The Statistical Computing Section of the American Statistical Association is pleased to announce the 2026 John M. Chambers Statistical Software Award.
This annual award recognizes outstanding student contributions to the development and implementation of software for statistical applications. The award honors John M. Chambers, recipient of the 1998 ACM Software System Award for the design and development of S, who generously endowed this prize to support the next generation of statistical software developers.
The award carries a $2,000 cash prize and includes an invitation to present the winning software at the 2026 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM).
Eligibility
Both individuals and teams are eligible to participate. At least one team member must have begun development while a student and must either currently be a student or have completed their degree after January 1, 2025. The student(s) must have made a substantial contribution to the software.
Submission Materials
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Letter from a faculty mentor confirming student status and contribution
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One- to two-page description of the software and its importance
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Installable software package (with source code and documentation sufficient for evaluation)
Timeline
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Submission window opens: October 24, 2025
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Submission deadline: December 5, 2025 (5:00 PM EST)
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Award announcements: February 6, 2026
Full details and the submission form are available at: https://community.amstat.org/jointscsg-section/awards/john-m-chambers.
Questions may be directed to Awards Chair Dr. Arun Chind (arunpeter@yahoo.com).
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Emily Robinson
Assistant Professor
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
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