The John Wesley Powell Award is a United States Geological Survey (USGS) honor award that recognizes an individual or group, not employed by the U.S. federal government, for noteworthy contributions to the objectives and mission of the USGS. The award is named for John Wesley Powell, the distinguished scientist and explorer who was the second director of the USGS, serving from 1881 to 1894, and who made the pioneer exploration of the Colorado River. The first award was given in 1971. Source: Wikipedia (en)