The Bruce Bolt Medal

Now accepting nominations for the 2025 Bruce Bolt Medal! Click here to submit a nomination. The nomination deadline is June 30, 2024 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

Bruce Alan Bolt (1930-2005) was arguably the founder of Engineering Seismology. Professor Bolt was both an internationally recognized seismologist and an elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering. Among his many roles, he was the Founding President of COSMOS, President of SSA, President of IASPEI, and Chair of the California Seismic Safety Commission. He was truly a pioneer at the intersection of Earthquake Science and Earthquake Engineering.

The Bruce Bolt Medal honors the legacy of Professor Bolt. It is awarded jointly by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), the Consortium of Organizations for Strong Motion Observation Systems (COSMOS), and the Seismological Society of America (SSA) to recognize individuals worldwide who work at the intersection of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, whose accomplishments involve the promotion and use of earthquake measurements, and whose leadership in the transfer of scientific and engineering knowledge into practice or policy has led to improved seismic safety. The annual award is presented at the annual meeting of the recipient’s choice among the three sponsoring organizations.

Nomination Process
COSMOS, EERI, and SSA members are encouraged to nominate a colleague or peer for this prestigious honor. Complete nomination packages should be submitted using this form: https://forms.gle/JWty226iups5CfXKA. Incomplete nomination packages will not be considered by the Joint Selection Committee.

Nomination Materials
A complete nomination package must include the following:

1. A nomination letter, written and submitted by the chief nominator. It should be no longer than two pages and must address the ways in which the candidate meets all three of the selection criteria provided below.
2. A Curriculum Vitae for the nominee or a substantial summary of the professional history of the candidate including employment, significant publications, honors, activities, and accomplishments relevant to the Bolt Medal criteria.
3. The current contact information for the candidate.
4. The nomination must be endorsed by three additional individuals, either by adding their signature to the nominating letter or by providing an additional individual letter of support. Such individual letters should include a personal perspective on the nominee and their sustained impact on the field.
5. A signed nominator disclosure form signed by the chief nominator. Click here to download this form.

Please note, the nomination form requires a google account to submit. If you do not have a google account, you can submit your materials by sending them in an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Selection Criteria
In the spirit of Bruce Bolt’s contribution to the science, the chosen recipient must meet all of the below three (3) criteria:

1. Promotion of strong-motion instrumentation or advancing strong-motion data processing or publicly-available data utilization;
2. Technical contributions in earthquake engineering or engineering seismology; and
3. Leadership in the transfer of knowledge into practice or policy that has led to improved seismic safety.

Nominations will be reviewed in confidence by a six-person Joint Selection Committee formed by two representatives from each of the three sponsoring organizations. The recommended nominee will be considered in confidence by each organization’s Board of Directors for their approval and joint selection of the medalist.

Any questions regarding this award should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..