The IEEE Photonics Award is a Technical Field Award established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 2002. This award is presented for outstanding achievements in photonics, including work relating to: light-generation, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection and the optical/electro-optical componentry and instrumentation used to accomplish these functions. Also included are storage technologies utilizing photonics to read or write data and optical display technologies. It also extends from energy generation/propagation, communications, information processing, storage and display, biomedical and medical uses of light and measurement applications.

This award may be presented to an individual or a team of up to three people.

The IEEE Photonics Award consists of a bronze medal, a certificate, and an honorarium. The award is administered by the IEEE Technical Field Awards Council, with recipients selected by a committee based on technical merit, impact, and innovation in the field of photonics.

2024: Kim Roberts

2023: Roel Baets

2022: Rodney S. Tucker

2021: Jack Jewell

2020: Christopher Richard Doerr