Award amount: up to £5,000

The QRA Research Award is open to all members of the QRA and aims to support an outstanding application of scientific excellence for fieldwork expeditions and/or innovative laboratory-based projects.

This award will support any of the following:

• Expeditions to remote or challenging environments, including the hiring of local equipment.
• Laboratory expenses (but not labour costs or the purchase of new equipment). This could include expenses to visit the laboratories of collaborating institutions and consumable costs.
• Completion of a self-funded project.
• The development of an innovative technique in the field of Quaternary Science.

Normally, only one application will be supported during a calendar year. The announcement of the successful proposal will be made at the QRA Annual Discussion Meeting. At the discretion of the Awards Panel more than one application may be supported in any calendar year. The QRA will not consider retrospective applications i.e. to support activities that will have occurred prior to the deadline. As with other QRA awards, applications for radiocarbon determinations will not be considered.

Applications should be made in the name of the Principal Investigator for the proposed work. Details of the other team members in the proposed project should also be provided.

Where possible the work should be scheduled to take place in the 12 months after acceptance of the award, although in well-justified circumstances this can be extended.

Successful candidates will be expected to write a full-length article in the Quaternary Newsletter within 18 months of receipt of the award and provide a statement of expenditure. The applicant will not be eligible to receive further QRA funds for 12 months after the receipt of the report.

The financial support from the QRA should be acknowledged in any application, poster or presentation arising from funded activities. Access to the QRA logo can be gained from the Awards Officer to be included on posters.

Criteria for the award of the Medal

This is the highest award of the QRA and is named in honour of James Croll (1821-1890). Croll is most closely associated with fundamental work on the astronomical theory of the ice ages, but he also made seminal contributions on the glacial geology of Scotland, on the mechanisms that drive ocean circulation and the impact of that circulation on recent climate, on tidal theory and the rotation of the Earth. These are all major issues that occupy Quaternary scientists to this day. Croll was effectively self-taught. His work and example demonstrate that any individuals from all backgrounds can rise to national eminence and generate science of lasting and major international impact, that it is not who you are or where you come from but what you do that is important. These are the qualities that the QRA seeks to celebrate in the award of the James Croll Medal.

The Medal is therefore normally awarded to a member of the QRA who has not only made an outstanding contribution to the field of Quaternary science, but whose work has also had a significant international impact.

Nominations

The candidate should be nominated and seconded by any QRA members 'of standing' who are familiar with the candidate's work.

Presentation of the award

The award will be presented at the January AGM. The successful candidate will be invited to receive their award in person from the President. Travel costs and one night's accommodation will be made available from QRA awards funds (if required).

Application procedure

Completed nomination forms should be forwarded as hard copies or electronically to the Awards Officer by the 15th September deadline.

Previous winners

Criteria for the award of the medal

The Medal will be awarded to a young (normally less than 35 years old) or new research worker, who has been a member of the QRA for at least 3 years, and who has made a significant contribution to the Quaternary stratigraphy of the British Isles and its maritime environment. This is notionally taken to mean Britain, Ireland and surrounding offshore areas but adjacent areas of continental Europe that have relevance to the British Isles may also be taken into account. Quaternary stratigraphy is considered here to include both Pleistocene and Holocene records and to be broadly-based, encompassing lithostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy or other relevant fields.

Nominations

The candidate should be nominated by his or her Head of Department, PhD or postdoctoral supervisor or any other QRA member 'of standing' who is familiar with the candidate's work.

Presentation of the award

The award will be presented at the January AGM. The successful candidate will be invited to receive their award in person from the President. Travel costs and one night's accommodation (if required) will be made available from QRA awards funds. The recipient will be expected to submit a short summary of his or her research for publication in Quaternary Newsletter.

Previous Winners

The Quaternary Research Association, in association with the RGS-IBG, would like to recognise the achievements of undergraduates in Quaternary science by awarding a dissertation prize (£250) for a thesis demonstrating flair and originality. Further prizes (£50) are awarded for dissertations that are deemed 'highly commendable' by the judges (two prizes available). This competition is open to any undergraduate enrolled at a British or Irish university. Membership of the QRA or RGS-IBG is not a requirement for entry.

Entries are limited to one per department per current academic year and may be on any Quaternary theme. Entries must be submitted electronically by department and not by individual undergraduates. The QRA welcomes nominations from all appropriate sources, including new universities or small departments. The winner will be announced at the QRA Annual General Meeting (held annually each January) and it is expected that the winner will submit a short article for publication in the Quaternary Newsletter.

An electronic copy of eligible dissertations including the contact details of the department and undergraduate author (marked for the QRA prize) should be emailed to Dr Catherine Souch at the Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) at rhed@rgs.org. The submitted dissertation should not be sent with the internal mark or comments. Prior to submission, please check for completeness and clarity of any maps and illustrations (for example, that those requiring colour are printed in colour). 

For further details, please contact Catherine Souch: 020 7591 3022, e-mail: rhed@rgs.org or www.rgs.org.