Inclusion and Diversity Prize

Guidelines for nominators

• Nominations open 18 October.
  
• Nominations close 18 January, 17:00 GMT
• Reference deadline 25 January, 17:00 GMT
• Both RSC members and non-members can nominate for this prize
• Nominees may nominate themselves
• We will not consider nominations of deceased individuals.
• Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate, be nominated (as an individual or as part of a team) or provide a reference:
  
  • Inclusion and Diversity Prize Committee members
  • RSC Subject Community Presidents
  • RSC Prize Committee members
  • Trustees of the Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Chemistry staff

• The prize is open to nominees based in the UK or internationally
• Both individuals and teams can be nominated
• There are no career stage restrictions associated with this prize
• When nominating previous RSC prize winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work
• Nominees should only be nominated once for this prize in any given prize cycle. In cases where we receive more than one nomination for the same nominee, only one nomination will go forward to judging.
• Starting from the 2023 cycle, unsuccessful nominations for this prize will automatically rollover to the next prize cycle, unless the nominee’s circumstances have changed so as to make them ineligible, in relation to the eligibility criteria for the prize as outlined above. We encourage nominators to update their nomination between cycles when the nomination window is open. Nominations will be considered for two consecutive prize cycles.

To make a nomination, please use our online nomination system to submit the following information:

• Your name and contact details. The RSC reserves the right to amend nominations if necessary to ensure the anonymity of the nominator.
• Your nominee's name(s) and contact details. 
• A short citation describing what the nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence.
• Supporting statements addressing each of the selection criteria as follows:
  • Describe the nominee's approach or initiative, and engagement with their intended audience (250 words)
  • Describe the novelty, originality and innovation of the approach or initiative (250 words)
  • Describe the impact that the nominee's work has had on the community (250 words)
    
    Our guidance for nominators page has more information on writing these supporting statements.

• The name and contact details of one referee. For a team nomination, the reference should be for the team as a whole.
  • The reference should be a maximum of 750 words. Referees will be asked to state their relationship (if any) with the nominee and note any conflicts of interest.
  • All references must be submitted through the online system by the reference deadline, 25 January, 17:00 GMT. Nominations will not go forward to judging without a completed reference. Please ensure you submit your referee's details in plenty of time, to allow them sufficient opportunity to provide their reference.
  • As soon you submit your referee’s details, they will receive an automated e-mail with a link to submit their reference. Please contact awards@rsc.org as soon as possible if you experience any issues with this.
  • It is the nominator’s responsibility to ensure that the referee is aware of the nomination, that they should expect an e-mail invitation to submit their reference, and that they are aware of what is required to ensure that the reference is submitted before the deadline.
  • All referees will receive one e-mail reminder from RSC staff in the week before the reference deadline. 

The RSC reserves the right to rescind any prize if there are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that to the best of their knowledge there is no impediment, relating to professional conduct, to their nominee receiving this prize. All prize winners will be asked to sign the RSC’s Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition.

Selection Criteria and Judging Panel

Our selection committees base their evaluations on the overall quality of relevant contributions and achievements by nominees, in relation to the selection criteria listed below.

The selection committee will consider the following aspects of all nominations for the Inclusion and Diversity Prize as appropriate:

• Novelty, originality and innovation
• Extent of engagement with the intended audience
• Impact on others in the community

Inclusion and Diversity Prize Committee

• Robert Mokaya, University of Nottingham (Chair)
• Alan Armstrong, Imperial College London
• Patricia Forbes, University of Pretoria
• Don Green, London Metropolitan University
• Steve Smith, Syngenta
• Baljit Thatti, Kingston University