Call for Awards Nomination

To mark APNET's 10th anniversary, starting from APNET 2026 we have set up three APNet awards: the Test of Time Paper Award, the Rising Star Award, and the Distinguished Service to the Community Award. Together, they recognize enduring research impact, emerging scholarly leadership, and exceptional service to APNET and the Asia-Pacific networking community, biennially.

Each nomination must be submitted by one nominator; self-nominations are permitted. The nominator selects one award in the Google Form and provides the nominee's name and affiliation, the nominator's name and affiliation, and a short nomination statement. For the Test of Time Paper Award, the paper title, publication year, and author list should also be provided.

Awards

1. Test of Time Paper Award

Purpose and significance: Recognizes an outstanding paper from APNET's earlier years whose ideas and results have had enduring influence on networking research or practice.

Eligibility and criteria: Normally open to papers published at APNET for around 10 years. The committee will consider sustained scholarly or industrial impact, influence on subsequent work, deployment or community adoption, and continued relevance.

Selection: The Awards Committee will assess the nomination and verifiable evidence of impact, and may seek input from subject-matter experts. Originality, longevity, and breadth of influence will be considered together. The award is made to the paper and shared by all its authors.

2. Rising Star Award

Purpose and significance: Recognizes an early-career researcher who has already demonstrated exceptional originality, impact, and promise of leadership in computer networking, with particular relevance to the Asia-Pacific community.

Eligibility and criteria: Nominees should normally be within 10 years of receiving their PhD as of the nomination deadline; documented career interruptions may be taken into account. The committee will consider significant research contributions, independence, community impact, and future promise.

Selection: The Awards Committee will evaluate the candidate's record. The decision will not be based on publication or citation counts alone, and impact of the research contribution, different career paths, and opportunity contexts will be considered.

3. Distinguished Service Award

Purpose and significance: Recognizes sustained, exceptional, and broadly beneficial volunteer service that has advanced APNET and strengthened the Asia-Pacific networking community.

Eligibility and criteria: The committee will consider sustained commitment, quality of service, organizational leadership, community building, inclusion, mentorship, and visible contributions to APNET's long-term development. Service should normally go beyond the routine expectations of a single role.

Selection: The Awards Committee will assess the duration, depth, breadth, and practical impact of the service, and may verify contributions with past APNET organizers.

Nomination and Selection Process

1. The call for nominations will be issued on 1 July 2026. Self-nomination is allowed. Any nomination is submitted via the Google Form: Google Form.
2. Nominations close on 20 July 2026 at 23:59 AoE. Late nominations will normally not be considered.
3. An Awards Committee appointed by the APNet organizers will review nominations independently. Members must recuse themselves from discussion and voting where a conflict of interest exists. The committee may decide not to make an award in a category.
4. Winners will receive an email and an invitation to attend APNet 2026. The awards will be announced and presented at the conference.

Nomination deadline: 20 July 2026, 23:59 AoE

The APNet Awards Selection Committee

Chair: Prof. K. K. Ramakrishnan (UC Riverside, USA)

Members:

• Prof. Dongsu Han (KAIST, South Korea)
• Prof. Dan Li (Tsinghua University, China)
• Prof. Chen Tian (Nanjing University, China)
• Prof. Minlan Yu (Harvard University, USA)
• Prof. Matthew Caesar (UIUC, USA, SIGCOMM representative)