Awards of APPS

APPS has four awards that recognize special contributions of members. Nominations for each award are made by a proposer and seconder who must be current members of APPS. Nominations are submitted as a PDF document to the Chair, Awards Sub-committee and the President of APPS. The nomination will be submitted without the knowledge of the nominee and will be strictly confidential to the nominators and Awards Sub-committee and the President. Nominations close 16 weeks before the next biennial conference so that the presentations can be made at a general meeting of the society normally held at its Biennial Conference.

All evaluations and decisions will remain confidential. While the number of nominations received is not limited, the Management Committee reserves the right to determine the suitability of any nominee for the selected award. Nominators should take into consideration the Society’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

The three categories of award are listed below.

General Notes for the Preparation of Nominations

Nominations should be prepared as follows and submitted as a single PDF document to the Chair, Awards Sub-committee, Prof. Andre Drenth a.drenth@uq.edu.au before the closing date - to be announced.

The documentation must include:

  • A cover letter of less than one page with the name of the award for which the nomination is made, and the names and membership numbers of the nominee, proposer and seconder. It may outline contributions not given in the nomination statement.

  • A nomination statement of up to 1,000 words that highlights the contributions of the nominee in relation to the requirements of the selected award. Include the nominee’s name, place of birth, degrees (institutions and years granted), and current position. This statement should emphasise the relevance and impact of the nominee’s contributions to the advancement of science and plant pathology.

  • An abstract (~150-words) of the nomination statement for use in the award ceremony.

  • A Curriculum Vitae of less than two pages.

  • A complete list of publications. The list should be separated into the following categories, with most recent publications first. Abstracts and manuscripts not yet accepted should NOT be included.

    • Refereed journal articles and reviews

    • Extension publications

    • Books and book chapters

    • Technical publications (e.g., monographs, reports, symposium papers, proceedings)

    • Popular publications

    • Invited presentations

  • Additional documentation specified for the particular award as described below.

The deadline for nominations will be announced soon.

Submissions to be sent to Andre Drenth (a.drenth@uq.edu.au.)

DESCRIPTIONS OF AWARDS AND SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

  • Peter Williamson Award for Distinguished Service

    Recipients of the Peter Williamson Award for Distinguished Service are selected on the basis of an outstanding contribution to the Society while also furthering the science of plant pathology.

    This award is the equivalent of the previous Honorary Member Award which has been renamed to more accurately indicate that the recipient has made an outstanding contribution to APPS through service, teaching, extension, office-holding or other activity which can be considered to be beyond the normal expectations of their employment or duties.

    Learn More

  • Fellow of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society

    This award honours the scientific achievements of members. This can be interpreted to mean that a nominee has made original discoveries in one or more areas of plant pathology and that their work has been peer reviewed as shown by their list of publications. Text books, reviews, grant income and community service can be considered in addition to scientific publication but in themselves are not of sufficient status for an award to be made.

    Specific requirements:

    To allow comparison and selection of nominees to be simplified, proposers and seconders must describe the nominee’s contributions to the science of plant pathology, list 10 of their most significant papers, and provide electronic (.pdf) versions of 5 of these. Where a nominee is not the first author of any paper, it is suggested that their role be indicated.

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  • Lester Burgess Award

    ‘Diagnostics and Extension’ or ‘Research Communication’

    This award recognises exceptional contributions in the fields of diagnostics and extension, or research communication. An award can be made to an individual or group (team). It is envisaged that successful nominees will have made exceptional contributions in one or more of these fields over a significant period of their career(s). While a significant publication record is desirable the primary focus of the award is on contributions to the diagnosis of plant diseases in public or private laboratories, extension to clients (in field crops and horticultural industries as well as in forestry, natural ecosystems, and amenity plants), or research communication to such clients and the general community as public or private advisors. The inscriptions on the medal would read ‘Diagnostics and Extension’ or ‘Research Communication’ as appropriate.

    Specific requirements:

    Include four letters of support from clients and/or industry bodies with brief details of the measurable impact of the nominee’s work on their activities (operations).

    Provide appropriate examples of extension materials (submitted in digital form) or reference to such materials on websites. Such examples could include some materials prepared by a team where the nomination is for an individual.

    Indicate details of citations or award(s) that the nominee or team has received from (or for which they have been nominated by) industry groups, research and development agencies, or similar examples that demonstrate exceptional contributions. It is recognized that such awards may not be available to nominees working in some sectors.

    Other information that nominators consider supports the case for nomination.

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  • Australasian Plant Pathology Society’s Allen Kerr Postgraduate Prize

    This award recognizes the outstanding contribution made by Allen Kerr AO to the field of plant pathology. This prize is awarded by the Society for the best piece of original research relevant to Australasia by a postgraduate student in the field of plant pathology. The prize is awarded on the basis of publication(s) in refereed journal(s).

    The prize consists of a medal inscribed with the name of the recipient, a certificate, and $500 cash. On rare occasions where there are joint winners, the prize money is split.

    Nominees are normally nominated by a supervisor, but non-supervisors may also submit a nomination. Candidates may not nominate themselves.

    Specific requirements:

    Only nominees who are financial members of the Society at the time of nomination will be eligible for the award.

    Nominees must have submitted their degree in the 4 year period prior to the closing date for nominations.

    Research papers that form the basis of the nomination must be accepted for publication within 2 years of submitting their degree.

    Electronic copies (.pdf) of all papers must be submitted, together with a .pdf copy of the thesis indicating the date of submission.

    The same piece of work cannot be considered twice for the award.

    Learn More

Stirling Awards Program in Nematology

Background
APPS established the Plant and Soil Nematodes Fund, supported by Dr Graham Stirling and Dr Marcelle Stirling. The fund is designed to advance knowledge and expertise in plant and soil nematology by supporting students, early-career scientists, and professionals working in rural communities.

Purpose
The Stirling Awards Program provides Fellowships, Sub-doctoral Student Awards, Research Awards, Rural Awards and Travel Grants. These awards encourage new generations of researchers to undertake studies on plant-parasitic nematodes and their management, build capacity in rural advisory networks, and broaden nematological expertise across the APPS membership.

Award categories

  • Fellowships (up to $10,000): For PhD students and early career researchers conducting nematology research.

  • Sub-doctoral Student Awards (up to $3,000): For undergraduate, honours or master’s students undertaking nematode-related projects.

  • Research Awards (up to $5,000): For early career scientists to gain experience working in nematology research groups.

  • Rural Awards (up to $5,000): To support nematologists working in rural locations or consultants/extension personnel seeking to broaden their nematological expertise.

  • Travel Grants (up to $5,000): To enable early career nematologists to attend conferences or workshops.

Eligibility
Applicants must be financial members of both APPS and the Australasian Association of Nematologists (AAN) at the time the award is conferred. Applications from non-members will be considered; however, membership fees will be deducted from successful awards to provide two years of membership.

Application process

  • Fellowships & Sub-doctoral Student Awards: Applications due 31 October (for the following calendar year) or 30 April (for the following financial year).

  • Research Awards, Rural Awards & Travel Grants: Applications due 31 October.

Applications (max. 2 pages) should outline the proposed project and budget. Completed forms should be emailed to Dr Graham Stirling (graham.stirling@biolcrop.com.au).

Reporting
Award recipients are required to provide a short report or scientific publication to be shared with APPS members.

More information here
Application Form

APPS Honour Board

*Note: Honorary Members prior to 2011 were elected according to the original constitution as per below: “Council may elect as an Honorary Member a person who in its opinion has rendered distinguished service to the science of plant pathology”
The Honorary Member award was renamed the Distinguished Service Award in 2013 and again retitled the Peter Williamson Award for Distinguished Service in 2023.