The SPIE Student Awards program focuses on rewarding students who demonstrate excellence in the optics and photonics community. View our current award below, and check back for more awards slated to come in the future.
Congratulations to the 2025 recipient and runners-up
We are pleased to announce that the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) SPIE Student Chapter, of Tainan, Taiwan, has been selected to receive the 2025 Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter. SPIE President Peter de Groot chose the NCKU Chapter as this year’s recipient for its impressive reach and scope of its activities.
With 44 members and four officers, the NCKU SPIE Student Chapter organized 10 major outreach events for youth, ranging from optoelectronics science education for elementary school children to hands-on scientific experiments specifically designed for high school girls, throughout the year. Cumulatively, these activities attracted more than ten thousand participants.
In addition, the group hosted events to promote the personal and professional growth of its members, including company site visits, intercollegiate exchanges, and guest lectures by academic professionals. “We will continue to work hard to provide our members with valuable, transferable skills and help them grow into better individuals,” the chapter shared in its annual report.
We’d also like to recognize the two other frontrunners: first runner-up Charles University SPIE Student Chapter in Prague, Czech Republic, and second runner-up University of St. Andrews SPIE Student Chapter in St. Andrews, Scotland.
De Groot noted that the Charles University SPIE Student Chapter accomplished an impressive amount for a group of just 12 members. Forming connections was a strong theme of the year for the chapter, as it strengthened networks and fostered collaborations both within Czechia and the larger global community. A stand-out success was the chapter’s organizing of OPTO 2024, a conference that brought together students from around the world — as far as India — to network, learn from notable scientists, present their research, and discuss their latest scientific achievements. The event had been held in Poland for the previous 18 years.
De Groot praised the chapter at the University of St. Andrews for having a notable impact as a relatively new chapter. The launch of the Scottish Conference in Optical Technology (SCOT) 2024 event, which attracted 150 attendees and secured industry sponsorships worth over £29,500, was a major accomplishment. De Groot also noticed the group’s efforts to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive chapter. “I liked the diversity of student-focused events, often emphasizing mixing socializing with science,” he said.
Kudos to all three chapters for their impactful work in advancing optics and photonics. “They’re all winners in my book!” De Groot remarked.
Award description
Established in 2022, this annual award is a way to show the Society's appreciation for our Student Chapters and their critical contributions to the optics and photonics community.
The recipient will be an SPIE Student Chapter that demonstrates an exceptional level of participation, enthusiasm, program quality, professionalism, and involvement in their institution, the local community, and the larger SPIE community. Further emphasis is placed on robust outreach to undergraduate students, community service, increased technical education efforts, and developing an engaged — and engaging — chapter community.
The recipient chapter will be presented with the award at SPIE Optics + Photonics in its recipient year. In order to facilitate attendance, the award covers travel and accommodation costs (up to $2,000 per person), as well as conference registration fees, for three representatives from the recipient Student Chapter, and conference registration fees for the chapter’s advisor. Chapter representatives must have been active in the chapter during the year of the annual report that earned the recognition and be current Student or Early Career Members at the time of SPIE Optics + Photonics award presentation.
Award criteria
To be considered for this award, SPIE Student Chapters must:
Previous recipients
The OASIS University of Guanajuato SPIE Student Chapter, of Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico, was awarded the 2024 Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter. 2024 SPIE President Jennifer Barton reported that the chapter stood out because of its exceptional accomplishments in 2023, including founding an astronomy club inside the SPIE chapter to broaden reach and increase membership; orchestrating many creative activities that combine outreach, technical knowledge, and professional development; and initiating the Optics and Photonics for Applications conference, which brought together students and accomplished senior investigators. She noted, “Their enthusiasm for SPIE and all things optics shines in the Annual Report — in both words and pictures."
The OSKar (Optics Students of Karlsruhe) SPIE Student Chapter of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany, was awarded the 2023 Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter. 2023 SPIE President Bernard Kress reported that the chapter stood out because of its breadth of activities, including International Day of Light observations, industry visits, and social and networking events.
The SPIE Student Chapter at Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) in Tonantzintla, Puebla, Mexico, earned the first-ever Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter in 2022. Read the full press release.