Prize Lectures

Nominations to the 2025 Prize Lectures and 2026 Prize Medal are now open!

Each year, the Microbiology Society awards six Prize Lectures in recognition of significant contributions to microbiology. All members are invited to nominate an outstanding microbiologist for a Microbiology Society Prize.

What are the Prize Lectures?

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    Fleming Prize Lecture

    Awarded annually to an early career researcher who has achieved an outstanding research record within 12 years of being awarded their PhD, the Fleming Prize Lecture was established to recognize the work of early career microbiologists.

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    Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture

    Awarded annually to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the discipline of microbiology.

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    Prize Medal

    Awarded annually to an outstanding microbiologist who is a global leader in their field and whose work has had a far-reaching impact beyond the field of microbiology.

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    Peter Wildy Prize Lecture

    Awarded annually to an individual for an outstanding contribution to microbiology education and/or communication in order to stimulate interest and understanding in the subject.

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    Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture

    The Prize is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contribution to translational microbiology.

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    Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Prize

    Awarded annually for good practice in, and/or an outstanding contribution to initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the microbiological community and/or widen participation by those from historically marginalised communities by raising awareness of microbiology and inspiring the next generation of microbiologists to pursue microbiology careers.

 

How do I make a nomination?

To nominate someone for a Prize Lecture, please visit the relevant Prize Lecture page to find out more about its remit, judging criteria and past winners of the Prize. You will also be able to download the nomination form on this page.

After you’ve read the form to determine what to include, you and your fellow nominator should contact the person you’d like to nominate so that you can work with them. Nominators should be members of the Society, but the candidate does not have to be one. We have provided example nomination forms to demonstrate the level of detail required for nominations. Please note that all of the example nomination forms provided belong to previously successful Prize winners.

If you would like to be put in touch with a second nominator, or would like to talk through your ideas for a nomination, you can contact the Microbiology Society Prizes team for support via email at [email protected].

Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture: example nomination

 

Peter Wildy Prize Lecture: example nomination

 

Prize Medal: example nomination

 

Translational Microbiology Prize Lecture: example nomination

 

When you, your fellow nominator and the nominee are satisfied with the completed nomination form, please submit it via email to [email protected]. Please include the name of the Prize Lecture in the subject line.

What happens to my nomination after submission?

Checks and Balances

After the deadline, we review nominations and check membership details of nominators. We also review the nominations and decide if a deadline extension is required due to a lack of diversity of nominations.

When we have received sufficient nominations, we check them for subject area (virus, prokaryote, eukaryote) and institution, and a panel is convened to have fair representation across all Society Divisions. The institution of nominees is considered to exclude institutional conflicts of interest for the panel.

Reviewing nominations

Prize award panel members review and rank nominations in isolation against the advertised guidance and Prize Lecture rules. The individual rankings are then returned to the office, collated and recirculated ahead of an in-person meeting to discuss the results.

At the start of the meeting, an unconscious bias refresher is made to remind panellists of the importance of sound decision-making.

The panel reaches a consensus and makes recommendations to Council, which are discussed and accepted at its September meeting.

Notification

Successful nominees are contacted with a letter from the Chief Executive. Successful nominators are notified when the nominee has accepted the award and the obligation to give a lecture at the relevant Annual Conference.

Unsuccessful nominators are contacted and advised that their nomination will be considered again according to the rules advertised on the relevant Prize Lecture page. They will also be advised if their nomination was received for the wrong prize and encouraged to resubmit appropriately. It is up to the nominator to notify the nominee.

The Prize Award Panel

All Prize Lecture nominations are considered by a panel of members, chaired by the Society’s General Secretary. Each year, we ask for volunteers from the membership to participate in the Prize Award Panel, to consider a shortlist for the Prize Medal and a recommendation for all other Prize winners for Council to accept when they meet in September. Members of the Prize Award Panel serve a one-year term, during which time they are not eligible to nominate or be nominated.

Expressions of interest to be on the 2024 Prize Award Panel are now open!

To express an interest in participating, please contact [email protected] with your name, job title, affiliation, area of expertise and brief summary of your suitability as a member of the Panel (no more than 250 words) by 15 April 2024. We want to ensure that as many of our members’ views are reflected in the decision of who will be our Prize winners. This is a fantastic opportunity to build networks with other microbiologists and gain some reviewing experience. The opportunity is available to all members regardless of your background, location or career stage – your opinion is important!The Panel will convene to review nominations in June 2024. Prospective panel members should ensure they are available to attend this meeting.

To register your interest in participating in this year’s Prizes Award Panel or for any related queries, please contact [email protected].

The General Secretary will review expressions of interest and appoint a panel of six members. A reserve list will also be created, in case of conflicts of interest – this will be determined after the Prize Lecture nomination deadline in May 2024. For further details or any questions, please contact [email protected].

Find out more about members who have been on the panel previously and their experience of getting involved here.

Prize Lecture rules

The rules for all Prize Lectures are the same and are listed below. If you have any questions regarding the Prize nomination process, please contact [email protected].

  1. Prizes are awarded on the conditions that the work comprising the subject matter of the nomination has been conducted in good faith and to the highest professional and ethical standards, and that all information and documentation in support of the same, and in support of any nomination in connection with the same, are true, factual and not misleading. The Society reserves the right to withdraw any prize awarded if the Society considers any of the aforementioned conditions not to have been satisfied or if the Society, in its absolute discretion, considers that withdrawing any prize awarded, would be in the best interests of the Society and/or the integrity of the prize in question.
  2. All Prizes are awarded annually.
  3. Nominations should be made by any two members of the Society, regardless of membership period or category. The nominee need not be a member of the Society.
  4. Nominations may require accompanying documentation; please see individual Prize pages for requirements. Nominations will only be considered if all documentation is received before the advertised deadline.
  5. Recipients of Prizes may not be nominated for the same Prize Lecture on a subsequent occasion, however unsuccessful nominees will automatically be considered for a further two 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. This does not apply to the Fleming Prize, as nominations will be reconsidered for the entire duration of the candidate’s eligibility, after this period they would be ineligible.
  6. Prize winners will be expected to present a lecture based on their work at the following Microbiology Society Annual Conference. The expenses of the Prize Lecturer will be paid by the Society. Prize winners should contact the Society at their earliest convenience should circumstances change, resulting in conference attendance no longer being possible.
  7. At the discretion of the Editors of the Society’s journals, Prize recipients may be encouraged to publish the lecture in a suitable journal.
  8. A discrete travel bursary shall be provided to successful nominators of all Prizes to enable them to attend the Prize Lecture of their successful nominee in recognition of their efforts.
  9. Unless otherwise stipulated by the criteria, there shall be no restriction by means of age, nationality, geography or gender of those eligible for Microbiology Society Prizes. As our data show that 45% of our members are women and 55% are men, we expect that where activities are drawn from our community, those involved will show fair gender representation. In order to inform you of the wider composition of the community, we have also provided data on the proportion of the membership which identifies as from a minority ethnic group, and those who disclose a known disability or impairment.
  10. The decision of the Prizes Award Panel is final.

  11. The Prizes Office will not accept incomplete nomination forms.