The Young Scientist Award Session (YSAS) is a regular highlight at the SEB Annual Conference.

It offers a platform for postgraduates and postdocs who have completed their PhDs within the last five years to showcase their research. This session is designed to celebrate the most exceptional young researchers, with three prizes available, one for each scientific section: Animal, Cell and Plant. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners and two runners-up in each category.

1st Prize: £400
Runners up: 2 x £100

Established in 2002 by David Evans and Sarah Blackford, the first awards were presented at the 2003 SEB Annual Main Meeting in Southampton. Initially known as the "Young Investigator Award," it underwent a name change to align with the corresponding conference session, aiming to avoid confusion. The award's origins can be traced back to SEB Council minutes from February 2002, where “C. Trimmer specified that the Young Investigator Award, funded by Elsevier, would include a prize of £100.” Sponsored initially by Elsevier, which also published conference abstracts, including those of the YSAS finalists in a journal supplement called "Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology."

HOW TO ENTER:

Submit an abstract online for a relevant session at the SEB Conference. During submission, please tick the box which says "I would like to be considered for YSAS".
Submit an extended version of that abstract for judging by a panel together with two letters of reference (one of which should confirm your status). For more information on preparing the extended abstract see the frequently asked questions below.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The extended abstracts will be judged and the three best candidates per section will be invited to give a presentation to a panel of judges at the SEB Conference.
The presentations, based on the extended abstract, will be given at the SEB Conference, and a winner and two runners-up from each section will be chosen on the basis of those presentations.
The winners of the award will be announced during the Awards dinner on 4 July 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions Young Scientist Award

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD FAQS

YSAS application deadlines
Where do I submit my extended abstract and letters of reference?
Can I enter the YSAS only or do I need to submit my work to another session?
Should my extended abstract be based on the abstract submitted for the Annual Conference?
What should be included in the extended abstract?
How will the extended abstracts be judged?
What happens if I am not shortlisted for the YSAS award?
Can I give the same presentation in YSAS and another session?
When will the YSAS presentations take place?
How will the presentation be judged?
When will the YSAS winners be announced?

APPLICANT INFORMATION

YSAS APPLICATION DEADLINES

YSAS application will close on 07 March 2025. The application for the Young Scientist Award is a two stage process so applicants will need to provide the SEB with the following information by 19 March 2025 to complete their application:

Extended version of your submitted abstract (one A4 page max in word document format and must follow our abstract template)
Two letters of reference, one of which should be from your supervisor or head of department, and should confirm your status as well as support your application.

WHERE DO I SUBMIT MY EXTENDED ABSTRACT AND LETTERS OF REFERENCE?

All extended abstracts and letters of reference must be submitted by 19 March 2025 via our online portal .

You’ll need to log in to your account to submit the award.
You will be able to view and modify your submission in the members' area (My account - my Awards entries)

CAN I ENTER THE YSAS ONLY OR DO I NEED TO SUBMIT MY WORK TO ANOTHER SESSION?

You can not enter the Young Scientist Award without submitting an abstract to another session running at the Annual Conference. Your abstract can either be submitted for a poster or an oral presentation. Visit the Annual Conference event page for the most up to date information regarding which sessions are taking place in 2024.

SHOULD MY EXTENDED ABSTRACT BE BASED ON THE ABSTRACT SUBMITTED FOR THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE?

Extended abstracts should be based on the abstract you submitted for the Annual Conference. It is the opportunity to showcase and describe your research in more detail to the judging panel.

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED ABSTRACT?

Please download our abstract template which details how the abstract should be structured and what should be included in the extended abstract.

HOW WILL THE EXTENDED ABSTRACTS BE JUDGED?

The extended abstracts will be judged by a panel of the SEB's Honorary Officers. Extended abstracts will be marked using the below criteria so please ensure your submission takes all these points into consideration.

Scientific content (40 marks)

Did the introductory sentence(s) clearly outline the nature & scope of the problem?
Were the aims/questions and/or hypotheses clearly articulated?
Was the approach clearly described and appropriate for the aims/questions of the research?
Are the results clearly described and presented?
Is the statistical analysis appropriate?
Is a concluding sentence provided?

Significance of research (40 marks)

How do you rate the quality of the data?
Does this represent a significant advance in this field?
Is the significance of the research clearly stated?

Presentation quality of abstract (20 marks)

Does it conform to the format and style guidelines shown in the abstract template?
Are the explanations clear and is the progression of information logical?
Is there a high standard of English expression, style, spelling and grammar?

WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM NOT SHORTLISTED FOR THE YSAS AWARD?

You will still have the opportunity to present the oral or poster presentation in the session you have submitted your abstract to.

If you have submitted for a poster presentation, you also have the opportunity to enter the Irene Manton poster prize and you can enter by submitting a PDF version of your poster via our online portal by 22 May 2025.

SHORTLISTED FINALISTS INFORMATION

All applicants will be contacted in late April 2025 to confirm whether they have been shortlisted for the YSAS award.

Introduction (nature & scope of problem clearly & concisely outlined)
Aims/Questions and/or Hypotheses presented
Approach & Methodology outlined
Results
Significance of the research stated

Clarity of presentation (30 marks)

Delivery (voice projection, engaging audience, professionalism)
Visual aids (e.g. text large enough, not cluttered)
Clarity of explanations
Timing

Ability to field questions (10 marks)

Clearly & concisely answering questions raised

WHEN WILL THE YSAS WINNERS BE ANNOUNCED?

The winners of the award will be announced during the Awards dinner on 10 July 2025.

Young Scientist Award