Nominations are now open for the California Geographic Information (CGIA) Awards!
We are excited to kick off the 2025 CGIA Awards program, celebrating excellence in geographic information across California. This year, we are accepting nominations for three prestigious categories:
- Excellence & Innovation Award: Granted for the outstanding application of geospatial technology, representing innovative, elegant, or creative techniques for analysis, mapping, data management, or automation.
- Coordination & Collaboration Award: Granted for the demonstration of collaborative development of geospatial data, approaches, or technologies within the state of California..
- Student & Early Career Award: Granted to the student or early career professional whose project, application, or tool demonstrates an exemplary use of geospatial technologies.
How to Nominate: Visit the Awards page to learn more about each category and submit a nomination. Showcase your work shaping the future of geographic information in California!
Why Nominate or Apply?
- Elevate your profile and showcase achievements.
- Network with geospatial professionals and organizations.
- Inspire the next generation of geospatial enthusiasts.
Important Dates: Nominations are open now until March 9th, 2025. Be part of a community valuing excellence, innovation, and collaboration in geospatial technologies.
Recent High-Profile Winners
The CGIA Awards date back nearly three decades to 1997 and boast exceptional past winners from across the state. Take a look at the bottom of this page for a selection of images of happy winners.
Excellence & Innovation Award
Replacing the Exemplary Use of GIS (formerly the Exemplary Systems Award) and Outstanding Geospatial Web Application Awards, this highly competitive award celebrates the most most innovative, elegant, or creative applications of geospatial technologies in the state.
- 2024: Community Health Profiles (County of Los Angeles), with highly commended entries from Arup, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and City of Santa Clarita.
- 2023: Andrew Sims (City of Pasadena) and Srinivasa Jalaparti (Sempra Energy Utilities).
- 2022: Devon Hedemark (City of Shasta Lake) and Shannon Julius and Robert Graham (Los Angeles County).
Coordination & Collaboration Award
Previously known as the Advancement of Collaboration Award, this exciting award celebrates the finest coordination and collaboration with geospatial technologies in the state.
- 2024: California Road Sharing (CaRS) Initiative (A Collaborative Partnership Between the Federal Highway Administration, Caltrans, CalOES and California Counties), with a highly commended entry from County of Placer.
- 2019: Douglas M. Morales (County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health).
- 2018: Jane Schafer-Kramer (California Department of Water Resources).
Student & Early Career Award
This award was introduced in recent years to celebrate students at all levels and early career professionals. It has previously been awarded to emerging geospatial superstars to celebrate their exceptional projects.
- 2024: Angelina Joby (Clark Magnet High School).
- 2023: Chloe Raines (Cal Poly Humboldt)
- 2022: Naomi Yates (Shasta College), Amanda Portier (University of California Davis), Andrew Pineda (California State University Long Beach), and Philip Thomas Hess (USC Spatial Services Institute).
This year's CGIA Awards will be hosted as part of CalGIS in Sonoma County from April 14th-16th. More details will follow closer to the event.
Join us in celebrating geospatial advancements and be part of the cutting-edge discussions and innovations at CalGIS 2025!
