may have appeared in any publication of the Association, or that of an Affiliated Society, Section, Region, or Division. It must deal with petroleum geology.
The award has been given to the same author more than once (1993-94 and 2009-10). On several occasions, the award was given to teams of co-authors, all of whom were under age 35. In 2010, the award process was modified to allow consideration of lead authors under age 35 years, whose co-authors are over age 35 years. This is in recognition of the fact that a majority of AAPG publications consist of teams of multiple authors. In such cases, the co-authors over age 35 years would receive a Certificate of Appreciation, although the award would be to the recognized lead author under age 35 years. This was approved by Executive Committee action on September 26, 2009.
If the same Bulletin paper is voted to receive both the Sproule and Pratt awards, that paper will receive the Pratt award: the Sproule award will go to the paper receiving the second-highest number of votes.
An author may receive the Sproule award for a paper and the Dott award for a Special Publication in which the paper is published.
Guidelines for Consideration of Candidates
Because eligible papers are published in the journals of Affiliated Societies, Sections, Regions, and Divisions as well as in the Bulletin and Special Publications of AAPG, it is imperative that editors of, and subscribers to, these journals assist the elected Editor of the Association in identifying outstanding papers for consideration. Since there are so many specialized fields pertinent to petroleum geology, the determination of eligibility of a particular paper may be difficult. In cases of uncertainty, this should be left to the Honors and Awards Committee.
Procedure for Recommendation
Nominations, together with copies or reprints of the papers and any other supporting data, should be submitted to the elected Editor before March 1 of the year following publication. Following a vote by the Associate Editors of the Bulletin, the elected Editor will submit his recommendations to the Chairman of the Honors and Awards Committee at Association Headquarters. Its recommendations will be submitted to the Advisory Council which will in turn submit its selection to the Executive Committee for final approval.
Description of Award
The award is $500.00 cash and a framed certificate bearing the name of the recipient, the title of the award-winning article, and the appropriate bibliographical reference. Co- authors under the age of 35 years share equally in the cash award and will receive a framed certificate and invited to accept the certificate in person at the Honors and Awards ceremony held at the AAPG Annual Convention.
Co-authors over 35 years will not share the cash award and will receive by mail a Certificate of Appreciation. Co-authors over 35 years will not be invited to accept the certificate in person at the Honors and Awards Ceremony held at the AAPG Annual Convention. Co-authors over 35 years will be recognized as co-authors in the Bulletin and Annual Convention program book by name and company.
History
This award was approved by Executive Committee action in 1970.
Funding
Funding for the award is provided through the AAPG Foundation Awards Fund through a generous contribution by the Sproule Family of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as a lasting memorial to John C. Sproule, 47th President of AAPG (1963-64).