The Pisart Award
Lighthouse International invites nominations for its 29th annual Pisart Vision Award, a major U.S. prize honoring people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the prevention, cure, or treatment of severe vision impairment or blindness.
The Lighthouse International Pisart Vision Award was established in 1981 and is partially funded through a bequest of Mme. Georgette Pisart, a longtime Lighthouse volunteer. This prestigious award carries a prize of $35,000 and a replica of the Pisart sculpture.
Eligibility
Anyone who has made a noteworthy contribution to preventing and treating vision impairment is eligible for nomination. Candidates may be from any field that seeks to ameliorate blindness or partial sight, including, but not limited to, basic scientific research, engineering, medicine, optometry, rehabilitation and service delivery. The contribution may be a new investigation, invention, or noteworthy finding, or it may represent accomplishments of contemporary relevance that have been made over time.
Nominators and candidates may reside in, or be citizens of, any country. Nominations may not be made by a candidate or family member.
Selection Criteria
The individual's accomplishment(s) should have implications beyond his/her immediate locale. If the achievement is an invention or research finding, it should represent an extraordinary advance in the field. The work should be of an enduring nature. If the nomination is for leadership, it should demonstrate that the nominee's example has inspired others, or continues to do so.
The nomination will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges who are leaders in various disciplines concerned with vision.
Previous recipients of the Lighthouse Pisart Vision Award are Lloyd M. Aiello, MD; Daniel M. Albert, MD; Professor Norman Ashton, CBE, FRS; Ian L. Bailey, OD, MS, FAAO; Eliot L. Berson, MD; David G. Cogan, MD; Jay M. Enoch, PhD; Eleanor E. Faye, MD; Stuart L. Fine, MD; Charles D. Kelman, MD; Carl Kupfer, MD; Alan M. Laties, MD; Gordon E. Legge, PhD; Robert Machemer, MD; A. Edward Maumenee, MD; Arnall Patz, MD; Eli Peli, M.Sc., O.D.; Gullapalli N. Rao, M.D.; Floyd Ratliff, PhD; Dr. Alfredo Arrigo Sadun, MD, PhD; Charles L. Schepens, MD; Paul A. Sieving, MD; Louise L. Sloan, PhD; Davida Y. Teller, PhD; Govindappa Venkataswamy, MD; Mildred Weisenfeld; Sir John Wilson, CBE; and Lorenz E. Zimmerman, MD.
Nominations
A formal Lighthouse International Pisart Vision Award nomination must include the following:
The Nomination Statement: As the primary document used by the selection committee, the statement should explain how the candidate and his/her contributions meet the award criteria. The nomination statement will also serve as the primary source for information about the winner's achievement(s) for community and public outreach efforts. Although there is no prescribed form, the nomination must be double-spaced and no longer than five pages.
Nominee Information: The statement must also include the nominee's current address, occupation, and complete information about education, professional positions held and experience. Additional pertinent materials may be attached.
References: The names of three people, who are well acquainted with the nominee's work and who may be contacted for information, must be submitted, along with their complete titles, addresses and phone numbers. Written endorsements from these people are not required but may be appended.
DEADLINE
All nominations must be received by August 1, 2008 and e-mailed to: pisartaward@lighthouse.org
For more information, call (212) 821-9428 or kboyle@lighthouse.org
About Lighthouse International
Lighthouse International helps people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss.