2023 Emerging Leader Award
PSK Environmental and Soil Science Australia (SSA) Queensland Branch are excited to announce that submissions for the inaugural PSK SSA Emerging Leader Award are now open. The PSK SSA Emerging Leaders Award will be awarded to one person who has made an outstanding start to their career, who is passionate about soils and loves promoting knowledge of soils in the community, and who has the potential to be a future leader in their field.
The winner of the award will receive $2,000 to attend the 2023 SSA National Conference in Darwin in June 2023.
Eligibility
Only eligible applicants can apply. Eligibility criteria is as follows:
- Applicants of all ages can apply however applicants must be considered an “Early Career Professional.’ For this award, an ‘Early Career Professional’ is an individual who has finished their undergraduate studies and has amassed no more than 7 cumulative years of full-time industry experience. This ensures that those who have worked part-time or taken a break are still eligible. For example, an individual who has worked part time at 19 hours a week for 3 years is regarded as having 1.5 years industry experience.
- Applicants must be a member of SSA.
Criteria
To apply, applicants must submit a response to each of the following three criteria:
1) Submit a one page abstract about a soils-related project you have worked on in your workplace. The abstract template is to be used. While the formatting of the abstract template provided should not be changed (font, text size and location of your personal information), the headings for the body of the text provide a guide and do not have to be used.
2) Submit a 500-word (maximum) response to the question “How do you promote your love of soils to the wider community?” Consider things such as volunteering, taking initiative to promote your own knowledge of soils and membership/committee positions with SSA and other relevant organisations. Space for these items has been included in the abstract template.
3) Submit a brief biography (approximately one paragraph) that could be used to introduce you.
Submissions are to be emailed to SSA at qld.secretary@soilscienceaustralia.org.au.
Application Closing Date
The abstract, 500-word response and biography must be submitted by Thursday 23 February 2023. Late responses will not be considered.
Assessment Process
Applicants will be assessed on their abstract, 500 word response and if short listed, their presentation. View the Guidelines to further information relating to the assessment criteria.
Short-listed applicants will have the opportunity to present their work at the SSA meeting on Thursday 9 March 2023. Presentations will be judged by a panel of three industry experts. Presentations will be limited to 10 minutes in length with additional time for questions at the end.
