The 2023 Sawyer Dialing Prize went to François Blateyron "for his creation and continual development of the Shadows software for the design of sundials and for his constant encouragement of the construction of sundials around the world." François focused his interest in sundials to creating a versatile and easy to use software program for computing in 1997 and has been improving it ever since. Now, many different types of sundials and astrolabes can be calculated, supported by instructions in 17 languages and a database of more than 5000 locations around the world. Part of the popularity of his software is the ability to export vector format for artistic additions or in DXF format compatible with computer aided design software for engraving and tooling machines or 3D printing. François Blateyron in his article "The Sundial, from Antiquity to Computer Drawing" in Astronomy Magazine March-April 2022 stated his goal that, "it is evident how the talent of some can be expressed once the software eliminates the difficulty of the calculations."

Fred Sawyer and Steve Lelievre met with François via a Zoom conference to discuss sundials and his award. Fred sent François the award certification, the traditional cash prize of $200 and a custom made Spectra Sundial by Jim Tallman of Artisan Industrials that François proudly displayed in his window (left photo above).

Read more at: https://saf-astronomie.fr/francois-blateyron-recoit-le-sawyer-dialing-prize/