The UKPF Early Career Researcher Medal
The UKPF Early Career Medal will be awarded each year to an early career researcher at an institution in the UK who has published an outstanding research contribution in a peer-reviewed journal within the broad fields of planetary science.
For the purposes of this award, early career researchers are defined as students or researchers employed on temporary contracts (or recently completed contracts).
The ECR Medal aims to promote the work of early career researchers who are not yet in permanent roles by recognising their outstanding research contribution.
The awardee for 2026 will be invited to deliver a keynote talk on their research at the British Planetary Science Conference in St Andrews in June (9 - 11).
Topics can include but are not limited to:
Eligibility criteria:
Applicants must be at a UK institution as a registered student, or an ECR on fixed-term or recently completed contract: researchers on permanent contracts are not eligible. Applicants may self-nominate, or nominate another.
The work must be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and have received a DOI during the 24 months prior to the application deadline.
The applicant must be lead or co-lead author. It is intended that awardees have led the work. If the applicant is not the first listed author (for example, if articles have a co-lead author), their contribution and suitability to be considered as a lead must be described in their application.
It is desirable that the publication is Open Access and freely available to members of the community, however this is not a requirement. We do ask that the full text be made available should you win, such as via a University repository or via a preprint server (e.g., eartharXiv).
Judging criteria:
Applications will be reviewed based on the; novelty, significance, depth, rigour, and the potential for impact of the submitted publication in their research field(s). In particular, innovative or boundary-pushing approaches which have been developed or pioneered by the applicant are welcomed.
The panel will consider only the publication submitted for consideration; the applicant’s previous publication record, the impact factor of the journal, and citation metrics will not be considered in the panel’s decision.
It is intended that awardees have led the work. If the applicant is not the first listed author (for example, if articles have a co-lead author), their contribution and suitability to be considered as a lead must be described in their application, and will be considered by the panel.
How to Apply:
Applications should be sent to the UKPF (email link here) before the deadline of 23:59 on 24th April 2026, with ‘Application for ECR Medal’ in the subject line.
Candidates for the medal can apply directly, or they can be nominated by a third party. Please select the relevant application form from the links below.
To apply, please attach to your email the following documents in PDF format:
There will be one application round per year. The deadline for applications for the current round is 23:59 on 24th April 2026.
The medal winner will be announced in early May.
For the purposes of this award, early career researchers are defined as students or researchers employed on temporary contracts (or recently completed contracts).
The ECR Medal aims to promote the work of early career researchers who are not yet in permanent roles by recognising their outstanding research contribution.
The awardee for 2026 will be invited to deliver a keynote talk on their research at the British Planetary Science Conference in St Andrews in June (9 - 11).
Topics can include but are not limited to:
- Magnetospheres, ionospheres, atmospheres;
- Astrobiology;
- Meteoritics;
- Geophysics, geology, geomorphology;
- Chemistry and geochemistry;
- Experimental techniques within planetary science;
- Instrumentation and mission design;
- Comparative planetology, including the Earth;
- All of the above, but applied to exoplanets.
Eligibility criteria:
Applicants must be at a UK institution as a registered student, or an ECR on fixed-term or recently completed contract: researchers on permanent contracts are not eligible. Applicants may self-nominate, or nominate another.
The work must be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and have received a DOI during the 24 months prior to the application deadline.
The applicant must be lead or co-lead author. It is intended that awardees have led the work. If the applicant is not the first listed author (for example, if articles have a co-lead author), their contribution and suitability to be considered as a lead must be described in their application.
It is desirable that the publication is Open Access and freely available to members of the community, however this is not a requirement. We do ask that the full text be made available should you win, such as via a University repository or via a preprint server (e.g., eartharXiv).
Judging criteria:
Applications will be reviewed based on the; novelty, significance, depth, rigour, and the potential for impact of the submitted publication in their research field(s). In particular, innovative or boundary-pushing approaches which have been developed or pioneered by the applicant are welcomed.
The panel will consider only the publication submitted for consideration; the applicant’s previous publication record, the impact factor of the journal, and citation metrics will not be considered in the panel’s decision.
It is intended that awardees have led the work. If the applicant is not the first listed author (for example, if articles have a co-lead author), their contribution and suitability to be considered as a lead must be described in their application, and will be considered by the panel.
How to Apply:
Applications should be sent to the UKPF (email link here) before the deadline of 23:59 on 24th April 2026, with ‘Application for ECR Medal’ in the subject line.
Candidates for the medal can apply directly, or they can be nominated by a third party. Please select the relevant application form from the links below.
To apply, please attach to your email the following documents in PDF format:
- The relevant application form. For self-nomination, use this form. To nominate another candidate, use this form. In the application form, applicants will be asked to provide the title and DOI for their publication. They will also be required to include a summary of the work, aimed at a general audience, describe the applicant’s contribution to the study and identify which area(s) of planetary science are the focus of the publication.
- A letter of support from another researcher. The letter should clearly describe the novelty, significance and importance of the work to the field. It should be provided by someone who is well placed to evaluate these aspects. The letter should not be provided by a co-author of the study, nor by a member of the ECR’s direct supervisory or line management teams. Letters of support can be provided by members of the ECR’s institution, as long as they were not involved in the publication. If you are nominating someone for this award, you can provide the letter of support as long as you meet the criteria above. Letters should be maximum one side of A4. The letter is not a letter of support for the candidate, rather it should focus on the contribution the publication makes to an aspect or aspects of planetary science.
- A copy of the manuscript for consideration.
There will be one application round per year. The deadline for applications for the current round is 23:59 on 24th April 2026.
The medal winner will be announced in early May.
