Heading South Award

AARES-AAEA Young Professionals Exchange Programme

Purpose

The purpose of this award is to provide 'young' agricultural and resource economists with an opportunity for professional and personal development and international professional and cultural exchange.

AARES and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Trust jointly offer this travel award to facilitate the attendance of one AAEA or AARES member normally resident in North America at the AARES Annual Conference in February the following year in order to:

• facilitate contact and discussion among those studying problems or extending knowledge of agricultural and resource economics in Australia and North America
• stimulate comparative analysis and discussion of policies and programmes affecting primary industries, resources and the environment in both regions
• encourage co-operation with scientific and other organisations and institutions engaged in similar or related activities in Australia and North America

Award recipients must attend and present a paper at the conference.

Amount and Funding of the Award

The total award is worth US $3,000.

AARES will provide a grant of US $1,500 to substantially reimburse the winner for conference registration, attendance at the Conference Dinner and other social events at the Conference, and accommodation for the duration of the conference. AAEA will provide a further grant of US $1,500 to substantially meet the costs of a return economy class airfare to the conference. 

Eligibility

This award is intended for agricultural and resource economists of all ages but in the early stages of their careers. Thus, stage of career, rather than age, is what defines an appropriate applicant. The Award is offered to members of AARES or AAEA who are resident in North America.  Applications for the award should include:

• a paper for presentation at the AARES conference, for which applicants are sole or first author and which represent their original and unpublished work,
   
• a one-page biographical statement, and
   
• a one-page statement in support of their application, indicating what they would hope to accomplish through the award, why they would be deserving of the award, and confirming that they would be unable to attend the conference without this financial support.

Entries

A call for nominations will be advertised on the AARES website and through email.

Entries must be received by 30 August.

Entries are to be submitted electronically to the office@aares.org.au, and should include a short proposal addressing the selection criteria along with a copy of the entrant's CV which includes a record of their publications. Applicants should identify how the award would facilitate interaction and cooperation between professionals in both countries.

Selection criteria

1. First consideration will be given to professionals early in their career and/or those for whom funding to attend the Conference would be difficult to obtain from other sources.
2. Award recipients must present a paper at the Conference representing original work that has not been published in its current form. The paper will be judged on the quality of the research reported, its innovativeness, and the writing style.
3. Preference will be given to papers that are on issues of relevance to both countries, and to those involving cross-jurisdictional comparisons, however, papers on any topic will be considered.
4. Co-authored papers are acceptable, although the award will normally be made to one, normally a more junior, author.

General

Submission of an entry to be considered for the Prize implies acceptance of all of the conditions of the Prize. The decision of the Council of the Society in regard to the winner will be final and no correspondence that questions or challenges results will be accepted from entrants.

Other

Judging will be completed within two weeks of the closing date for entries and the winner will be advised as soon as possible by the chair of the selection committee. The award will be announced at the respective Conference Dinners and published in the AARES News and Views and other appropriate outlets. The level of the award will be reviewed by the AARES Council every second year.

Instructions to the Prize Committee

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

The Committee should finalise its decision by September, and the Committee Chair should advise the winner of his/her successful submission (with a copy to the AARES Central Office and the AAEA President).

The Committee Chair should also advise the other entrants that their submissions were unsuccessful.

Instructions to the Winner

The winner will be advised of his/her successful submission by the Chair of the Prize Committee.

The winner should contact the AARES President who will provide advice on the submission of the winner's paper at the Conference, as well as conference registration and accommodation options.

The winner should initially pay for their own conference registration and accommodation. AARES Central Office will reimburse the winner US $1,500 once proof of incurring these expenses has been received.

Travel Awards Committee

The Travel Awards Committee comprises:

• The President or President-Elect of AAEA (Chair)
• The President of AARES NA Branch
• The President-Elect of AARES

Previous Award Winners