Nominations open for Royal Society Athena Prize diversity award

Nominations are now open for the newly launched Royal Society Athena Prize. The Royal Society Athena Prize recognises individuals and teams in the UK research community who have contributed towards the advancement of diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in their institutions and organisations. The award aims to inspire innovation and leadership in diversity issues.

The closing date for nominations is 6:00pm BST Tuesday 29 March 2016. Details of how to get involved are available on the Royal Society website.

Speaking about the award, Professor Uta Frith, Chair of the Royal Society Diversity Committee, said, “We are very excited to open applications for our first Royal Society Athena Prize. I would like to encourage everyone from across the STEM community to look around their institutions and organisations and think of somebody they might nominate. If you know an individual or team who have set up an innovative project that is contributing to the advancement of diversity in science and should be recognised for their efforts, we’d like to hear from you. This is an opportunity to celebrate those inspirational individuals and teams who are leading the way by putting diversity at the heart of everything they do.”

The Royal Society Athena Prize, to be awarded biennially, joins the Society’s prestigious set of medals and awards announced each summer. Winners will be invited to the Royal Society’s annual diversity conference, taking place this year on 31 October, to talk about their project and be presented with their medal.

The winner will receive a medal plus a cash prize of £5,000 and runners-up will receive a cash prize of £1,000.

The Royal Society is committed to promoting and increasing diversity in UK STEM. A diverse and inclusive scientific workforce draws from the widest range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences thereby maximising innovation and creativity in science for the benefit of humanity.