Awards
Congratulations to the Esri award recipients
Read about the coveted awards and recipients from the 2025 Esri User Conference.
About the Esri UC Awards
Each year, Esri recognizes outstanding contributions by individuals and organizations through their GIS-based work. Explore details about the awards and discover more about the recipients.
Awards
President’s Award
This year's recipient
General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
About the award
The President’s Award is personally chosen by Esri president and founder Jack Dangermond. It is the highest honor given to an organization, as it recognizes one that uses data-driven decision-making to impact the world in a positive way.
Making a Difference Award
This year's recipient
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
CAL FIRE
About the award
The Making a Difference Award honors organizations and individuals who use GIS to positively impact their communities. Selected by Jack Dangermond and Esri leadership, the Making a Difference Award acknowledges the exceptional use of GIS in contributing to a better world. Past recipients for the Making a Difference Award include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); nonprofit organizations; local, regional, and national governments; and educators and thought leaders.
Enterprise GIS Award
This year's recipient
King County GIS Center
About the award
The Enterprise GIS Award recognizes an organization that has seen increased efficiency, greater collaboration and transparency, and engagement from its internal and external stakeholders. Decided on by Jack Dangermond and Esri leadership, the Enterprise GIS Award honors those who have excelled in their implementation of an enterprise-wide GIS. Past recipients of the Enterprise GIS Award include city, state, and regional governments and international organizations that have effectively deployed an enterprise solution to achieve results across their geography.
Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Awards
About the award
Esri users are nominated by Esri leadership and distributor organizations, with finalists selected by Jack Dangermond. These organizations set new precedents throughout the GIS community.
Map Gallery Awards
About the awards
The Map Gallery is central to this conference. It's one of the most wide-ranging and comprehensive collections of GIS work in the world and can indicate trends and shifts in technical and cartographic practice. Every year, our users' works inspire, move, and challenge us to innovate and try new things. Visually stunning maps are selected as winners in each category. These maps exemplify overall excellence.
The winners will be announced on Friday, July 18, at the conference closing.
Young Scholar Awards
This year's recipients
| Winner's name | University Name | Country/Region |
|---|---|---|
| Akintola Mercy Onaopemipo | Federal University of Technology | Nigeria |
| Alejandra Campos Loayza | Institut de Recherche pour le Développement | Bolivia |
| Alexander Burakow | Universität Kassel | Germany |
| Alfredo Kinglow | Technological University of Panama | Panama |
| Bárbara Vilas Boas Marques | University of Minho | Portugal |
| Birk Stilund Hansen | University of Copenhagen | Denmark |
| Büşra Demirci | Gebze Technical University | Turkey |
| Esther Kers | Aeres University of Applied Sciences, Almere | Netherlands |
| Francesca De Astis | Università del Salento | Italy |
| Fernanda Zago | KY Leuven | Belgium |
| Haukapuanui Vercoe | University of Auckland | New Zealand |
| Ikuya Adachi | University of Tsukuba | Japan |
| Isabella Armendariz Miranda | Universidad del Valle | Colombia |
| Joseph Uriel Chaverria Urrieta | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | Mexico |
| Juan Daniel Villa | Universidad Técnica del Norte | Ecuador |
| Juan Ramon Ramos | Universidad de El Salvador | El Salvador |
| Khalil El Gemayel | Holy Spirit University of Kaslik | Lebanon |
| Lai Yiu Tong | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong |
| Lavanya Gopal | Vancouver Island University | Canada |
| Łukasz Janisiów | University of Warsaw | Poland |
| Mohammad Anas Ardiansyah | Institut Teknologi Bandung | Indonesia |
| Momin Ashraf | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| Monica Akyeampong | Kwame Nkrumah Univesrity of Science and Technology | Ghana |
| Nur Neesya Mohamad Sahar | Universiti Teknologi Mara | Malaysia |
| Peter Ndiritu Thuku | Dedan Kimathi University of Technology - IGGReS | Kenya |
| Raiham Ahmad Khan | Birla Institute of Technology - Mesra | India |
| Randa AlHarbi | King Saud University | Saudi Arabia |
| Samuel Zobrist | University of Geneva | Switzerland |
| Santiago Vadillo Macías | Univesity of Extremadura | Spain |
| Teona Daia-Creinicean | University of Bucharest | Romania |
| Thuong Tran | Monash University | Australia |
| Ugnė Butrimavičiūtė | Vilnius Gediminas Technical University | Lithuania |
About the award
The Young Scholars Award allows Esri, our international distributors, and the international education team to recognize the exemplary work of current undergraduate and graduate students majoring in geospatial science disciplines at international universities. Winning entries are selected by a university panel formed by Esri’s distributor in the recipient’s respective country.
Esri Innovation Program Student of the Year Award
This year's recipient
Christina Zorenboehmer
University of Salzburg
About the award
The Esri Innovation Program (EIP) confers special status and benefits on select university programs with demonstrated excellence in geospatial research and education. These programs challenge students to develop innovative applications based on the ArcGIS system and related elements of the geospatial technology ecosystem.
2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition
About the awards
Our greatest challenges—including climate change, sustainability, and social and economic inequality—are interrelated and inherently tied to geography. Each year, Esri invites individuals and organizations worldwide to enter the ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition with a place-based story that communicates those challenges and proposes data-driven solutions.
Esri Community Contest—MVP Awards
This year's recipients
Josh Carlson
Alex Bureaux
Christopher Counsell
About the award
Esri recognizes members of our online community every year for truly modeling the vision and mission of Esri Community. Join us in congratulating our 2025 Esri Community Contest winners who have answered hundreds of questions and helped thousands of users with Esri products.
