Application Deadline Friday, March 6, 2026
Award Description
The Marilyn and Sturges W. Bailey Award, the highest honor of The Clay Minerals Society (CMS), is awarded solely for scientific eminence in clay mineralogy (in its broadest sense) as evidenced primarily by the publication of outstanding original scientific research and by the impact of this research on the clay sciences. Service to clay mineralogy, teaching, and administrative accomplishments are not considered in the evaluation of nominees.
This Award, endowed by Linda and David Bailey, is equivalent to and supersedes the Distinguished Member Award. Bailey Award recipients are considered Distinguished Members of CMS. This Award is not restricted to members of CMS.
Nomination Guidelines
Nomination packages should follow a standardized format as described below to ensure fair comparisons among nominees. The nomination package shall consist of a nominating letter from a member in good standing of The Clay Minerals Society, the resume of the nominee, and three supporting letters solicited by the nominator. That information shall focus on the following criteria:
- Evidence for outstanding research in clay science.
- Discussion of the nature, significance, and relevance of the nominee’s research, including any available supporting metrics such as number and nature of citations, other awards, etc.
- Any other information that would confirm the scientific eminence of the nominee.
Nominating materials must be received by the Awards Committee Chair by e-mail no later than Friday, March 6, 2026.
Submit the nomination package to:
Professor Joseph W. Stucki
Awards Committee Chair
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 217-333-9636
Selection
The Awardee will be selected by the CMS Awards Committee and approved by the CMS Council. The decision of the Council will be announced at the Annual Conference of that year. At the discretion of the CMS Awards Committee, an unsuccessful candidate for the Award may be renominated the next year. A nominee will only be considered for three consecutive years, unless an extension is granted by the Awards Committee.
Expectations
The Award will be presented at the following year’s Annual Meeting of The Clay Minerals Society, at which the Awardee will be expected to present a plenary lecture. The recipient is invited and strongly encouraged to publish a manuscript in Clays and Clay Minerals based on this lecture.
Award Amount
The CMS will pay an honorarium of $2000 and the Annual Conference registration will be waived as specified in the Award letter sent by the President of CMS. An additional $1000 will be awarded upon acceptance after peer review of the invited manuscript in Clays and Clay Minerals.
Current Recipient
Awardee: Dr. Hailiang Dong
Presented:The CMS 2025 Annual Meeting, Dublin, Ireland
Affiliation: China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
Lecture Title: “Clay Mineral-Microbe Interactions and Applications”
Past Recipients
1968 – Ralph E. Grim
1969 – C. S. Ross
1970 – Paul F. Kerr
1971 – Walter D. Keller
1972 – G. W. Brindley
1975 – William F. Bradley
1975 – Sturges W. Bailey
1975 – Jose J. Fripiat
1977 – M. L. Jackson
1979 – Toshio Sudo
1980 – Haydn H. Murray
1984 – C. Edmund Marshall
1985 – Charles E. Weaver
1988 – Max M. Mortland
1989 – R. C. Reynolds, Jr.
1990 – Joe L. White
1990 – John Hower
1991 – Joe B. Dixon
1992 – Philip F. Low
1993 – Thomas J. Pinnavaia
1995 – W. D. Johns
1996 – Victor A. Drits
1997 – Udo Schwertmann
1998 – Brij L. Sawhney
2000 – Boris Zvyagin
2001 – Keith Norrish
2002 – Gerhard Lagaly
2004 – Benny K. G. Theng
2005 – M. Jeff Wilson
2006 – Frederick J. Wicks
2007 – No Award Made
2008 – Norbert Clauer
2009 – Joseph W Stucki
2010 – J. M. Serratosa
2011 – Sridhar Komarneni
2012 – Akihiko Yamagishi
2013 – Stephen Guggenheim
2015 – James Kirkpatrick
2016 – Lisa Heller-Kallai
2018 – Gordon “Jock” Churchman
2019 – Dennis “Denny” Eberl
2020 – Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky
2021 – David L. Bish
2022 – Jin-Ho Choy
2023 – Randall T. Cygan
2024 – Jan Srodon
2025 – Hailiang Dong