Our Awards for Exceptional Service recognise exceptional volunteering activity in service to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The award is designed to recognise those volunteers who have made a personal impact by contributing through a variety of volunteer positions (e.g. voluntary roles on a range of Boards/committees over a career) or over a sustained period of time supporting the Chemists' Community Fund.
- Run annually
- Multiple awards are available
- Winners receive an engraved medal
2024 Winners
2024 Award for Exceptional Service Winner
Dr Chris Swain, Cambridge Med Chem Consulting
For outstanding service to the Royal Society of Chemistry through the Chemical Information and Computer Applications Group and the Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector.
2024 Award for Exceptional Service Winner
Dr Baljit Thatti, Kingston University
For outstanding service to the Royal Society of Chemistry through our member communities and governance groups.
2024 Award for Exceptional Service Winner
Dr Chris Wedge, RSC ESR Spectroscopy Group and Huddersfield Local Section
For outstanding service to the Royal Society of Chemistry through our member communities in Huddersfield and the ESR Spectroscopy community.
2024 Award for Exceptional Service Winner
Dr Richard Whewell, RSC Central Yorkshire Local Section
For outstanding service to the Royal Society of Chemistry through our member communities in Central Yorkshire and governance groups.
Guidelines for nominators
- Nominations open 18 October
- Nominations close 18 January, 17:00 GMT
Nominee eligibility
- This award is only open to current members of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
- Honorary or permanent officers of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Trustees and members of the Member Communities Board shall not normally be eligible to receive the Award whilst in office.
- Non-members and past members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are not eligible for this award.
- Self-nominations will not be accepted for this award.
Restrictions
- It is not possible for a member to be awarded this award and the Inspirational Member Award in the same year.
- Nominators should not submit nominations for the same individual for both awards in a single year.
- An individual can normally only receive this award once.
Nominator criteria
- Any current member of the Royal Society of Chemistry may submit nominations for this award.
- Staff and non-members of the RSC are not permitted to submit, second or support nominations for this award.
- All nominations must include the names and membership numbers of a proposer and seconder.
- Nominations will be invited from the Board of Trustees, members of all Community Councils and the officers of our member networks.
The RSC reserves the right to rescind any prize if there are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that to the best of their knowledge there is no impediment, relating to professional conduct, to their nominee receiving this prize. All prize winners will be asked to sign the RSC’s Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition.
Make a nominationSelection Criteria and Judging Panel
Selection criteria
Download sample citation for Award for Exceptional Service
All nominations must be supported by a citation which demonstrates how the activities of the individual relate to the purpose of the award.
An excellent citation should include:
- Details of how the nominee has made a personal impact through volunteering for the Royal Society of Chemistry
- Details of how the nominee stands out from our wider volunteer community
Citations should not include references to academic achievements or paid work. While we value the roles that members hold through other organisations and within their communities, this award is established to recognise the volunteering contribution made to the RSC. As such, we do not/will not consider the contributions of roles such as school governor etc. as part of the judging process.
Judging process
The Chair of our Member Communities Board will convene a panel to make recommendations to the Board. Based on panel discussions, the Chair of the panel will make recommendations to the Board.
History of the prize
Our Awards for Exceptional Service were established in 1981 in order to recognise volunteers who have made a personal impact to the Royal Society of Chemistry by contributing through a variety of volunteer positions.
Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world
This report is the result of an independent review of our recognition programmes. Our aim in commissioning this review was to ensure that our recognition portfolio continues to deliver the maximum impact for chemical scientists, chemistry and society.
Prizes
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