• The AVS Rising Star Award is open to early career researchers with no more than 5 years of postdoctoral experience (with consideration to career breaks), with either doctoral or post-doctoral studies undertaken in Australia/New Zealand.

• Career breaks due to illness, maternity leave or carer responsibilities will not count towards the 5 years.

• Applicants must be current AVS members.

• Applicants must be based in Australia or New Zealand at the time of applying or if based overseas, intending to return to Australia or New Zealand to continue their career.

• All early career researchers who are selected or invited for an oral presentation at the AVS meeting will be notified of their eligibility to submit a full application by email.

• Previous awardees of the AVS Rising Star or, before 2017, the Young Investigator Award, are not eligible.

Please upload the application as a single PDF document with requested information in the following order: Abstract, CV, statement outlining contributions to field/leadership, statement of career breaks (if relevant) and letter from university.

Name PDF file: Applicant Surname_AVS_RSA_YY.

• A copy of the abstract submitted for presentation at the AVS meeting including all authors and affiliations. Applicant must be the presenting author (highlighted by underlining name). Data should largely comprise new and unpublished results.

• A current CV and bibliography (2 page maximum, at least 11 point font) including conference presentations, funding/grants received, and publications (please indicate your role in these).

• Statement outlining contributions to the field, leadership or emerging leadership roles (maximum one paragraph)

• Statement outlining any periods of relevant career breaks (maximum one paragraph)

• Evidence of when and where PhD was awarded (e.g. copy of letter from university indicating when the candidates PhD was conferred).

The Local Organizing Committee will form a judging panel that will include members of the LOC, and members of the AVS executive who will decide based on the quality of the presentation at AVS meeting, the track record of the applicant with respect to opportunity, and evidence of emerging leadership in the field according to the scoring rubric.

Scoring Rubric:

Click here to view the program

When selecting the awardee, the LOC must take into consideration the gender and diversity of awardees, on balance, over a 4 year period and strive to obtain a 50/50 gender target. The LOC when considering the marks for the presentation should consider the allocated duration of the presentation and mark relative to opportunity.

The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony of the AVS scientific meeting. The winner is expected to make themselves available for photography/media, and details will be publicly acknowledged on the AVS website. Winners will be asked to provide a paragraph, for posting on the AVS website, about their work and how the award has helped them achieve their goals.