Polymer Chemistry Divisional Awards

Celebrate excellence with us as we bestow a diverse array of awards, acknowledging invaluable contributions to the realm of polymer chemistry. Join us in honouring those who illuminate the path of knowledge and inspire future generations.

Currently, nominations for this division are not being accepted.

Notification will be sent to members once nominations reopen in the future.

Batteard Jordan Medal

The Batteard-Jordan Australian Polymer Medal, the highest award of the Polymer Division, is awarded for outstanding achievement in Polymer Science in Australia.

Nominations are by the standing committee of the Polymer Division.
No formal supporting documentation is required with a nomination. However, the nomination should be supported with a reason for the nomination or a short CV.

The awarding committee may request detailed supporting documentation at their discretion, for example a curriculum vitae and further statements detailing the reasons for a nomination.

Link here

Sangster Award

In 1992 the Polymer Division created a new award, the Australian Polymer Science and Technology Achievement Award, to recognise the achievement of Australian polymer scientists while their careers are still developing.

This was renamed the David Sangster Polymer Science and Technology Achievement Award at the 29th Australasian Polymer Symposium in Hobart in February 2007 in honour of David Sangster, an elder statesman of the Australasian polymer science community who has made exemplary contributions to the field of polymer radiation chemistry and emulsion polymerisation and has nurtured many generations of research students at the University of Sydney and many other universities.

The aim of this award is to encourage their work in polymer science or technology and to help them gain international recognition. This award is designed to fill a gap between the Treloar Prize and the senior awards of the Polymer Division, namely the Polymer Division Citations and the Australian Polymer Medal.

Nominations are sought for the award from people in industry, universities or government organisations working in fundamental or applied areas.

Nominations are to be submitted online (link on this page).

Members will be advised when nominations are open for submission.

Following the deadline, no additional applications or nominations for the award will be considered.

If the selection committee determines that no candidate demonstrates adequate merit, they reserve the right to abstain from granting the award.

Link here

Bruce Guise Award

This award commemorates Bruce Guise, an exemplary Australian polymer and textile chemist who made very significant contributions to the wool industry and the polymer community.

A recipient of this Award must be a distinguished Australasian who has made a major contribution to industrial research in polymer science and/or technology. It is intended that a recipient will have spent a substantial part of their career in industry in Australia and/or New Zealand, and they must be a resident of one of these countries at the time of receiving the Award.

Prize:

The Award will be presented at an Australasian Polymer Symposium, National Convention or other major conference involving the Polymer Division.

The Division will pay for the recipient’s (economy-class) airfare, registration fee and conference accommodation in order to receive the Award.

The Award will take the form of a framed citation, authorised by the Chair and Secretary of the Division, or an equivalent item, suitably inscribed.

The awardee shall present a lecture at the meeting involving the Division at which the award is presented.

The name of the recipient and details of the award shall be announced in Chemistry in Australia.

Selection process:

A nomination must be submitted to the standing committee by two members of the RACI.
The nomination shall include the name and affiliation of the candidate, a curriculum vitae, and a statement detailing the reasons for the nomination.
The standing committee shall decide the award but may appoint a subcommittee to consider nominations and make a recommendation.

Selection criteria:

The awardee will be a scientist/technical manager of international standing and must have had a career of significant achievement in industrial polymer science and/or technology which has led to commercial polymer-based products that have either reached the market or are considered as being marketable.
The research/innovation of the awardee should be supported by patents, refereed publications and/or statements of impact and contribution from senior company officials.
The awardee must have made a significant contribution to Australasian polymer science through spending a substantial part of their career in Australia and/or New Zealand.
The awardee must be a resident of Australia or New Zealand at the time of receiving the Award.
Under normal circumstances the awardee will have been a member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute or the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry for an appropriate period of time (based on residency period in Australia or New Zealand) prior to receiving the Award.

Nominations are to be submitted online (link on this page).

Members will be advised when nominations are open for submission.

Following the deadline, no additional applications or nominations for the award will be considered.

If the selection committee determines that no candidate demonstrates adequate merit, they reserve the right to abstain from granting the award.

Link here

Polymer Citations

The Polymer Division recognises contributions to polymer science and/or technology in Australia and New Zealand by way of the Polymer Division Citations.

Nominations may be submitted by a person seeking the award, by two members of the RACI or by invitation from the standing committee of the Polymer Division.

Nominations are to be submitted online (link on this page).

Members will be advised when nominations are open for submission.

Following the deadline, no additional applications or nominations for the award will be considered.

If the selection committee determines that no candidate demonstrates adequate merit, they reserve the right to abstain from granting the award.

Link here

Treloar Prize

The Treloar Prize is awarded for outstanding oral and poster presentations by early career polymer scientists at National or International Polymer Division Meetings.

The Prize is named in honour of the late Dr Edward (Ted) Treloar who was an enthusiastic supporter of young Polymer scientists in Australia.

Two prizes are normally awarded, the Treloar Prize (poster) for the best poster and the Treloar Prize (oral) for the best oral presentation.

Applicants must be members of the RACI or NZIC and must be full time students at the time of the meeting, or be in their first year of postdoctoral research and present their PhD research work.

Link here

O'Donnell Student Travel Bursaries

The O’Donnell International Travel Awards are offered by the RACI Polymer Division in recognition of the longstanding support and encouragement of young polymer scientists by the late Prof. Jim O’Donnell of the University of Queensland. Prof. O’Donnell’s vision and efforts for polymer scientists in Australia always placed young scientists in a pivotal role within the community.

The award is offered to higher degree students enrolled in Australian or New Zealand universities who are financial members of the RACI, and who wish to present at an international conference and/or wish to visit an international lab as part of their research. For conference travel, the award will only be made on condition that a paper or poster is accepted by the conference committee. Applicants that demonstrate multiple activities during the trip will be considered favourably by the committee. The awards are typically offered annually or biannually.

The value of the award is up to $3000, as well as free student registration to attend and present at a meeting involving the RACI Polymer Division, such as the Australasian Polymer Symposium.

In order to qualify for the awards, applicants need to include the following with their application: