Carnegie Mellon University Libraries is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the CMU Open Champion Award. The award, sponsored by the Libraries, aims to recognize and reward practitioners of open research who model exemplary practices.
“Open Champions” are researchers who champion the values of open research and knowledgeship through their efforts to make their research transparent, accessible, and reusable. They also model best practices for their peers, thereby encouraging the adoption of open tools and practices within their departments and fields. Selected champions will receive:
- a cash prize of up to $1500 ($1500 per individual prize, $3000 for the team prize)
- a distinction on their ORCID profile, a permanent, citable record of the recognition
- announcements in marketing channels across campus
- an invitation to speak about their work at the Open Science Symposium
Students, staff, and faculty at the Pittsburgh campus of CMU are eligible for the award. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Nov. 13.
Open scholarship can take many forms, including sharing research data, publishing open access, developing open-source software, documenting research workflows and creating open educational resources. These practices span academic disciplines and offer researchers new ways to share their work and build on the contributions of others.
The award will recognize three individual Open Champions and one small team of no more than five researchers. Recipients will be selected based on their commitment to open scholarship practices and the impact of their work on their peers, disciplines or broader research communities.
“We are really excited about launching the Open Champion Award because to achieve our goal to grow and sustain the culture of openness on campus, we rely on open practitioners who normalize transparency, collaboration, and public engagement in their departments and fields,” said Open Science Postdoctoral Research Associate Chisom Obasih. “Not only that, but the award program presents an opportunity for us to learn about the open scholarship work being performed around campus that we might not have known about otherwise.”
Anyone may nominate an eligible researcher or team. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominators should be prepared to describe the nominee's open scholarship contributions, their impact on others and how they encourage open practices within their communities.
Selected nominees will be invited to submit additional information about their work. The inaugural Open Champions will be announced Feb. 8, 2027, during Love Data Week.
Know someone advancing open scholarship at CMU? Help recognize their contributions by submitting a nomination by 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 using this form.