The IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 1995. It may be presented annually, to an individual or a team of not more than three, for outstanding contributions to communications technology. Recipient selection is administered by the Awards Board through its Technical Field Awards Council. It is named in honor of Eric E. Sumner, 1991 IEEE President, who retired as Vice President, Operations Planning, AT&T Bell Laboratories after a long and distinguished career. In the evaluation process, the following criteria are considered: research, development and application contributions to all aspects of leading-edge communication technology, and the quality of the nomination. The award consists of a bronze medal, certificate and honorarium.