Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture
The recipient of the Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture (formerly the Unilever Colworth Prize Lecture) will receive £1,000 and be expected to give a lecture based on the work for which the award has been made to a meeting of the Society. The recipient will be strongly encouraged to publish the lecture in one of the Society's journals, whichever is the most suitable. This decision will be at the discretion of the Editors of the journals.
Nominations for the 2026 Prize will open in early 2025. Details of the nomination process, award criteria and administration can be found below.
Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture Nomination Form 2024.docx
Key details
Nominations for the Prize are welcome from any member of the Microbiology Society, regardless of membership period or category. Nominees do not have to be a member of the Society.
Successful nominees and awardees will be notified by the end of November. Each Prize winner is also awarded £1,000.
Details of the nomination process, award criteria and administration are available below.
Previous winners of the Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture
Visit our Youtube channel playlist to watch previous Prize Lectures.
Nominations process
We welcome nominations of individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding contribution to translational microbiology.
If you require inspiration for your nomination, please see the example nomination forms available on the Prize Lectures page.
After nominations are received, an appointed Prize Award Panel, chaired by the General Secretary of the Society, will be responsible for presenting a shortlist for the Prize Medal and a recommendation for all other Prize winners to Council for acceptance when they meet in September. The successful recipient will be invited to accept, and the recipient will be formally announced in Autumn.
If your nomination was unsuccessful, please remember that we automatically consider all Prize nominations for two further years. If the period expires and the nomination remains unsuccessful, individuals may be nominated again after a one-year period. This is in place to protect the nominee as they may wish to withdraw from the process. The Society office will contact you each year in order to update the nomination.
Award criteria
The Prize recognises those who have made a significant contribution to translational microbiology.
Nominations should include:
- Evidence of significant discoveries in the individual’s field. This could include discoveries, inventions, development of new tools, or similar.
- Clear evidence of the translational aspects of the individual’s work, which could include industrial applications, contribution to policy development or similar.
- Evidence of mentoring and training others.
Additional information
All supplementary material required by the rules of the award must be provided at the point of nomination. If you foresee any problems meeting the advertised deadline, please contact [email protected].
We welcome nominations from groups of members. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to be put in touch with someone to help.
The Microbiology Society supports equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and asks that members making nominations consider the entire talent pool available. You can find out more about our policy and see our most recent data on the EDI page.
For questions about the Translational Microbiology Prize, please contact [email protected].
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Translational Microbiology Prize Winners
Find out more about what winning the Translational Microbiology Prize (formerly the Unilever Colworth Prize) meant to previous winners and more about their outstanding contributions to the discipline of microbiology.