The Robert Etheridge Jr Medal is named after Robert Etheridge Jr (1847–1920). English born, and the only son of a distinguished palaeontologist, he was educated at the Royal School of Mines, London before coming to Australia in the 1860s. He worked in the Victorian Geological Survey until its termination in 1869, and returned to England in 1871. Two years later he was appointed palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of Scotland, then in 1874 he obtained a position in the Natural History Museum, London. Etheridge returned to Australia in 1887 and took up a dual role as palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of New South Wales and the Australian Museum in Sydney. From 1895 he was Curator of the Australian Museum (subsequently Director 1917–1919); under his direction the collection was much expanded and better displayed. He was awarded a grant from the Wollaston Fund by the Geological Society of London in 1877, the Clarke Medal by the Royal Society of New South Wales in 1895, and the von Mueller Medal by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science in 1911. He was active up to his death in 1920, leaving a legacy of some 350 published papers dealing mainly with Palaeozoic invertebrate fossils from many areas of Australia. Noteworthy among these is the seminal The Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea by Robert L. Jack & Robert Etheridge, Jr, published in 1892 after a long collaboration. Numerous species of animals, both fossil and extant, have been named in his honour, and his name has also been given to a goldfield in Queensland, a peak in the Kosciuszko Plateau, and a glacier in Antarctica. [Summary of Serle, P., 1949. Etheridge, Robert, Jun. (1847–1920), palaeontologist. In Dictionary of Australian Biography. Angus and Robertson, Sydney]
Conditions and criteria
Only members of AAP are eligible for this award. To be eligible, a member must be nominated by another member of AAP. Nominees must have made an outstanding lifetime contribution to Australasian palaeontology. The award may be made annually or biennially to one or more nominee (at the discretion of the AAP committee, but with no more than 4 awards in a 4-year committee term). Criteria for judging the award will include the number and quality of publications, research communication (including to the general public) and contributions to student education.
How to apply
Nominations may be submitted by email at any time to the AAP Executive Committee and will remain available for consideration indefinitely, unless subsequently updated. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Nominations should include basic details of the candidate, a brief statement of the candidate’s contributions to Australasian palaeontology, and a list of the candidate’s key publications (or a comprehensive list) dealing with Australasian palaeontology.
Robert Etheridge Jr Medal
Awarded in honour of exemplary lifetime contribution to Australasian palaeontology. This medal was established in 2015, and awarded for the first time during the Palaeo Down Under 2 conference in Adelaide in July 2016.
Recipients
2024 - Jim Gehling and Jim Jago
2023 - Geoffrey Playford
2020 - Prof John Talent and Prof Barry Webby
2019 - Dr Kath Grey
2018 - Dr Thomas Rich
2016 - Prof Bruce Runnegar
Professor Jim Gehling and Professor Jim Jago
Professor Geoffrey Playford
Congratulations to Professor Geoffrey Playford on being awarded the 2023 Robert Etheridge Jr Medal. During his career Geoffrey worked extensively on Palaeozoic palynology, biostratigraphy, and acritarch taxonomy. Geoffrey has authored more than 120 peer reviewed publications, 8 books and book chapters, and made significant contributions to our understanding of the late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic of Australia, Antarctica, and beyond. Even in his retirement, Geoffrey has been contributing to Australasian palaeontology. A powerhouse in the field, we are pleased to honour Geoffrey and his work.
The Mary Wade Prize honours Dr Mary Julia Wade (1928–2005), an Australian-born researcher in Cenozoic foraminifers; Mesozoic dinosaurs, marine reptiles and molluscs; early Palaeozoic nautiloids; and the Ediacara biota. Born in Adelaide, her early love of natural history and animals led her to become a competent stockwoman. In 1947 Wade entered the Department of Geology, University of Adelaide, then headed by Douglas Mawson, completing a Bachelor of Science with Honours (1st Class) in micropalaeontology in 1954. Her thesis topic was South Australian Cenozoic foraminifers. Wade then worked as a Senior Demonstrator at the University while continuing her postgraduate studies on foraminifers, and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1959. She remained at the University and collaborated with Martin Glaessner on late Precambrian fossils from Ediacara in the Flinders Ranges. In 1971 she became Curator of Geology at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane, where she worked her way up progressively to Senior Curator, then Deputy Director in 1980, and finally Acting Assistant Director in 1986. During this period she focussed on Mesozoic dinosaurs and marine reptiles. One notable endeavour was her participation in excavation and study of spectacular dinosaur trackways at Lark Quarry near Winton, Queensland. She retired in 1993, but remained at the museum as an Honorary Research Associate. The following year she was awarded the Queensland Museum Medal. A Geological Society of Australia special symposium was held in her honour in 1998. Her legacy is embodied in her scientific enthusiasm and promotion of geotourism, her drive in seeing the Queensland Museum's fossil collections grow to a world class collection, and the permanent record of her diverse scientific research. [Summary of Alafaci, A., 2005, modified 2011. Wade, Mary Julia (1928–2005). Encyclopaedia of Australian Science; and Turner, S., 2007. Invincible but mostly invisible: Australian women's contribution to geology and palaeontology. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 281, 165–202].
Conditions and criteria
‘Early career’ is defined as any tertiary student, or any researcher who has graduated less than five years previously at the time of submission of the paper. Only Australasian studies or investigations utilising predominantly Australasian material are eligible.
How to apply
Mary Wade Prize
A biennial award for early career researchers. The $1000AUD Mary Wade Prize will be awarded biennially by the AAP Executive Committee for the best paper(s) published in the previous two years in a peer-reviewed AAP publication (currently, Alcheringa and Australasian Palaeontological Memoirs) by an early career researcher as sole or first author. This prize was established in 2015, and awarded for the first time during the Palaeo Down Under 2 conference held in Adelaide in July 2016.
Recipients
2022 - Isaias Santos Barros
2020 - Dr Peter Bishop
2018 - Dr Stephen Poropat
2016 - Dr Chris Mays
Isaias Santos Barros
Dorothy Hill was Research Professor of Geology, University of Queensland 1959–1972 and served for six months as President of the Australian Academy of Science, Canberra in 1970. She was the first woman elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) and has published widely on palaeontology, stratigraphy and geology. She is commemorated by Dorothy Hill Chair in Palaeontology & Stratigraphy at the University of Queensland, established in 1972 and the Dorothy Hill Library, University of Queensland. [Summary from Encyclopedia of Australian Science: http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000494b.htm ]
Conditions and criteria
Only members of AAP are eligible for this $1000AUD award. A member can self-nominate by sending their own research paper by email at any time to the AAP Executive Committee. Members can nominate other members by following the same procedure. The paper must have been published either in electronic or paper form within that calendar year.
To be eligible, a member must publish a paper on Australasian Palaeontology and then submit it to the AAP committee.
The member must be the lead author on the paper and must be a ‘middle career researcher’ (between 6 years after graduation and before retirement)
Only the lead author will receive the award, as the team leader and member of AAP.
Criteria for judging the award will include the quality of the research (supported by strong empirical data), and how ground-breaking the research is (has it changed our current understanding).
How to apply
AAP Dorothy Hill Award
An annual award for middle career researchers. Nominees must be AAP members, and the award is based on publishing a high-quality first-author paper on Australian Palaeontology within the relevant calendar year.
Recipients
2022 - Dr Matthew McCurry
2021 - Professor Kate Trinajstic
2020 - Dr Scott Hocknull
2019 - Dr Chris Mays
Professor Kate Trinajstic
Dr Matt McCurry
AAP is pleased to recognise Dr Matt McCurry through the AAP Dorothy Hill award. Matt is an exceptional scientist currently working in the newly described McGrath's Flat Konservat-Lagerstätten and has made outstanding contributions to Australian and global Miocene studies.
Conditions and criteria
Only student members of AAP are eligible for this award. Student members must designate which conference they want to travel to, and it must be a conference within a year from the cut-off date. Criteria for judging the award will be on the quality of the abstract submitted to the committee and the distance the student is travelling from. The recipient of the AAP Student Travel Award will be requested to submit a video of their c presentation, or a picture of their poster, so it can be uploaded to AAP social media.
How to apply
To apply, student members must fill out the application form and submit it to the AAP Chair Dr. Nic Campione
AAP Student Travel Award
Connecting science students with the science community. The award, given annually to one student member, is up to AUD$1,000.
Recipients
2019 - Elizabeth M. Dowding
2020-2022 - no awards due to COVID
2023 - Stephanie Richter Stretton (top left)
2023 - Roy Farman (bot left)
2023 - Alexey Ippolitov (top right)
2023 - Ben Robertson (bot right)
