Longstaff Prize

Guidelines for nominators

• Nominations open 18 October.
  
• Nominations close 18 January, 17:00 GMT.
• Only RSC members can nominate for this prize.
• Nominees may NOT nominate themselves.
• We will not consider nominations of deceased individuals.
• Nominees can only be considered for one of our Research & Innovation Prizes in any given year. In a case where a nominee is nominated for more than one prize independently, RSC staff will ask the nominee which prize they would like to be considered for.
• Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate or be nominated:
  
  • RSC Subject Community Presidents
  • RSC Prize Committee members
  • Trustees of the Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Chemistry staff

• The prize is open to RSC members only. This will be checked by RSC staff and the nominee’s RSC membership must be confirmed at the point of nomination – it is not sufficient to have a membership application in process.
• The prize is open to nominees based in the UK or internationally.
• There are no career stage restrictions associated with this prize.
• When nominating previous RSC prize winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work.
• Nominees should only be nominated once for this prize in any given prize cycle. In cases where we receive more than one nomination for the same nominee, only one nomination will go forward to judging.
• Starting from the 2025 cycle, unsuccessful nominations for this prize will automatically rollover to the next prize cycle, unless the nominee’s circumstances have changed so as to make them ineligible, in relation to the eligibility criteria for the prize as outlined above. We encourage nominators to update their nomination between cycles when the nomination window is open. Nominations will be considered for two consecutive prize cycles.

To make a nomination, please use our online nominations system to submit the following information:

• Your name, contact details, and membership number (please contact the RSC Membership team if you do not know your membership details). Your RSC membership must be confirmed at the point of nomination – it is not sufficient to have a membership application in process. The identity of nominators is not made known to our judging panels. The RSC reserves the right to amend nominations if necessary to ensure the anonymity of the nominator.
• Your nominee's name and contact details.
• An up to date CV for the nominee (no longer than one A4 side, 11pt text) which should include a summary of their education and career, and a maximum of 5 relevant publications or patents.
• A short citation describing what the nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence.
• A supporting statement (up to 750 words) addressing the selection criteria. Our guidance for nominators page has more information on writing this supporting statement.
• A statement (up to 100 words) describing how your nominee has contributed more broadly to the scientific community. A list of possible examples is outlined in the ‘selection criteria’ tab.
• References are not required for this prize and will not be accepted.

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.

Selection Criteria and Judging Panel

Our selection committees base their evaluations on the overall quality of relevant contributions and achievements by nominees, in relation to the selection criteria listed below.

The scientific content of any supporting publications, as described in the supporting statement, is much more important than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it is published.

The selection committee will consider the following aspects of nominations for this prize:

• Originality of research
• Impact of research
• Quality of publications and/or patents and/or software
• Innovation
• Professional standing
• Collaborations and teamwork
• Other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominator 

In an instance where multiple nominees are judged equally meritorious in relation to the above criteria, judging panels have the flexibility to use information provided by the nominator on the nominee’s broader contribution to the chemistry community as an additional criterion.

Examples of relevant contributions could include, but are not limited to:

• Involvement with Royal Society of Chemistry member groups/networks
• Teaching/demonstrating
• Effective mentorship
• Service on boards, committees or panels
• Leadership in the scientific community
• Peer-reviewer
• Promotion of diversity and inclusion
• Advocacy for chemistry
• Public engagement and outreach

RSC Prize Committee 

• Sabine Flitsch, University of Manchester (Chair)
• Diane Turner, Anthias Consulting 
• Mark Bradley, University of Edinburgh
• Mike Ward, University of Warwick
• Dudley Shallcross, University of Bristol
• Stephen Mudge, Norwegian Institute for Air Research
• Dwayne Heard, University of Leeds
• Magda Titirici, Imperial College London
• David O'Hagan, University of St Andrews
• Paul Brewer, National Physical Laboratory 

History of the prize

First awarded in 1881, this prize commemorates Dr George Dixon Longstaff (1799-1892), a founding fellow and benefactor of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Born in Durham in 1799, Longstaff's introduction to science came from his father, a popular scientific lecturer. Although there were few scientific books to learn from, Longstaff assisted his father and gained sufficient knowledge to deliver his own lectures covering a range of subjects. This early influence had a positive impact on him as he went on to set up a factory to distil coal-tar in 1822, became an assistant to Professor of Chemistry at Edinburgh University, and graduated as a doctor of medicine from the same institution in 1828.

Longstaff practised as a physician in Hull, founding the Hull and East Riding School of Medicine in 1833. In the same year he married the daughter of paint manufacturer and fellow chemistry enthusiast Henry Blundell. Longstaff spent a spell in America where he applied his scientific knowledge in his role as the consulting chemist for the Place Gold Mines Company, after which he returned to England and joined his father in law's firm Blundell Spence and co. His scientific skills put the company in good stead, with the firm displaying a range of products at the 1851 Great Exhibition.

As well as being a founding fellow of the Chemical Society of London (later to become the Royal Society of Chemistry), he was also Vice-President twice (1853-56 and 1876-77), and helped to establish the Society's Research Fund in 1876.