- Eligibility: This award is open to any individual(s) whose innovative contributions have had a demonstrated impact on the search for life beyond Earth. Individuals serving on the Selection Committee (see #4) will not be eligible. Generally, a nominee’s contribution or its impact should have been published, at least in part, in refereed journals, or have undergone some equivalent form of review by experts.
- Solicitations for nominations (including self-nomination) will be widely distributed each year. A nomination will consist of a letter of no more than 2 pages, outlining the reasons the nominee deserves the award, 2 letters of support by someone other than the nominee, the nominee’s CV, including examples of peer-reviewed publications or the equivalent appropriate to the nominee’s field of work. The most successful nominations are likely to come from individuals who are familiar with the mission of the SETI Institute and the role of SETI research in promoting a cosmic perspective. Nominations will remain eligible for three years after first submission.
- All nominations will receive a preliminary review by a group appointed by the SETI Institute CEO, consisting of senior scientists and staff of the Institute. Inappropriate nominations will be discarded, and remaining nominations will be evaluated by the Tarter Award Selection Committee, described below.
- This Selection Committee shall be appointed for renewable three-year terms by the SETI Institute CEO and will consist of an eclectic group of experts with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. If the Selection Committee is unable to decide upon an awardee from the submitted nominations, they may solicit and examine additional nominations, or defer the selection of a recipient to the next cycle.
- The Selection Committee shall recommend an Awardee(s) to the SETI Institute Board of Trustees, which will make the final determination for the award.
- The Award recipient will receive a financial award, recognition on a perpetual award located at the SETI Institute, and an appropriate keepsake award. Travel expenses will be provided for the Award recipient to attend a designated event featuring the Award and its recipient.
- Each winner of the Tarter Award will also be recognized through an international news release issued by the SETI Institute.
- The SETI Institute seeks to establish the Tarter Endowment, which will support the annual Tarter Award, and will ultimately grow to provide permanent ongoing support for the SETI endeavor at the SETI Institute.
