I am proud to announce winners of the 2012 Sustainability Science Best Paper Awards—the first year we have held such awards to recognize the contributions of researchers that further enhance the understanding of sustainability science and demonstrate high standards of scientific quality. For this award, we considered papers published in 2012 excluding notes and comments, editorials, message articles, and papers authored by a member of the committee. From a total of 26 eligible papers in 2012, three winners (one best paper and two honorable mentions) have been chosen following our selection process.

When we, as an editorial office, decided to hold these awards, we first started by forming a selection committee from our editorial advisors to set criteria and guidelines against which papers would be measured. Keeping this in mind, all editorial advisors were invited to nominate papers which contribute to the advancement of sustainability science, contain vigorous dialogue on the scope and boundaries of the field, and those introducing important concepts, such as complexity and transdisciplinarity.

Secondly, we created a multistage selection process so as not to favor only research on catchy, popular themes. With the assistance of our publisher Springer Japan, we collected average reviewer impression scores, number of downloads and citations, and matched them with selections by editorial advisors. Although articles published between 2007 and 2011 were not considered, we may introduce a chronicle award in the future.

The highest scoring papers were then presented to a selection committee which met to select the winners. I would personally like to congratulate the winning authors for their contributions in the field of sustainability science. The winners will be formally acknowledged at the 4th International Sustainability Science Conference to be held in Marseilles, France, from September 16 to 17.

I also extend my thanks to fellow selection committee members for their support from the beginning of the process:

Braden Allenby, Arizona State University, USA

Jim Falk, University of Melbourne, Australia

The winning papers are:

Outstanding article

Arnim Wiek, Barry Ness, Petra Schweizer-Ries, Fridolin S. Brand, and Francesca Farioli

For the paper entitled

From complex systems analysis to transformational change: a comparative appraisal of sustainability science projects—Vol. 7 Supplement 1

What the selection committee said:

“A stand-out paper from the point of view of carrying forward greater in depth development of the breadth of the field characterized by sustainability science.”

Honorable mention

Osamu Akashi and Tatsuya Hanaoka

For the paper entitled

Technological feasibility and costs of achieving a 50 % reduction of global GHG emissions by 2050: mid- and long-term perspectives—Vol. 7 No. 2

What the selection committee said:

“…well reasoned, sophisticated, and a genuine contribution, taking into account economic as well as technical factors in its whole of system calculations.”

Honorable mention

Daniel J. Lang, Arnim Wiek, Matthias Bergmann, Michael Stauffacher and Pim Martens, Peter Moll, Mark Swilling, and Christopher J. Thomas

For the paper entitled

Transdisciplinary research in sustainability science: practice, principles, and challenges—Vol. 7 Supplement 1

What the selection committee said:

“…important in attracting the attention of other authors, and initiating discussion around important sustainability science topics.”

I extend my congratulations to all the winning authors.

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Kazuhiko Takeuchi

Editor-In-Chief