Now in its fourth year, the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize recognizes the work conducted by researchers funded by Britain’s Economic and Social Research Council who achieve outstanding economic and societal impacts.
Due to the complex nature and often diverse subject matter, the value of social science research is often called into question, despite its significant impact on society. As such the social sciences are an incredibly challenging field for voices to be heard; this is especially the case for young researchers. Celebrations such as this are instrumental in underscoring the societal value and impact of both knowledge and research conducted by all scholars within the social science fields.
To reflect the ways in which social science can change our society for the better, there are five different categories, as well as a prize for the Impact Champion, an individual who has a significant personal track record in supporting and enabling others to achieve impact.
And so without further ado the shortlist for the 2016 Celebrating Impact Prize are:
Nominees for Impact Champion
Briony Turner, King’s College London
Alex Waddington, University of Manchester
Nominees for Outstanding Early Career Impact
Martin Hearson, London School of Economics & Political Science
Kath Murray, University of Edinburgh
SAGE Publishing, the parent of Social Science Space, sponsors the Outstanding Early Career Impact.
Nominees for Outstanding Impact in Public Policy
Rachel Aldred, Westminster University
Rachel Condry, University of Oxford
Nick Gill, University of Exeter
Nominees for Outstanding Impact in Society
Jo-Anne Bichard, Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design
Theresa Gannon, University of Kent
Jane Oakhill, University of Sussex
Nominees for Outstanding International Impact
Melissa Leach, University of Sussex
Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics & Political Science
Cathy Zimmerman, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
A prize of £10,000 is awarded to the winner of each category, and the Impact Champion.receives a further prize of £10,000.
The awards ceremony and announcement of winners will take place at Central Hall, Westminster on June 22.
The shortlist was selected by a panel of experts from a wide range of included writtenincluded written evidence from organisations that have used the research to shape their policies and practice. This year’s panel consisted of professor Annette Boaz, Centre for Health and Social Care Research, Kingston University; Martin Coleman, ESRC council member and global head of Antitrust, Competition and Regulatory Practice at Norton Rose LLP; Vanessa Cuthill, ESRC Deputy Director Evidence, Impact and Strategic Partnerships (Panel Chair); professor Tim Dafforn, chief scientific adviser at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and professor of biotechnology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham; Graeme Nicol, SME consultant; Andrew Shaw, evaluation adviser, Department for International Development; and Jane Tinkler, head of social science, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
You can follow the conversation leading up to the awards ceremony @ESRC and @SAGE_News.
