Francis Avery Jones Award

Guidance for candidates applying for the Prize

Thank you for applying for the Sir Francis Avery Jones Prize, which recognises the work of younger researchers, and is the highest honour that the Society bestows in this respect.

The BSG is an open, equitable, and inclusive Society, and welcomes applications irrespective of gender, ethnicity, background, or training.

If you are uncertain as to whether you should apply, or would like some help in completing the application, please contact our office and we will provide advice independent from the judging panel. Please note we can only provide advice; it remains your responsibility to provide the evidence in a form that is easy for the panel to assess.

Please note the criteria laid out in the Sir Francis Avery Jones notice which represents the minimum information required.

You must be under 40 years of age on the day of the lecture or have held a consultant post for less than 5 years. If you have been in part time or intermittent employment, we will adjust the 5-year figure to a whole time equivalent. This can include time out of practice for maternity, paternity, or carer’s leave, up to a maximum of 10 years. If you are in any doubt, tell us about the circumstances and we will advise accordingly.

We ask all reviewers for any potential conflicts of interest and take precautions to avoid any intentional or unintentional bias when judging applicants.

Please describe your academic training including any higher degrees, PhD, or post-doctoral work.

We need details of your publication history. Please indicate publications where you have played a significant role, for example, as first author, last author, or corresponding author in peer review journals.

It is helpful to list all your publications by type i.e. original papers, reviews, abstracts, posters, web-based publications etc. As well as H index and journal impact factor, this should include national and international impact, inc healthcare policy, disease management, clinical guidelines, education and training, sustainability, advancing scientific methodology and application within and across disciplines.

Please list other markers of esteem, such as prizes, invited lectures, or conference activity.

We look for evidence of independent research activity including grant awards, managing or directing a laboratory and its staff, the number of staff under your supervision and details of supervision of trainees, fellows, higher degrees, or post-doctoral workers. A list of total grant awards is useful, but it is helpful to show where you were the primary applicant.

We understand that applications for any award require time in a busy academic schedule. We very much appreciate your decision to apply and promise that all applications will be reviewed fairly. The FAJ award is a discretionary award and all criteria are taken into account and no single measure decides the outcome of your application.

Good luck to all applicants; we very much look forward to seeing your applications.