The Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to a woman resident of North America, who is within five years of receipt of a PhD, for distinguished contributions to astronomy or for similar contributions in related sciences which have immediate application to astronomy. The awardee is invited to give a talk at an AAS meeting and is given a $1,500 honorarium.[1] The award is named in honor of American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon.
Margaret Burbidge was due to be given the 1972 award, but she refused it on the grounds of gender discrimination, stating: "It is high time that discrimination in favor of, as well as against, women in professional life be removed".[2] This prompted the AAS to set up its first committee on the status of women in astronomy[2] and they ceased issuing the award directly. From 1973 to 2004 the American Association of University Women issued the awards, on advice from the AAS. The AAS resumed direct issuing of the award in 2005.