The Software Sustainability Institute is excited to announce that it is sponsoring the new Green RSE Award, debuting at RSECon25 to recognise individuals making outstanding contributions to environmental sustainability in research software.

Due to the urgency of the climate crisis, many research institutions and funders are increasingly committed to reducing the environmental impact of all research activities, including digital research. Research Software Engineers could play a key role in this transition by creating and promoting more sustainable software practices that help lower energy use and carbon emissions. However, they need support and recognition to drive this change.

Developed by the Green RSE Special Interest Group (SIG), a community group focused on promoting sustainable research software, the award highlights impactful work that reduces the environmental footprint of research computing. This could include energy-efficient software, sustainable infrastructure choices, or advocacy and community engagement around greener practices. Recognising this work is vital, people working on sustainability in research software often do so without much visibility or reward. The Green RSE Award aims to change that by giving recognition to those leading the way and encouraging others to embed environmental impact into their own work.

Nominations are open to anyone in the RSE community and will be judged on environmental impact, creativity, community influence, and openness. The winner will be announced at the RSECon25 awards ceremony and will receive a £100 prize.

Know someone who is making a difference in Green RSE? Nominations for the Green RSE Award are now open! Please take a moment to recognise their work by filling in this short nomination form.

We hope this award will inspire and support a growing culture of sustainability in research software. Look out for nomination details soon!