The Gold Scientist Prize Programme

(Nanowerk News) The Gold Scientist Prize programme has been established by the World Gold Council to recognise outstanding gold-based research performed by early-career scientists. Work eligible for consideration can be on-going studies, research completed in the last twelve months or a body of work compiled over several years in any materials science or related discipline where gold is central to the research.
The two winners will win sponsored attendance at GOLD2012 (the international conference on Gold Science Technology and its applications) in Tokyo, a round trip flight to the conference, hotel accommodation for the duration of the conference and a commemorative gold coin. They will also have the opportunity to present their work at the meeting and will be invited to submit an article to a special edition of the journal Gold Bulletin.
The prize programme contains two categories:
"Outstanding Young Researcher", aimed at PhD students.
"Outstanding Investigator", aimed at scientists with up to seven years experience post PhD graduation.
Key Eligibility Criteria
  • Entrants for the "Outstanding Young Researcher" category must currently be PhD students whose studies have focused on a novel technical use for gold.
  • Entrants for the "Outstanding Investigator" category must be within, at most, seven years of completing their PhD degree and currently using gold for novel research.
  • Researchers who have already submitted an abstract to present at GOLD2012 are eligible to apply retrospectively.
  • Only one application per scientist will be considered. The entrant must be the original author of the abstract.
  • Procedures
    All entrants must be nominated by their current supervisor or department head by means of a letter of recommendation. All additional required documents (detailed below) must be submitted simultaneously in order for the entry to be eligible for consideration.
    The entry must be submitted electronically in English, and a complete submission will contain:
  • A letter of nomination (maximum two pages in length) describing the impact, novelty and quality of the candidates' research utilising gold.
  • An abstract, written by the entrant, describing their work (maximum two pages in length).
  • A Curriculum Vitae (CV) from the candidate (maximum four pages in length) that details all peer referenced papers, any awards received to date and all relevant professional experience in the field. The CV must also detail the applicant's contact details.
  • Deadline
    Entries should be emailed as a word document or PDF to [email protected] by 30 May 2012, 13:00 London time. Entries submitted after this time will not be accepted.
    Judging Panel
    The judging panel will be composed of Dr Trevor Keel of the World Gold Council and prominent international researchers in relevant fields.
    Awards
    The judges will select one winner per category. The winning submissions are at the discretion of the judging panel and will be based on the comparative quality of the submissions. The judges' decision will be final. Winners will be notified directly, and then announced in the Gold Technology Forum on LinkedIn in July 2012.
    Terms and conditions
  • Employees of the World Gold Council or the MSL GROUP (and of the respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, franchisees, licensees, advertising, promotion and public relations agencies of the foregoing) are not eligible to be considered for the Gold Scientist Prize. In addition, relatives of, and those living in the same household as, such employees are not eligible to enter the competition. For the purpose of the Gold Scientist Prize, "relatives" of a person are defined as that person's mother, father, in-laws, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, children, and grandchildren (in each case, whether related by birth, adoption or marriage as applicable).
  • All prizes will be awarded without regard to the sex, race, or nationality of the recipient.
  • World Gold Council reserves the right to request additional information to verify the winning application.
  • By submitting to this Programme entrants agree to their personally identifiable information being used in the judging and related promotion of the Programme.
  • The total value of the award is at the discretion of the World Gold Council.
  • The award for winning the Gold Scientist Prize Programme and related benefits are non-transferable and must be used by the original entrant and author of the winning abstract. Any tax arising in relation to the benefits received from the Gold Scientist Prize Programme is the winner's liability.
  • The World Gold Council reserves the right to cancel or postpone the Gold Scientist Prize Programme, or retract the prize at their discretion.
  • The World Gold Council and the MSL Group will not pass any entrants' personal details to third parties without permission.
  • Source: World Gold Council