2026 AWTRS Young Investigator Award and AWTRS EMCR Awards

The AWTRS has established two awards to recognise outstanding research achievement by Higher Degree Research Students and Early to Mid-Career Researchers and aims to promote and encourage emerging investigators in the wound and tissue repair fields.

The current call for nominations for the AWTRS Young Investigator Award and AWTRS EMCR Awards will be open from July 1st 2026 to July 31st 2026, and will be announced during the 2026 AWTRS Conference taking place from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 August 2026 in Adelaide, South Australia. A subcommittee of the AWTRS (minimum 3 people) will review the application based on the quality of the abstract, as well as the contribution to the wound healing and tissue repair field, relative to their career stage.

A subcommittee of the AWTRS (minimum 3 people) will review the application based on the quality of the abstract, as well as the contribution to the wound healing and tissue repair field, relative to their career stage.

The Awards

The recipients of the 2026 AWTRS Young Investigators Award and the 2026 AWTRS EMCR Award will be announced at the upcoming AWTRS Annual General Meeting, at the discretion of the selection committee, to individuals who have made significant research contributions to the field within wound healing and regeneration. The recipient will be awarded a desk plaque, certificate, a piece in the AWTRS newsletter on the investigator, and the opportunity to present their research as an invited speaker at an AWTRS Conference or Webinar.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the AWTRS Young Investigator Award, applicants must:

  • be a postgraduate student currently enrolled at a recognised higher education provider or early-career researcher with less than 3 years post-doctoral experience at time of submission. Career interruptions (such as illness, family and carer responsibilities) will be taken into account if more than the prescribed period has passed since the award of their PhD, provided the award of PhD date together with allowable career interruptions is commensurate with an Award of PhD date of less than 3 years at the time of submission.
  • have been a financial member of the Australasian Wound and Tissue Repair Society, for at least the past year (since 31st July 2025). To renew AWTRS membership please go to http://www.awtrs.smalltalkevents.com.au
  • not have previously received the AWTRS Young Investigator Award.
  • if successful, agree to serve as an invited speaker at the AWTRS conference if one is held in the award year, or or otherwise present their research through the AWTRS Webinar Series.

To be eligible for the AWTRS EMCR Award, applicants must:

  • be an early-career researcher with between 3 and 10 years post-doctoral experience at time of submission. Career interruptions (such as illness, family and carer responsibilities) will be taken into account if more than the prescribed period has passed since the award of their PhD, provided the award of PhD date together with allowable career interruptions is commensurate with an Award of PhD date of less than 10 years at the time of submission.
  • have been a financial member of the Australasian Wound and Tissue Repair Society, for at least the past year (since 31st July 2025). To renew AWTRS membership please go to http://www.awtrs.smalltalkevents.com.au 
  • not have previously received the AWTRS EMCR Award.
  • if successful, agree to serve as an invited speaker at the AWTRS conference if one is held in the award year, or otherwise present their research through the AWTRS Webinar Series.

Selection Criteria

The principal selection criteria will be the quality of the candidate’s research track

record, relative to opportunity, in any of the following areas:

  • Research outputs and recognition: number and quality of peer-reviewed journal publications, including books and book chapters, awards, prizes, grants, and fellowships.
  • Scholarly engagement: other forms of research activity such as conference presentations, invited speaker, HDR student supervision.
  • Professional service: Participation in professional activities such serving on society or conference organising committees and coordinating community engagement or outreach.

Applications

Applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by another person.

Applications must consist of:

  1. A CV no longer than 2-3 pages that must include the following details
  • Name of applicant
  • Current position (i.e. student, post-doc)
  • Institution
  • Supervisor
  • Education background (highest qualification / date of award / institution and current degree being pursued if applicable)
  • List of publications (including ranking within discipline and citations)
  • Grants and awards
  • Contribution to Profession
  1. A brief letter from the applicants’ supervisor supporting their participation in the conference and application for the award.
    3. A statement addressing each of the eligibility criteria, with an executive summary of no more than half a page summarising career accomplishments and goals.

Submission details

Applications should be submitted by e-mail to the AWTRS Vice-President Dr Xanthe Venn (xanthe.venn@adelaide.edu.au) by 5pm AEDT Friday 31st July 2025 (with Subject header ‘AWTRS YIA or EMCR Award Application’). The outcome will be announced at the 2026 AWTRS Conference.