QUALITY OF RESEARCH COMMUNICATION AWARD FOR EMCRs

Purpose

The EMCR Quality of Research Communication Award is intended to recognise superior communication of concepts or knowledge in any subject matter of professional specialisation (i.e., teaching, research, policy analysis, or extension) in agricultural and resource economics to a specified audience by an early or mid-career researcher (EMCRs).

The award is particularly aimed to recognise skilled early or mid-career communicators who are able to explain economic principles to an outside audience and encourage others such as farmers, resource managers and policy makers to adjust their management, activities or policies in response.

Amount of Prize

The winning nomination will receive a $500 cash award to be presented at the Society's annual conference dinner.

Eligibility

The lead applicant/author must be an early or mid-career researcher (EMCRs) at the time of application. EMCR status will be defined as up to 15 years post-terminal degree conferral, plus a maximum allowance of additional two years for those who have experienced career interruptions (e.g., for raising children or other care-giving activities, part-time employment, a temporary departure from any research position, illness, etc.).
The lead applicant/author must have been a member of AARES when the work was published.

Entries

Submissions should include evidence of materials, activities and/or programs that relate to at least one of the following fields: agriculture-, environmental-, food-, resource-economics and agribusiness (AEFREA).  Applicants should provide evidence of the:

• EMCR status (such as, copies of PhD certificates)
• Type of communication activities and materials, with an example, and
• Up to three pages of other supporting evidence, including items such as a statement about the nature of the work and why it is prize-worthy, or letters of support by third parties, outlining quality of materials and communication approach, effectiveness of the communication’ and the outcomes or changes that occurred as a result.

The publication may communicate the author's original research or include that of others, and the communication may be directed to audiences inside or outside the profession.

Entries are to be submitted to the AARES Central Office in electronic format.  Entries must be received by 15 November of the year of nomination (for items In Press, page proofs may be submitted along with a letter from the editor or publisher, indicating the date when the work will be published).

Selection Criteria

Five major areas are to be considered in evaluating nominations as follows:

• Importance of topic
• Timeliness of topic
• Excellence in communication to an audience that is primarily outside the profession
• Significance of contribution to the literature or other media
• Economic content of communication

General

A maximum of one award will be given per year; however, the Society reserves the right to make no award in the event that no entry is judged to be of sufficient merit.

The decision of the Council of the Society will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into with entrants. Submission of a publication to be considered for the Prize implies acceptance of all of the conditions of the Prize.

Instructions to the Prize Committee

The committee will include three members. Normally, one member will be replaced each year, so the usual length of tenure of a member is three years. Normally, each member chairs the committee in his/her third year as a member.

The committee will determine the system to be used in judging entries and the specific criteria to be applied.

The committee should finalise its decision at least two weeks prior to the AARES conference in the year of the award and should advise the secretary of the result so that he/she can prepare a cheque and certificate for presentation at the conference dinner.

Previous Award Winners

Prize Committee