The IEEE Joy Thomas Tutorial Paper Award was established with a generous gift from the Joy Thomas Foundation. The award serves to recognize publications that expose subjects in information theory to a broad audience and stimulate interest and engagement in them.

Criteria and Eligibility: Papers considered for the award should present an overview of methods and/or theory of broad interest, potentially providing new perspectives and/or overview of published ideas. Articles will be judged on the clarity of exposition and accessibility to a broad audience.  To be eligible for consideration, the tutorial paper must have appeared in an IEEE Information Theory Society publication during the preceding five calendar years. The authors do not have to be members of the IEEE. Individuals serving on the Paper Awards Committee are ineligible to receive the award.

Nomination, submission, and selection process: Each nomination shall be accompanied by a statement (maximum of 2 pages) outlining the rationale for the nomination. Optionally, up to two letters of endorsement can be provided along with the rationale. The award winner shall be selected by the IEEE Information Theory Society Paper Awards committee. The winners shall be given the option to select the Information Theory Society venue at which the award will be presented. The winners will be invited to create content based on the paper, which will also serve to reach a broad audience through diverse media.

Nominations and optional letters of endorsement must be submitted using the online nomination form.