AwardsTitle SMASMA Pioneers

In 2015, the Solid Modeling Association (SMA) has introduced the title of Solid Modeling Pioneer to honor early contributors who have been influential in starting and expanding the field of Solid Modeling or its applications in Academia or Industry. To qualify, one must have made some contribution to the field (defined broadly) at least 25 years prior to the nomination AND must have made a significant impact on the field (not necessarily building on that early contribution). Examples of impact include: designing and leading the development of a solid modeling system that has been used extensively in Industry or Academia, inventing and disseminating ground-breaking theoretical formulations or novel algorithms that have influenced—or been used by—a broad set of solid modeling products or research projects, being the primary author of a manuscript devoted to Solid Modeling that has been widely used (for example in academia), playing a key role in the industrial development and deployment of Solid Modeling technologies or their adoptions by the industry, providing sustained and successful service in developing conferences and publication venues in the field, and leading a significant and prolific organization in Academia or Industry that is focused on Solid Modeling technologies or applications.

The list of current SMA pioneers is available at:

2025 SMA PIONEER STATUS: Nominations are due by April 15, 2025

Relation to Other SMA Distinctions:

The title of Solid Modeling Pioneer complements the Pierre Bézier Award. Hence, we encourage nominations of past recipients of the Bézier Award to this program. The Bézier Award is highly competitive (only one person or team receives the award every year) and is focused on recognizing each year the most outstanding contribution. In contrast, the distinction of Solid Modeling Pioneer is not competitive (i.e., there is no limit on the absolute or relative number of recipients in a given year), but requires having started activities in Solid Modeling at least 25 years ago.

Nomination Form and Timeline:

To nominate a candidate for the distinction of SMA Pioneer, please fill in the nomination form (provided below) and change the file name for the completed form using the nominee name (e.g., “Pioneer_nomination_John_Smith.pdf”) and send it by e-mail to the SMA Executive and Awards Committee Chairs. For the e-mail subject line, please use “SMA Fellow Nomination”. The e-mail should be sent from the e-mail account of the nominator.

Please send your nominations or questions for SMA Pioneers in 2025 to Xiaohu Guo (xguo@utdallas.edu).

When emailing the nomination, please CC all endorsers. Self-nominations are accepted. Posthumous nominations are welcome too.

Each year, the nomination deadline and the emails of the Chair(s) of the SMA Awards Committee will be announced via email to SMA members and will be posted on the SMA website.

Selection Process and Announcement:

Each year, the nominees will be selected from all the submitted applications via a vote of the SMA Pioneer Award Committee. The chair of that committee will be appointed each year by the Chair of the SMA Executive Committee. The members of the committee will be appointed jointly by the Chairs of the SMA Executive and Awards Committees. The details of the nomination and voting process are left to the discretion of the Chair(s) of the Awards Committee. Each year, the list of people who received the SMA Pioneer distinction will be announced at the SPM conference and will be posted on the SMA website, along with the suggested text for the announcement, the short bio, and the photo of each Pioneer.

INTERIA Web Design & Development