The World Data System (WDS) has opened applications for the 2026 Data Stewardship Award, an international recognition dedicated to early-career professionals advancing high-quality, responsible research data management.
Aim
The Award celebrates individuals who have demonstrated excellence in responsible data stewardship across the full data lifecycle. This includes improving data quality, strengthening accessibility, enhancing preservation and applying ethical guidelines that protect the integrity and long-term usefulness of research data.
Benefits
The award offers significant international recognition and a prominent platform within the global data community.
Recipients often gain career-boosting visibility, invitations to collaborative projects and opportunities to shape data policies and standards.
Eligibility
The call is open to early-career professionals from any discipline who
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obtained a Master’s, PhD or an equivalent degree within the last 10 years.
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demonstrate experience in data stewardship, curation or management.
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have contributed to data quality, preservation, accessibility or ethical data use.
Requirements
Applicants must describe their contributions to responsible data stewardship, including work in curation, preservation, workflow or infrastructure design, open access or ethical data handling.
Supporting documents may include a CV, examples of data-related projects and a statement outlining their impact. Nominations should clearly demonstrate how the candidate strengthens reliable and responsible data practices.
Deadline
Eligible candidates should visit the WDS website to apply before January 16, 2026.
Discover related global awards on our Opportunities page.
Summary not available at this time.
