The Society has six awards which are presented annually. Past recipients are listed here. In addition Society members may be elected as Fellows.

The Leonard Medal
The Leonard Medal honors outstanding contributions to the science of meteoritics and closely allied fields. It was established in 1962 to honor the first President of the Society, Frederick C. Leonard.

The Barringer Award
The Barringer Medal and Award recognize outstanding work in the field of impact cratering and/or work that has led to a better understanding of impact phenomena. The Barringer Medal and Award were established in 1982 to honor the memory of D. Moreau Barringer Sr. and his son D. Moreau Barringer Jr. and are sponsored by the Barringer Crater Company. The senior Barringer was the first to seriously propose an impact origin for the crater that now bears his name. For nearly two decades he defended this theory against the vast majority of scientific opinion. The junior Barringer was the first to identify the Odessa crater, the second known impact site on Earth.

The Nier Prize
The Nier Prize recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists. Recipients must be under 35 years old at the end of the calendar year in which they are selected by the Council. The award was established in 1995 to honor the memory of Alfred O. C. Nier, and is supported by an endowment given by Mrs. Ardis H. Nier.

The Service Award
This award, established in late 2005, honors members who have advanced the goals of the Society to promote research and education in meteoritics and planetary science in ways other than by conducting scientific research. Examples of activities that could be honored by the award include, but are not limited to, education and public outreach, service to the Society and the broader scientific community, and acquisition, classification and curation of new samples for research. This award may be given annually, and should be given at least every other year. Winners will be granted lifetime membership in the Meteoritical Society.

The Paul Pellas - Graham Ryder Award
This award, which is jointly sponsored by the Meteoritical Society and the Planetary Division of Geological Society of America, is for undergraduate and graduate students who are first author of a planetary science paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Any first author of a paper published on a topic listed on the cover of MAPS who was a student when the paper was submitted is eligible for consideration for this award.

The Gordon A. McKay Award
This award honors the memory of Gordon A. McKay. It was endowed in 2008 thanks to the generous donations of the McKay family and many society members. The award is given each year to the student who gives the best oral presentation at the annual meeting of the society. The recipient must be a full-time student, a member of the society, and must not have won the McKay Award before. The first award will be given in 2009.

Fellows
Members who have distinguished themselves in meteoritics or in closely allied fields may be elected Fellows by the Council. No more than 1% of the members can be elected in even-numbered years. Fellows are identified in the Directory of Members, which is published with Meteoritics & Planetary Sciences every two years.

Nomination Procedures
Members are strongly urged to nominate candidates for the Society's awards and for Fellows. Deadlines for consideration in a given calendar year are January 15 of that year (Leonard Medal, Barringer Prize, Nier Prize) and January 31 (Service Award, Pellas-Ryder Award). Detailed procedures for nominations and contact information are given in the latest Newsletter

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