Community Mycologist Award

Community Mycologist Award

Application deadline: February 1st before midnight, Pacific Time.

The Community Mycologist Award  recognizes people with non-traditional academic backgrounds who have made outstanding contributions to the field of mycology, or who have widely transmitted significant scientific or aesthetic knowledge about fungi to the general public. Nominees for the award are judged on the basis of the impact and quality of their contributions and on their sustained commitment to the field of mycology. At most, a single award is given each year. 

2025 Community Mycologist Awardee, 
Lorin von Longo-Liebenstein

The Community Mycologist Award is administered by the MSA Distinctions Committee. 

To view all other awards offered by the Mycological Society of America, see the MSA Awards Chart. 

Award Requirements

  1. The nominee must have a substantial body of work that extends over at least a decade.
  2. The nominee does not have a Ph.D. in a field normally associated with mycology and is not employed as an academic or government mycologist, although they may have unpaid adjunct status.
  3. Nominees need not be members of MSA, but nominations must be made by current MSA members; self-nomination is not allowed.

Nominations can be resubmitted for up to five years after initial submission of the documents; additional documentation can be added in successive years. 

Documents Required

The nomination package should contain:

  1. A nomination letter from a current MSA member describing the nominee’s contributions
  2. At least four supporting letters, two of which must be from current MSA members
  3. A listing of the works or contributions that form the basis of the nomination, or a curriculum vitae or résumé if appropriate 

Nomination Submissions

Please have all documents prepared for submission before starting the form.

Nomination Form

Additional Letters of Support ( if needed)

Letters of Support

Note: The prize for the award is a plaque, a lifetime membership in the Mycological Society of America, including lifetime electronic access to Mycologia, and free registration at the meeting where the award is presented. The name of the winner of the award will be published in Inoculum, will be published in Inoculum.

Diversity Statement

The MSA encourages and welcomes nominations of all individuals regardless of race and ethnicity, country of origin, sex, gender identity, religion, age, education level, socioeconomic status, marital status, parental status, physical ability, neurological differences, political affiliation, and sexual orientation. See the full MSA Diversity Statement. 

See a list of past Community Mycologist Awardees