The Best Paper Award will relaunch this year. It is presented annually by the Organic Geochemistry Division (OGD) to the first author of a peer-reviewed, published or accepted paper which significantly contributes to organic geochemistry. The research detailed in the paper must have been conducted during a Master’s, PhD, or postdoctoral appointment and must have been published within 5 years of the nomination deadline. Preprints or thesis chapters are not acceptable for Best Paper Award nominations. The OGD will not consider self-nominated papers, though co-authors may nominate their colleagues. The Best Paper Award is given annually at a meeting of the recipient’s choosing, including the Goldschmidt Conference, International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry, or the Gordon Research Conference in Organic Geochemistry. Awardees are chosen without regard to citizenship or membership in the society.
The nomination deadline is October 30, 2026.
Past Awards
Best Student Paper Awards have the year marked with **. Award recipients are selected by the OGD's Best Paper Award Committee.
| Year | Authors | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | K. French, C. Hallmann, J. Hope, P. Schoon, A. Zumberge, Y. Hoshino, C. Peters, S. George, G. Love, J. Brocks, R. Buick, and R. Summons | Reappraisal of hydrocarbon biomarkers in Archean rocks | PNAS 112 (2015), pp. 5915-5920 |
| 2013 | A. Gilbert, R.J. Robins, G.S. Remaud, and G.G. Tcherkez | Intramolecular 13C pattern in hexoses from autotrophic and heterotrophic C3 plant tissues. | PNAS 109 (2012), pp.18204-9; doi:10.1073/pnas.1211149109 |
| 2011 | P.V. Welander, M.L. Coleman, A.L. Sessions, R.E. Summons, and D.K. Newman | Identification of a methylase required for 2-methylhopanoid production and implications for the interpretation of sedimentary hopanes | PNAS 107 (2010), pp.8537-42 |
| 2010 | A. Amrani, A.L. Sessions, and J.F. Adkins | Compound-Specific δ34S Analysis of Volatile Organics by Coupled GC/Multicollector-ICPMS | Anal. Chem. 81 (21), (2009), pp.9027-9034 |
| 2009 | D.M. Jones, I.M. Head, N.D. Gray, J.J. Adams, A.K. Rowan, C.M. Aitken, B. Bennett, H. Huang, A. Brown, B.F.J. Bowler, T. Oldenburg, M. Erdmann and S.R. Larter | Crude-oil biodegradation via methanogenesis in subsurface petroleum reservoirs | Nature 451 (2008), pp.176-180 |
| 2008 | V. Thiel, J. Toporski, G. Schumann, P. Sjövall, and J. Lausmaa | Analysis of archaeal core ether lipids using Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): Exploring a new prospect for the study of biomarkers in geobiology | Geobiology 5 (2007), pp.75-83 |
| 2007 | Y. Hebting, P. Schaeffer, A. Behrens, P. Adam, G. Schmitt, P. Schneckenburger, S.M. Bernasconi, and P. Albrecht | Biomarker Evidence for a Major Preservation Pathway of Sedimentary Organic Carbon | Science 312 (2006), pp.1627-1631 |
| 2006 | M. Dumitrescu and S. Brassel | Biogeochemical assessment of sources of organic matter andpaleoproductivity during the early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event at Shatsky Rise, ODP Leg 198 | Organic Geochemistry 36 (2005) |
| 1997** | Silvio Pantoja, C. Lee, J.F. Marecek | Hydrolysis of peptides in seawater and sediment. | Marine Chemistry 57, pp. 25-40 (1997) |
| 1996 | E. Laws, B. Popp, R. Bidigare, M. Kennicutt and S. Macko | Dependence of phytoplankton carbon isotope composition on growth rate and [CO2]aq: Theoretical consideration and experimental results | GCA 59 (1995), pp.1131-1138 |
| 1996** | S. Shouten | A novel triterpanoid carbon skeleton in immature sulfur-rich sediments | GCA 59 (1995), pp.953-958 |
| 1995 | J. Seewald | Evidence for metastable equilibrium between hydrocarbons under hydrothermal conditions | Nature 370 (1994), pp.285-287 |
| 1995 | I.M. Cozzarelli, M.J. Baedecker, R.P. Eganhouse and D.F. Goerlitz (best student paper) | The Geochemical evolution of low-molecular-weight organic acids derived from the degradation of petroleum contaminants in groundwater | GCA 58 (1994), pp.863-877 |
| 1993 | L.C. Price and J.L. Clayton | Extraction of whole versus ground source rocks: Fundamental petroleum geochemical implications including oil-source rock correlations | GCA 56 (1992), pp.1213-1222 |
| 1992 | S. Derenne, C. Largeau, E. Casadevall, C. Berkaloff and B. Rousseau | Chemical evidence of kerogen formation in source rocks and oil shales via selective preservation of thin resistant outer walls of microalgae: Origin of ultralaminae | GCA 55 (1991), pp.1041-1050 |
| 1991 | F.D. Mango | The origin of light hydrocarbons in petroleum: A kinetic test of the steady-state catalytic hypothesis | GCA 54 (1990), pp.1315-1323 |
| 1990 | K.E. Peters, J.M. Moldowan, A.R. Driscole and G.J. Demaison | Origin of Beatrice oil by co-sourcing from Devonian and Middle Jurassic source rocks, Inner Moray Firth, United Kingdom | AAPG Bulletin 73[4] (1989), pp.455-471 |
| 1989 | J.S. Sinninghe Damsté, W.I.C. Bijpstra, J.W. de Leeuw and P. A. Schenck | The occurrence and identification of series of organic compounds in oils and sediment extracts: II. Their presence in samples from hypersaline and non-hypersaline palaeoenvironments and possible application as source, palaeoenvironmental and maturity indicator | GCA 53 (1989), pp.1323-1341 |
| 1989 | J.S. Sinninghe Damsté, W.I.C. Bijpstra, A.C. Kockvan Dalen, J.W. de Leeuw and P. A. Schenck | Quenching of labile functionalized lips by inorganic sulphur species: Evidence from the formation of sedimentary organic sulphur compounds at the early states of diagenesis | GCA 53 (1989), pp.1343-1355 |
| 1987 | R.E. Summons and T.G. Powell | Identification of aryl isoprenoids in source rocks and crude oils: Biological markers for the green sulphur bacteria | GCA 51 (1987), pp.557-566 |
| 1985 | M.D. Lewan | Evaluation of petroleum generation by hydrous pyrolysis experimentation | PTRSL, Series A, 315 [1531] (1985), pp.123-132 |
| 1984 | T.C. Hoering | Thermal reactions of kerogen with added water, heavy water and pure organic substances | Organic Geochemistry 5 (1984), pp.267-278 |
| 1983 | A.S. Mackenzie and D.P. Mackenzie | Isomerization and aromatization of hydrocarbons in sedimentary basins formed by extensions | Geological Magazine 120 (1983), pp.417-470 |
| 1982 | F.J. Sansone and C.S. Martens | Volatile fatty acid cycling in organic-rich marine sediments | GCA 46 (1982), pp.1575-1589 |
| 1981 | B.R.T. Simoneit, S. Brenner, K.E. Peters, I.R. Kaplan | Thermal alteration of Cretaceous black shales by diabase intrusions in the Eastern Atlantic. II. Effects on bitumen and kerogen | GCA 45 (1981), pp.1581-1602 |
| 1979 | C. Lee, J.W. Farrington and R.B. Gagosian | Sterol geochemistry of sediments from the western North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent coastal areas | GCA 43 (1979), pp.35-46 |
| 1977 | R. Ishiwatari, M. Ishiwatari, I.R. Kaplan and B.G. Rohrback | Thermal alteration of young kerogen in relation to petroleum genesis | Nature 264 (1976), pp.347-349 |
| 1977 | J.I. Hedges and P.L. Parker | Land-derived organic matter in surface sediments from the Gulf of Mexico | GCA 40 (1976), pp.1019-1029 |