Nomination Deadline: June 1st

This award was established by the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division (now the Geo-Institute) of the Society by the solicitation of gifts from the many friends and admirers of Karl Terzaghi, Hon.M.ASCE. It was instituted by the Board of Direction on October 10, 1960.

Recent winner

  • 2025: Jean-Louis Briaud, Ph.D., P.E., BC.GE, Pres.21.ASCE

View all winners

Rules

  1. The award will be given to an author of outstanding contributions to knowledge in the fields of soil mechanics, subsurface and earthwork engineering, and subsurface and earthwork construction. Contributions which have been published by the American Society of Civil Engineers shall be cited as the principal basis for the award, however in exceptional circumstances, and not more than once every 8 years, contributions published elsewhere may be cited as a basis for the award.
  2. The award may be given in odd-numbered years without restrictions as to Society membership or nationality.
  3. Award recipients will be nominated for Executive Committee approval by the Geo-Institute Board of Governors.
  4. Nominees not selected in a given year shall be held over for consideration through the next two cycles. At the end of the third cycle, nominees not chosen will no longer be eligible for consideration. Nominators who wish their candidate to be considered for another three-cycle period must produce a new nomination package.
  5. The award will consist of a plaque and a cash prize determined annually by and subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the ASCE Board of Direction based on the income from the award endowment.

Nominations

To nominate, submit the following:

You can submit your nomination electronically to [email protected], or by mail to:

ASCE Honors and Awards
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA 20191