Quality of Research Communication Award

Purpose

The 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. The award is particularly aimed to recognise skilled 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

At least one of the co-authors of the work 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:

• Type of communication activities and materials
• Quality of materils 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. The application should include an example of the communication material or activity. 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, may be submitted as well.

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:

1. Importance of topic
2. Timeliness of topic
3. Excellence in communication to an audience that is primarily outside the profession
4. Significance of contribution to the literature or other media
5. 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 Winners

Prize Committees