Outstanding Service Award

The Outstanding Service Award is presented annually to recognize a career of outstanding service to ACM SIGGRAPH by a volunteer. It recognizes an individual who has given extraordinary service to ACM SIGGRAPH, both in the trenches and in positions of more responsibility or visibility, over a significant period of time. The award includes a lifetime membership in ACM SIGGRAPH.

Current Recipient

Adele Newton

Newton Associates

For her long-term, visionary, and dedicated service to ACM SIGGRAPH

For her forty years of outstanding service to the computer graphics community ACM SIGGRAPH recognizes Adele Newton with the 2024 Outstanding Service Award. Adele started her volunteer service as Registration Chair for the SIGGRAPH Conference in 1984-86, was Co-Chair of SIGGRAPH 88, served on the Conference Planning Committee from 1988-91 (the CPC was the pre-cursor to the current Conference Advisory Group), and the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee as Chair of the CPC from 1991-96. In this position she led the work to restructure the SIGGRAPH conference management model to more efficiently integrate professional management with the work done by volunteers, resulting in the shift to one volunteer conference chair from the co-chair model. This model is still used for both the SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia conferences.

She was Chair of the Community Outreach Committee for SIGGRAPH 98 and SIGGRAPH 2000. She was a member and then Chair of the SIGGRAPH Business Symposium for SIGGRAPH 2018 and 2019 and was a member of the SIGGRAPH 50th Conference Anniversary Committee.

From 1998 – 2003 she was the founder and Co-Chair of the SIGGRAPH Toronto Professional Chapter. From 2021 -2024 she was the Chair of the SIGGRAPH Communications Committee. In 2021 – 2022 she developed and produced Graphics Chronicles, a series of recordings of conversations with SIGGRAPH pioneers Jim Blinn, Sara Bly, Marceli Wein, Mary Whitton, Dave Kasik, Ingrid Carlbom and Nick England which are currently featured on the SIGGRAPH YouTube channel.

 

In all of her service activities, Adele has exhibited strong qualities of leadership and expertise. With this award, ACM SIGGRAPH celebrates Adele Newton’s many contributions to both the SIGGRAPH Conference  and to the organization.

Previous Recipients

  • 2023 Lee Yong Tsui
  • 2022 Barb Helfer
  • 2021 Marc J. Barr
  • 2020 Thierry Frey
  • 2019 Jackie White
  • 2018 G. Scott Owen
  • 2017 Alyn Rockwood
  • 2016 Alain Chesnais
  • 2015 Mike Bailey
  • 2014 Scott Lang
  • 2013 Mary Whitton
  • 2012 David Kasik
  • 2010 Kellogg S. Booth
  • 2008 Stephen Spencer
  • 2006 John Fujii
  • 2004 Judy Brown and Steve Cunningham
  • 2002 Bertram Herzog
  • 2000 Tom DeFanti and Copper Giloth
  • 1998 Maxine Brown

Nomination Procedure

The criteria used to evaluate the award include the importance of the service and the degree of sacrifice incurred by the volunteer. Nominations for the Outstanding Service Award are evaluated by committee and may be submitted to the Outstanding Service Award Chair by January 31 of each year.

Requirements

  • Name(s) of the individual(s) being nominated (address and/or phone number and/or email address are also appreciated).
  • A description of the service(s) to ACM SIGGRAPH and time period.
  • A statement by the nominator describing the significance of the service(s). Additional letters of support and other materials are not necessary but will be appreciated.
  • Nominator’s name, address, telephone number, and email address.