Call for Nominations for the 2008 CGIAR Science Awards

The prestigious Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Science Awards recognize and reward excellence in science. The CGIAR has acknowledged outstanding performance through awards since 1981 when the King Baudouin Award was initiated. In 1996 five further awards for outstanding scientific work by individuals and teams were developed. In an effort to further promote the importance of science in the broader community and the significance of communications in research and development work, the CGIAR established a science communication award in 2002. The awards recognize individuals and teams working in the field of science communication.

2008 Awards

The winners of all awards will be announced at the Science Awards Ceremony at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CGIAR in Maputo, Mozambique, in early December, 2008. Winners will be offered travel support to enable them to receive the award at AGM08.

2008 Awards will be granted for the following:

• CGIAR King Baudouin Award will carry a prize of $10,000


• Individual awards for Promising Young Scientist, Outstanding Scientist, Outstanding Scientific Article (if by one author), and Regional Award for Outstanding Agricultural Technology in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, will carry a cash prize of $5,000.



• Team awards for Outstanding Scientific Support Team, Outstanding Partnership, and Outstanding Scientific Article (if by more than one author) will each carry a cash prize of $10,000.

• The two CGIAR Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism in Africa 2008 (one for print, the other for broadcast) will each carry a cash prize of $5,000. These two awards are open to African nationals who are print or broadcast journalists actively reporting in Africa.
• One CGIAR Award for Outstanding Communications will carry a cash prize of $5000.

In 2007, the CGIAR offered a communications award through its partnership with COM+, the Network of Communicators for Sustainable Development. This award will not be offered in 2008.

Nominations in all categories will close on September 1, 2008.

Nomination, Evaluation, and Selection Procedures

Nominees for all awards (except the journalism awards) must be from a CGIAR Center or other groups (such as NARS, advanced research institutions, civil society, private sector) who are collaborators in the implementation of a program with a CGIAR Center. Nominees may be from the headquarters or from the outreach research sites/offices of a Center. Previous awardees do not qualify for nomination.

ُEach CGIAR Science Award nomination must be endorsed by a Director General from a CGIAR Center except for the Regional Award nomination which must be endorsed by the Director of the nominating institution. The Journalism Awards will not require CGIAR Director General endorsement.

An Evaluation and Selection Panel composed of the Chair of the Science Council and two eminent scientists from institutions outside the CGIAR will evaluate nominations and select the winners of the following awards: Promising Young Scientist, Outstanding Scientist, Outstanding Scientific Support Team, Outstanding Partnership, Outstanding Scientific Article, and Regional Award for Outstanding Agricultural Technology in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region.

The Selection Process for the Journalism Awards will be undertaken in two stages; first by a panel of accomplished journalists and editors from countries/regions where each of the four languages is spoken. The best articles of these articles will all be translated into English and then judged by an international panel of respected media practitioners who will select the winning stories in the print and electronic category.

Information and nomination forms for all Awards are available through the following links :

The CGIAR King Baudouin Award
The CGIAR Science Award for Promising Young Scientist
The CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Scientist
The CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Scientific Support Team
The CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Partnership
The CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Scientific Article
The CGIAR Regional Award for Outstanding Agricultural Technology in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region
The CGIAR Award for Outstanding Communications
The CGIAR-FARA Award for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism in Africa (2 awards)

For questions on all the awards please email : awards@cgiar.org