ACM Software System Award

The Software System Award recognizes an institution or individual(s) for developing a software system that has had a lasting influence on computing, as reflected in contributions to concepts, commercial acceptance, or both.  The award is presented each June at the ACM Awards Banquet and is accompanied by a prize of $35,000 plus travel expenses to the banquet.  Financial support for the award is provided by IBM.

Next Deadline

December 15, 2025 - End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (EoD, AoE, UTC -12 hrs.)

Selection Criteria

Nominations will be reviewed for the evidence they provide of significant conceptual impact, widespread adoption and use (including open source or commercial offerings), influence on related developments, contribution to infrastructure, and effective transition from theory to practice.

Submissions

Nominations for the Software System Award should be submitted using the online nomination form. Guidelines for nominators and endorsers can be found here. Each nomination involves several components:

• Name, address, phone number, and email address of nominator (person making the nomination).  The most appropriate person to submit a nomination would be a recognized member of the community who is not from the same organization as the candidate and who can address the candidate’s impact on the broader community.
• Name, address, and email address of the candidate(s) (person[s] being nominated).  It is ACM’s policy not to tell candidates who has nominated or endorsed them.
• Nominators will be required to indicate whether they are aware of any actions committed by the candidate/s that violates ACM's Code of Ethics or Core Values.
• Suggested citation if the system is selected.  This should be a concise statement (maximum of 25 words) describing the system and its benefits that have had a lasting influence, and detailing the contributions of the individuals(s) who were responsible for its creation.  Note that the final wording for awardees will be at the discretion of the Award Committee.
• Nomination statement (200-500 words in length) addressing why the system/candidate(s) should receive this award.  This should draw particular attention to the contributions that merit the award.
• Copy of the candidate’s CV, listing publications, patents, honors, service contributions, etc.
• Supporting letters from at least 3, and not more than 5, endorsers.  Endorsers should be chosen to represent a range of perspectives and institutions and provide additional insights or evidence of the system's/candidate’s impact.  Each letter must include the name, address, and telephone number of the endorser, and should focus on the accomplishments which that endorser can attest to and place in context.  The nominator should collect the letters and bundle them for submission. Please Note: Nominators will need to provide a valid email for each endorser. Endorsers will receive an email from [email protected] containing a secure link to the Code of Ethics attestation form, and will be required to indicate whether they are aware of any actions committed by the candidate that violates ACM's Code of Ethics or Core Values.

For questions on the above, please contact us at [email protected], or  Jade Morris, ACM Awards Committee Liaison.  ACM's conflict-of-interest guidelines apply to all award nominations.