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THE FOUNDATION OF THE HUNGARIAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY
The Foundation of the Hungarian Society for Microbiology announces a competition to award prizes for leading authors' publications in top journals (D1, Q1) on microbiological results related to sustainability, circular economy, and life sciences by researchers under the age of 35. Applications may be submitted with separate copies of articles published in final form during 2023-2024 by the journal (and not yet awarded). Please do not submit papers that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published (e.g. preprints)!
A maximum of two first prizes and two second prizes may be awarded each year. The winners will receive a diploma and the following prize money:
- First prize: €850
- Second prize: €400
The article competition is made possible by a cooperation and support agreement between Dynea Hungary Ltd. and the Foundation of the Hungarian Society for Microbiology (FHSM). Its aim is to support the creation, communication/publication, and education of scientific results in microbiology relating to environmental and ecological sustainability (including the elimination of soil and groundwater pollution) and the circular economy. The aim of the award founders is to recognize and strengthen the most outstanding young researchers in the field of the award through moral and financial support in their microbiology vocation.
Entries should be submitted electronically by completing and uploading the application form available below. The application should include the applicant's name and place and date of birth, the name and address of their workplace, their position, contact details (telephone, email and [home] postal address), any HSM membership and scientific publication record (e.g. Altmetric, Google Scholar) and contact details. It should also include the doi link of the publication, a short summary of the content of the publication focusing on microbiological results related to sustainability and the circular economy (max. 2000 characters), as well as the uploaded PDF file of the publication and any other information to be disclosed (e.g. shared first/lead authorship; max. 500 characters).
The application must be accompanied by a short, easy-to-understand description of the paper (500-1000 characters) with an eye-catching illustration or several photos. The abstract alone is not acceptable. By submitting an application, the applicant agrees that if their paper is awarded a prize, its summary will be published on the HSM website under the menu item „The World of Microbiology”. The application must convincingly demonstrate the legal validity of the material to be uploaded to the website.
When finalizing the submission, the applicant must confirm that the data is complete and accurate, agree to the application being made available to those involved in the process, and provide consent for the processing of their personal data in accordance with the GDPR.
The leading author of the application must be under 35 years of age on December 31, 2024.
The deadline for submission, uploading, and electronic closure: August 31, 2025, 24:00. The system will acknowledge receipt of the application with electronic confirmation.
Applications will be evaluated by a jury composed of members of the Board of Trustees of the FHSM and members of the Executive Committee/Presidium of the HSM, taking into account any conflicts of interest (applying, mutatis mutandis, the recommendations/requirements of the University of Oxford.
The main criteria for evaluation are:
- the overall scientific merit of the article,
- the value of the microbiological scientific results related to environmental and ecological sustainability and the circular economy,
- the scientometric indicators of the journal,
- it is an advantage if the research was conducted mainly in Hungary,
- HSM members will be given preference.
The results of the competition will be announced at a ceremony during HSM’s 2026 Spring General Assembly, where the certificates will also be delivered in the presence of the award founders. The list of winners and the URL of the competition entries will also be published on the HSM / FHSM website. The competition prizes will be paid in Euros by bank transfer on the basis of a scholarship agreement concluded with the FHSM.
The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Act CLXXV of 2011 on the right of association, public benefit status, and the operation and support of civil organizations, and the fact that the FHSM is a registered public benefit organization operating under this Act. The information provided by the HSM and the FHSM (as data controller and data processor) in accordance with Article 13 of the GDPR is available here.
Budapest, June 2025.
The Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Hungarian Society for Microbiology