Deadline: May 1, 2016

The APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE Prize) is an annual award launched in 2011 during the U.S. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) host year. APEC brings together 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region to facilitate economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment as well as science and innovation. ASPIRE recognizes young scientists under the age of 40 from the 21 APEC economies.

This year, the U.S. State Department will be hosting an inaugural U.S. ASPIRE Competition. Competitors will submit their applications based on Technologies for Food Security to compete to represent the United States at this year’s APEC-wide ASPIRE Prize Competition. Six finalists will be invited to the U.S. ASPIRE Competition award ceremony in Washington D.C. in June, where the winner will be announced and honored.

Prize

• In addition to representing the U.S., the winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize. The five other finalists will receive cash prizes of $1,200 each. The U.S. ASPIRE Competition is generously sponsored by the ASPIRE Prize co-sponsors, Elsevier and Wiley

Eligibility

Applicants to the U.S. ASPIRE Competition:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is under the age of 40 as of December 31, 2016.
• Should demonstrate a commitment to excellence in scientific research;
• Should demonstrate cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies, and anticipated impact of the work for APEC economies through commercialized research and market-led innovation in subjects such as: agricultural and environmental studies, sustainable development, agri-business management, nutrition, and other relevant disciplines.

Judging Criteria

The U.S. ASPIRE Competition finalists will be selected by a committee composed of representatives from the U.S. State Department and other scientific foundations and institutions. The applicants will be judged based on how well they have demonstrated:

• Excellence in scientific research in the area of “Technologies for Food Security,” as evidenced through scholarly publication;
• Commitment to cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies; and
• Contribution to the theme of “Technologies for Food Security” as demonstrated by the impact of the applicant’s work on APEC economies through commercialized research and market-led innovation.

Application Process

All interested applicants should submit all required documents to AspirePrize@State.gov and ccHerrinDM@State.gov (Douglas Herrin) and KjellandC@State.gov (Christin Kjelland) by midnight May 1, U.S. Pacific Standard Time. The application should be a single PDF, titled “Date of Submission_ASPIRE APPLICANT – name of applicant.”

Required documents for applicant submission are submitted as one PDF:

• Application form;
• Curriculum Vitae;
• Up to two letters of recommendation for consideration;
• Photo of Applicant (image must be larger than 250*300 pixels). This will only be used if the applicant becomes a finalists or is selected as U.S. nominee finalists for the 2016 ASPIRE Prize.

Please direct any question regarding the competition to AspirePrize@State.gov and HerrinDM@State.gov.

For more information, visit 2016 US Aspire Competition.