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The Ivan Kaminow Outstanding Early-Career Professional Prize recognizes an early-career Optica Member for their leadership and volunteer efforts with Optica and the optics and photonics community at large. The Prize was established in honor of Ivan P. Kaminow for his many contributions to the field of optics and photonics, as well as his dedication to mentoring and inspiring early career researchers.
The recipient will receive USD 2,000, travel expenses to attend Frontiers in Optics (FiO), and advancement to the interview round of the Optica Ambassadors program.
The Prize is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kaminow family, Intel Corporation and personal donations from the community.
Important Dates
Opens: 1 April 2026
Closes: 12 June 2026
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be an Optica member.
- Must be an early career professional (1-5 years post highest degree*)
- Must be able to demonstrate exceptional volunteer contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community, including but not limited to Student Chapter activities, youth outreach programs, community service, service on Optica committees, volunteer activities for meetings and/or publications.
*Program requirements exclude breaks from career timelines (e.g., eldercare; maternity or paternity leave; military service, long-term illness, or inability to work due to Covid-19 or lab closures).
Application Requirements
- Applicant name, affiliation, gender, and contact information
- CV/Resume (no more than four (4) pages)
- Overview of your volunteer contributions (no more than two (2) pages) covering:
- Description of volunteer work and roles, including but not limited to Student Chapter activities, youth outreach programs, community service, service on Optica committees, volunteer activities for meetings and/or publications.
- Motivation for volunteering and goals for future volunteer opportunities/roles
- Impact of volunteer contributions to Optica or the community
- Two (2) letters of recommendation
2026 Ivan P. Kaminow Outstanding Early Career Professional Prize
You must log in (top right) to be able to access this application.
The Ivan Kaminow Outstanding Early-Career Professional Prize recognizes an early-career Optica Member for their leadership and volunteer efforts with Optica and the optics and photonics community at large. The Prize was established in honor of Ivan P. Kaminow for his many contributions to the field of optics and photonics, as well as his dedication to mentoring and inspiring early career researchers.
The recipient will receive USD 2,000, travel expenses to attend Frontiers in Optics (FiO), and advancement to the interview round of the Optica Ambassadors program.
The Prize is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kaminow family, Intel Corporation and personal donations from the community.
Important Dates
Opens: 1 April 2026
Closes: 12 June 2026
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be an Optica member.
- Must be an early career professional (1-5 years post highest degree*)
- Must be able to demonstrate exceptional volunteer contributions to Optica and the optics and photonics community, including but not limited to Student Chapter activities, youth outreach programs, community service, service on Optica committees, volunteer activities for meetings and/or publications.
*Program requirements exclude breaks from career timelines (e.g., eldercare; maternity or paternity leave; military service, long-term illness, or inability to work due to Covid-19 or lab closures).
Application Requirements
- Applicant name, affiliation, gender, and contact information
- CV/Resume (no more than four (4) pages)
- Overview of your volunteer contributions (no more than two (2) pages) covering:
- Description of volunteer work and roles, including but not limited to Student Chapter activities, youth outreach programs, community service, service on Optica committees, volunteer activities for meetings and/or publications.
- Motivation for volunteering and goals for future volunteer opportunities/roles
- Impact of volunteer contributions to Optica or the community
- Two (2) letters of recommendation