This award recognises distinguished contributions to British Developmental Psychology.

This award will be presented to a candidate who has made substantial contributions to research in Developmental Psychology or through Developmental Psychology to wider society. The latter may be in the realms of higher education teaching, changing government policy, communication of science to the general public or implementation of interventions. A substantial proportion of time should have been spent working in the UK.

Criteria

• Candidates should be nominated by an academic or professional peer
• The letter of nomination should evidence the substantial contributions made by the nominee
• The nomination should be support by the nominee’s C.V. and a letter from an additional referee

How to apply

Submit your nomination here using our online portal

We advise that you prepare your submission on a word document or alternative. Download an example of the online form to prepare your submission.

Submission Deadline: Midnight Wednesday 15 December

The award winner:

• Receive the Distinguished Contributions Award Certificate
• The winner of the award will be invited to deliver a keynote address at the annual Developmental Section Annual Conference
• Free registration at the annual Developmental Section Annual Conference

Judging process

The Section Committee will appoint an award sub-committee to adjudicate submissions.

Awarded Annually for Outstanding Contributions to Developmental Psychology

This annual award is for outstanding early career contributions to the field of developmental psychology. 
The winning candidate will have made an outstanding contribution within any field of developmental psychology; this will be evident in some or all of theory development, originality and innovation in methodology, along with other indicators of esteem.

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants from previous years are eligible to re-apply, and are encouraged to do this.
• Candidates are eligible for consideration up to and including 10 years following the award of a PhD.
• Candidates need not be a member of the BPS but they must be resident in the United Kingdom.
• Career breaks are not included in the 10 year post PhD completion time, and in accordance with EDI initiatives were supportive of diverse career paths. 

How to apply

• Applicants can either nominate themselves or they can be nominated by a colleague. Heads of Department and senior faculty members are particularly encouraged to nominate eligible colleagues.
• Nominations should include a one-page statement outlining the candidate's contribution to developmental psychology plus a full CV. 

Submit your nomination via our online portal

We advise that you prepare your submission on a word document or alternative.

Download an example of the online form to prepare your submission.

Submission Deadline: Midnight Monday 22 November 2021

Judging process

The Section Committee will appoint an award sub-committee to adjudicate submissions

The award winner

• Receive the Margaret Donaldson Early Career Prize Certificate
• The winner of the award will be invited to deliver a keynote address at the annual Developmental Section Annual Conference
• Free registration at the Developmental Section Annual Conference

This annual award is for a piece of published research on cognitive conditions that appear in development and persist throughout life. 

Neil O'Connor was one of the UK's foremost experimental psychologists, and a pioneer in applying experimental methods to the study of developmental conditions. Friends, relatives and former colleagues have contributed to a trust fund that allows this award to be made annually.

Eligibility criteria

• Conditions may be of a perceptual, cognitive, social or emotional nature and can include (but are not confined to) deafness, blindness, learning disabilities, dyslexia, language disorder, aphasia, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, autism, ADHD.
• The candidate must be either the sole or main author of the article concerned. In the case of multiple authors, the relative contribution of different authors must be outlined. The prize and the invitation to speak will be offered to the main author.
• The candidate should be studying for a PhD or not more than 10 years post-PhD.
• The publication must be accepted into a peer-refereed journal bearing the date 2019 or later (including articles in press).
• There is no geographic restriction, but submissions must be in English.

How to apply

• Applicants can either nominate themselves or they can be nominated by a colleague. Heads of Department and senior faculty members are particularly encouraged to nominate eligible colleagues.
• Nominations should include a copy of the publication and a copy of the applicant’s CV. 

Submit your nomination here on our online portal 

We advise that you prepare your submission on a word document or alternative. Download an example of the online form to prepare your submission.

Submission Deadline: Midnight Monday 22 November 2021

Judging process

The Section Committee will appoint an award sub-committee to adjudicate submissions.

The award winner

• Receive the Neil O'Connor Award Certificate
• The winner of the award will be invited to deliver a keynote address at the annual Developmental Section Annual Conference
• Free registration at the Developmental Section Annual Conference
   

Financial Assistance is available for current postgraduate students to attend the Developmental Psychology Section’s Virtual Annual Conference from the 15th-17th September 2021.

The maximum value of awards is £100 per applicant to be used towards registration. 

Applications are welcome until the closing date of 12:00pm on Wednesday 1 September. Applications will be assessed by a sub-committee of the BPS Developmental Committee. Applications that make a strong case for need and the benefits of attendance will be funded, subject to the funds available. Decisions will be made and communicated by early September 2021.

Eligibility:

• The award is open to postgraduates registered for degrees at any UK or Republic of Ireland institution. 
• Applicants must be members of the BPS Developmental Psychology Section.

Application Process:

Applicants will be required to provide:

1. Name
2. Organisation/affiliation
3. BPS membership number
4. University email address
5. Confirmation that they are a member of the Developmental Section
6. A statement of not more than 150 words providing a brief explanation of why a bursary is needed (e.g., because a postgraduate student is not funded by a research council or their institution), why the applicant should be awarded a bursary, and how she or he will benefit from attending the conference.
7. Details of the funding required 

Submit your online bursary application

Further conditions:

• Late applications will not be accepted and only the first 150 words of any statements that exceed the word limits will be considered. 
• All recipients of the award will be expected to write a piece for Developmental Forum. This could be a review of the conference or a piece on a topic relating to the applicant’s research. You will be given some direction for this and support from one of our editors. 
• Decisions will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding unsuccessful applications.

• Neil O’Connor Award: Dr. Saloni Krishnan for paper titled ‘Functional organisation for verb generation in children with developmental language disorder’

• Margaret Donaldson Award: Professor Helen Dodd

• Distinguished Contribution Award: Professor Josef Perner 

Distinguished Contribution Award

Margaret Donaldson Early Career Prize

The Neil O'Connor Award