These awards honor the research performance and scholarly activity of University of Iowa postdoctoral research scholars and fellows (FP01 or FP02) . The winners will be recognized for conducting highly original work that makes a meaningful contribution to the field. 

Eligibility

Eligible scholars or fellows must have completed a minimum of one year of postdoctoral research or scholarship at the University of Iowa.

Self-nominations are not permitted. Faculty mentors, departmental executive officers (DEOs), and other senior faculty are encouraged to nominate trainees.     

Award categories

We recognize that human knowledge and the capacity for creation — and thus the topics that scholars and academicians choose to understand, study, create, innovate, and critique — are vast and difficult to categorize. We also recognize that individual scholarship may be interdisciplinary, crossing multiple categories.

With those caveats, we accept nominations annually in three categories. The categories should be interpreted broadly, with the expectation that all University of Iowa scholars can be placed into one of the three categories for award consideration. Nominations in multiple categories are not permitted. Nominators should select the most closely aligned category, recognizing that the fit may not be perfect.

• Group 1: Arts, humanities, law, and qualitative social sciences, broadly construed
• Group 2: Natural, physical, life, engineering, computational, and mathematical sciences; and quantitative social sciences, broadly construed
• Group 3: Health, biomedical, and clinical sciences, broadly construed

Nomination and selection process

Required documentation:

• Statement from the nominee: No more than 750 words describing the nominee’s qualifications and accomplishments.
• Letter of nomination: A letter describing the nominee’s qualifications and accomplishments.
• Nominee's curriculum vitae (CV), resume, or NIH biosketch: No more than 10 pages.

Late materials will not be accepted. 

Award details

• A $1,000 prize and a commemorative gift.
• Recognition at an annual celebration held in the spring. 

Submission process and deadline

The deadline for submissions is Jan. 15, 2027. Submissions should be completed by a nominator. 

Finalists will be invited to deliver a five-minute presentation using no more than two slides for the review committee.

Nominators: Start the nomination process. 

Select "Apply" and sign in with your HawkID and password using the blue "University of Iowa Login" button.  

For questions or assistance, contact Lauren Galliart at lauren-galliart@uiowa.edu in the Office of the Vice President for Research well before the deadline.