Awards & grants
The Society makes a number of awards available each year to recognise excellence in research, practice teaching and education in psychology. They range from awards for A Level students to those marking achievement over the length of a professional career.
A few awards are for our members only, but many are open to all psychologists working within the UK.
Awards
Publications and Communications Board
Public Engagement & Media Award
Awarded to a psychologist who has made an outstanding contribution to raising the profile of psychology either directly or through the media.
2011 winner: Professor Tommy MacKay.
Professional Practice Board
Distinguished Contributions to Professional Psychology
This award is aimed at psychologists who have made an outstanding contribution to professional practice.
2011 winner: Dr Nimisha Patel
Established in 2006, this recognises and celebrates unusually significant and sustained contributions over a career as a practitioner of applied psychology.
2011 winner: Professor Chris Cullen
Practitioner of the Year Award
This is a new award for 2011 to recognise, promote and reward good practice.
2011 winner: Dr Barbara Douglas
Psychology Education Board
Established in 2011 this award recognises distinguished lifetime achievement within psychology education.
2012 nominations open - deadline 31 January 2012
Excellence in Psychology Education
This award is for those who teach at any level or who have made a significant contribution to education.
2010 winner: Dr John Maltby
Schools and Colleges Psychology Teaching
This award recognises outstanding performance in psychology education in schools and colleges.
Undergraduate Award
Awarded to those students who achieve the highest overall score in an accredited degree programme at each of the institutions accredited by the Society. Approximately 100 awards are made each year.
A Level and Scottish Highers Award
This prize is awarded to those students who achieved the highest overall score in their A Level and Scottish Highers examinations from each of the main awarding bodies.
Research Board
Open to those who have an outstanding record of personal achievement and have also made significant contributions to the advancement of psychological knowledge.
2011 winner: Professor Colwyn Trevarthen
Given in recognition of exceptional contributions to psychological knowledge.
2011 winner: Professor Usha Goswami
Awarded in recognition of outstanding published work in psychology.
2011 winner: Dr Essi Viding
This award recognises outstanding contributions to psychological knowledge by postgraduate research students made while carrying out research for their doctoral degrees in psychology.
2010 joint winners Dr Catherine Sebastian and Dr Thomas Scott-Phillips
This award, made jointly with the Society’s Psychology Education Board recognises excellent published work in psychology.
2009 winner: Working Memory, Thought and Action by Alan Baddeley
Grants
The Research Board also makes a number of grants.
Postdoctoral Conference Bursary Scheme - new for 2011
This new scheme provides bursaries to support postdoctoral researchers and lecturers to attend academic conference in the UK and internationally.
Joint Postgraduate Award with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
This provides an opportunity for a postgraduate psychologist to be seconded to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology to assist in providing briefing material for MPs and peers.
Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme
This scheme awards grants to researchers to allow them to provide undergraduates with hands on experience of research and encourage them to consider an academic career.
Postdoctoral Study Visit Scheme – New for 2011
To enable postdoctoral researchers and lecturers who are within three years of the completion of their doctoral research degree in psychology to undertake a study visit to another institution to acquire skills directly relevant to their research/lecturing.
Postgraduate Study Visits Scheme
This enables research students who are registered for a doctoral degree at a UK university to undertake a study visit to another institution to acquire skills directly relevant to their research.
These grants enable institutions to co-operate to hold scientific seminars.
In addition the Publications & Communications Board awards Public Engagement Grants.
