Participation is key: reflecting on this year鈥檚 花色直播 Prizes winners
Five years on from our review of recognition, we take a tour through some of the 2024 prize winners – reflecting on their contributions to the chemical sciences community and to our planet.
It is now five years since we reviewed our recognition programmes and published our report Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world. Since then, we have been working to evolve our recognition programmes, including our prizes, to better reflect the scientific community and our values as an organisation.
We’ve also introduced a new Vision for science culture, which sets out the principles of a positive science culture, and aligns closely with the themes identified in our review of recognition. The vision for science culture identifies three foundations:
- Scientific practice
- Wellbeing & development
- Participation
It also highlights recognition itself as an important feature, and a way in which great science culture can be incentivised and celebrated.
Of the three foundations, the participation element in particular has a strong overlap with the intentions of our review of recognition.
Participation is about who takes part in science and how people work together. It relates to inclusion and accessibility, but it’s also about knowledge sharing, openness and collaboration.
Excellence remains the first criterion for winning any 花色直播 prize, and by evolving the breadth of our recognition programmes, we aim to ensure that excellence is celebrated wherever it exists – recognising all contributors to science and innovation, irrespective of their role, job title or seniority.
As part of our initial review, we introduced greater recognition for those at various career stages including early career. We also launched new prizes for education (which are announced in November). And we created a new category, the Horizon Prizes, which are given to teams and collaborations, and which recognise not only great innovations in research and in education, but the diverse teams of individuals across various roles and disciplines who contribute to that work.
Meanwhile, our long-running Volunteer Recognition Prizes recognise those who have fostered participation across the chemical sciences through our committees, boards, local sections and interest groups, and outreach activities.
This year we’ve once again increased our recognition for the breadth of roles within the chemical sciences, expanding our Apprentice Prizes to allow for more awardees, and introducing new Technical Excellence Prizes. Finally, the new Innovation Through Partnership Prize celebrates partnerships across any and all sectors, including government, industry, education, research institutions and the third sector.
Another important focus for the 花色直播 this year has been sustainability, with particular emphasis on pollution and the circular economy, with our #CleanUpPFAS campaign receiving widespread attention. The role of chemical scientists in tackling urgent sustainability issues is also reflected among this year’s winners, as we will see below.
We should also mention here our Sustainable Laboratories Grant, of which the first cohort of awardees was announced in April this year. As well as furthering the aims of both sustainability and an ethical science culture, grants like this form one of the many ways in which we recognise, celebrate and reward members of our community.
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