This award was established in 2006 to honor Washington State GIS pioneer and mentor Richard “Dick” Thomas. The intent of this award is to honor Dick by continuing his work of encouraging students to present their original research in GIS, geography, or a related discipline at the annual Washington GIS Conference.

The competition has three parts:

1.   Abstract Submission

Using the form below, students submit a succinct abstract (no more than 300 words) describing their original work in GIS or a related field. Abstracts will be accepted from March 1 to March 31, 2026. Each abstract may have up to three co-authors.

A panel of DTA judges will review abstracts and select finalists for the Presentation Competition, which will occur during the 2026 Washington GIS Conference (May 19-21). Competitors are eligible for cash prizes:

Students will be notified of their acceptance by Thursday, April 23, 2026. 

3.   Presentation Competition

This year's competition will be held in-person at the Bellevue Meydenbauer Center on Thursday, May 21^st, 2026.  More details to follow.

• Guidelines and FAQs
• Please contact the DTA Coordinator at dta@wagisa.org with any questions.

Recordings/ Infographics from Previous Years

2025 - Summit Scoop Article

2024 - Summit Scoop Article

2023 - Infographic

2022 - Recording

2021 - Recording

2020 - Recording