# Nominations for the Earl J. Taft Memorial Award

## Aims, Scope, Rules, and Criteria of the Award

In memory of our journal's founder, the Earl Taft Memorial Award will be conferred annually starting in [2024](https://hackmd.io/@pedro-abelardo-garcia-sanchez/taft-award). The award will honor two outstanding papers published by Communications in Algebra during the five year period prior to the award year (for our purposes, this is 2020 through 2024 inclusive). Each paper will receive a $500 cash prize awarded by Taylor and Francis, Communications in Algebra's publisher.

Each nomination will emanate from within the Editorial Board. Current Associate Editors and past Associate Editors or past Editors-in-Chief who were active during the award period are permitted to nominate up to two papers per award cycle. Nominations should include a short one or two paragraph explanation of why the corresponding paper merits consideration.

### Criteria for the award is as follows.

* Originality and Innovation: The paper should present original and innovative ideas that contribute significantly to the field of algebra.
* Theoretical Contribution: The extent to which the paper advances theoretical knowledge in algebra, including the development of new concepts, theorems, or models.
* Problem Significance: The importance and significance of the problem addressed in the paper within the broader context of algebraic research.
* Clarity and Rigor: The clarity of the paper's presentation and the rigor of the mathematical arguments, proofs, and derivations.
* Applicability: The potential applications or implications of the research results in algebra or related areas.
* Impact on the Field: The impact the paper has had on the field, including citations, recognition, and influence on subsequent research.
* Expository Quality: The quality of writing and exposition, including the ability to communicate complex algebraic concepts effectively to a wider audience.

Evaluation of Nominations will be completed by the Award Committee. This Committee will be formed by the Editor-in-Chief and consist of current Associate Editors. The number of Committee members will be at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Committee will choose a short list of finalists (somewhere between four and eight papers). The decision of the Committee will be final. The Committee will give unbiased consideration to each article nominated. Publications will be judged on their merits, without regard to race, religion, nationality, sex, seniority, or institutional affiliation of the author(s). Members of the Committee with a potential conflict of interest will be removed from the decision process. Although a paper can be nominated multiple times, papers which have previously won the Taft Award will be ineligible for future nomination. Following each year's selection, the Committee will conduct a review of the selection process to ensure its efficiency and fairness.