Nominations now open
The call for nominations is now open. Please ensure you read through the guidance document fully.
The Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand is encouraging nominations of joint collaborations, groups or teams for almost all its medals to better represent how contemporary science is undertaken. In addition, the Academy is extremely keen to broaden the diversity of those nominated for its awards, so do please consider all contacts and colleagues.
You do not have to be a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand to nominate or to be nominated for any of the Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand medals and awards.
Nominations close on Friday 23 February 2024 at 23:59.
Nominate now
Who can be nominated for the Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand’s medals and awards?
The medals and awards programme seeks to celebrate the exceptional work of individuals and teams contributing to scientific progress, from across the diverse scientific community.
Nominations are particularly welcome when they recognise women, individuals from ethnic minority groups and individuals with disabilities. The Academy would also welcome nominations of individuals and groups from a broad range of academic institutions, career stages and industries, as well as international nominations of those who are citizens or residents of countries outside of the UK.
The specific eligibility criteria for each award can be found on the individual award webpages.
Nomination guidelines
Here are some general guidelines to help those considering nominating an outstanding individual or team for a Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand medal or award:
- You do NOT need to be a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand to nominate or to be nominated for a medal or award.
- There are no eligibility restrictions for nominators. Anyone can submit a nomination of an individual or team.
- Most medals and awards are open to nominations of scientists at any career stage (For the premier awards, nominations are restricted to senior scientists. There are also a small number of awards designed to celebrate early career researchers).
- For most medals and awards, teams can now be nominated as well as individuals. This reflects the collaborative nature of science.
- Most awards are open to New Zealand citizens or residents. Premier Awards are open to the entire international scientific community. A small number of awards are restricted to specific geographical regions.
When can nominations be made?
The annual nominations cycle begins on 30 November each year and the nominations window remains open for three months.
How are nominations submitted?
Nominators are required to complete an application on behalf of the individual or team they are putting forward for an award. This includes a statement detailing the work of the nominee and the reasons why they deserve recognition for their contributions to science.
This application process will also require a small amount of involvement from the nominee themselves and some may require the input of a referee, invited by the nominator.
Applications are submitted through the nominations portal, which will open on 30 November.
How are the award winners chosen?
All eligible nominations are sent to members of the relevant standing committee responsible for that award. Following a detailed review and assessment, along with the collection of independent references, committee members will score the nominations and the pool of applicants will be shortlisted.
These scores are confidential and will be discussed by the relevant committee at a selection meeting held in the spring.
Recommendations for award winners are made by the committee and final approval is given by the Royal Academy of Sciences New Zealand Council at their July meeting.
Please visit the login for more information about the awarding committees.
For further details about the nominations process, please email the awards team.
Timeline for nominations
| Open date |
Close date |
Shortlist and scoring |
Decision |
Winners announced |
| 30 November |
February |
March - May |
July |
August |
