Call for Nominations: Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture

The expectation is that the awardee will demonstrate excellence in public engagement.

Prize information

• The medal is of silver gilt, is awarded annually and is accompanied by a gift of £2,500.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Michael Faraday prize and lecture is open to UK/Commonwealth/Irish Republic citizens or those who have been residents for three or more years.
• There are no restrictions on career stage and nominations will remain valid and shall be considered by the award selection committee throughout three nomination cycles.

Nomination Criteria

• The Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize is given to an outstanding scientist for excellence in engaging sectors of society with science, and is awarded to the scientist or engineer whose expertise in engaging the public with science is exemplary.
• Recipients must be leading scientists, mathematicians or engineers, but are not required to be Fellows of the Royal Society. The prize is not open to those who are members of the Council of the Royal Society at the time the award is decided, nor to members of the Public Engagement Committee at the time the Committee makes its recommendation to the Council.
• The Public Engagement Committee will look for evidence of impact, innovation and reach of the public engagement activities when reviewing the nominations. The scientist or engineer’s work in public engagement should be of the highest quality.
• The prize is awarded annually, unless in the judgment of the Public Engagement Committee, no suitable candidate has been nominated.
• The nomination of a candidate is made by a nominator (which may be an individual or an institution) via the Society’s online system and should include the names and contact details of two referees. Nominators should make nominees aware of their nomination. Self-nomination is not acceptable.
• A nomination remains valid for three years; under exceptional circumstances the Committee may decide that a nomination can remain valid for a fourth year. An unsuccessful candidate may be re-nominated after a gap of one year. Previous winners may not be nominated again.
• The scientific topics covered by the public engagement activities and the research area of the scientist or engineer can be any science or technical discipline within the remit of the Royal Society i.e. the natural sciences, including mathematics, engineering science, agriculture and medical research, the scientific aspects of archaeology, geography, and experimental psychology.
• For the purposes of this prize ‘the public’ excludes professional colleagues and students that the candidate teaches regularly.
• Teams are not normally considered except where each member has made an individual and clearly identifiable contribution.
• The prize is open to citizens of the British Isles or a Commonwealth country, or those who have been ordinarily resident and working in the British Isles or a Commonwealth country for a minimum of three years immediately prior to being nominated.

For more information, visit The Royal Society.