The Evolutionary Linguistics Association (ELA) aims to support research in the field of evolutionary linguistics. Its activities include the organisation of summerschools, workshops and conferences, support in publishing books and articles about evolutionary linguistics, and building a community of researchers in the domain. The ELA Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to researchers that have shown great excellence in their contributions to the field of evolutionary linguistics.
September, 8 2016, during the Summerschool on Creativity and Evolution in games, language, robots, life and art near Lake Como, Italy, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer will be awarded the Evolutionary Linguistics Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the past, the ELA Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded to the following researchers:
| Name | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre-Yves Oudeyer | Inria, Bordeaux | 2016 |
| Graeme Trousdale | University of Edinburgh | 2015 |
| James Hurford | University of Edinburgh | 2014 |
| Chris Knight | University College London | 2014 |
| Bill Croft | University of New Mexico | 2013 |
| Bernd Heine | University of Cologne | 2009 |