Learn more about the scholarships and grants supported by the AWS Foundation, as well as how to apply.
HONORARY MERITORIOUS AWARDS
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The Honorary/Meritorious Awards recognize esteemed professionals in the welding domain. These accolades honor those with notable accomplishments, exceptional contributions to global welding, and unwavering dedication to enhancing the industry's science and technology.
Honorary Member Award
Honorary Member Award
An Honorary Member shall be a person of acknowledged eminence in the welding profession, or who is accredited with exceptional accomplishments in the development of the welding art upon whom the American Welding Society sees fit to confer an honorary distinction.
- An Honorary Member shall have full rights of membership.
- At any time there shall not be more than one Honorary Member for every five hundred members in the grades of Sustaining Member, Member and Associate Member.
- Not more than two Honorary Members shall be elected in any one fiscal year.
National Meritorious Award
National Meritorious Award
This award is given in recognition of the candidate's counsel, loyalty and devotion to the affairs of the Society, assistance in promoting cordial relations with industry and other organizations, and for the contribution of time and effort on behalf of the Society.
- Not more than two National Meritorious candidates shall be selected in any one fiscal year.
International Meritorious Award
International Meritorious Award
This award is given in recognition of the candidate’s significant contributions to the worldwide welding industry. This award should reflect service to the international welding community in the broadest terms.
- The awardee is not required to be a member of the American Welding Society.
- Multiple awards may be given per year as the situation dictates.
George E. Willis Award
George E. Willis Award
This award is administered by the American Welding Society and sponsored by The Lincoln Electric Company to honor George E. Willis. It is awarded each year to an individual for promoting the advancement of welding internationally, by fostering cooperative participation in areas such as technology transfer, standards rationalization and promotion of industrial goodwill.
- No recipient of this award will repeat within a five-year period.
William Irrgang Memorial Award
William Irrgang Memorial Award
This award is administered by the American Welding Society and sponsored by the Lincoln Electric Company to honor the late William Irrgang. It is awarded each year to the individual who has done the most to enhance the American Welding Society's goal of advancing the science and technology of welding over the last five years.
- No recipient of this award will repeat within a five-year period.
Nomination information
Nomination information
The nominee for each Honorary/Meritorious Award is selected at least 10 months in advance of FABTECH. Complete nomination packets may be submitted for consideration to the AWS Honorary-Meritorious Awards Committee and must include a maximum of 5 letters of support and an Executive Summary not to exceed 3 pages of the CV or resume of the individual’s qualifications with a font size no smaller than 10-point. Please send only complete nomination packets to nationalawards@aws.org by December 31.
Download the National Awards Package below for full award descriptions and nomination requirements.