W. Maxwell Cowan was the editor-in-chief from 1968-1980, then he went on to be the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuroscience, and the chief scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes. Dr. Cowan studied the connections of the hippocampus and developed anterograde tracer methods, but the main focus during his scientific career was on the development of visual system connections with the midbrain, including the effect of target tissue on determining neuronal trajectories and survival. The Cowan Award is given in odd-numbered years to a neuroscientist for outstanding work in neural development.

Sanford L. Palay was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Comparative Neurology from 1980-1993. He was a professor of anatomy at Harvard Medical School and then professor emeritus during that tenure. Dr. Palay was one of the earliest scientists to turn electron microscopy onto the nervous system, and in 1954 with George Palade provided the first descriptions of vertebrate synapses at the EM level. Dr. Palay did groundbreaking studies on the fine structure of the cerebellum, and co-authored with Alan Peters and Henry deForest Webster the classic text, "The Fine Structure of the Nervous System." The Palay Award is given in even-numbered years to a neuroscientist for outstanding contributions in the structure of the nervous system. Previous winners have included:​