Can anyone be nominated for a AQSN Award?
- Yes. While nominees do not personally need to be members of the AQSN (although, they should be encouraged to apply), nominees do need to be affiliated with one of the AQSN member or partner organisations. Nominees not affiliated with a member or partner organisation at the point of their nomination will not be considered for the AQSN awards.
Eligibility
- The AQSN PhD award for excellence – Open to any member of the AQSN community who are currently studying for their PhD in Quantum Algorithms, software and theory and are associated with an AQSN member of partner institution. Awardees need to be nominated prior to the conferral date of their PhD.
- The AQSN Early-Career award for excellence – Open to any member of the AQSN community who currently works in the areas of Quantum Algorithms, software and theory and are associated with an AQSN member of partner institution. Awardees need to be nominated within 5 years of the conferral of their PhD (career interruptions can be taken into account during nomination).
- The AQSN Mid-Career award for excellence – Open to any member of the AQSN community who currently works in the areas of Quantum Algorithms, software and theory and are associated with an AQSN member of partner institution. Awardees need to be nominated within 5+ years of the conferral of their PhD but less than 10 years from conferral (career interruptions can be taken into account during nomination).
Does the work nominated need to have occurred at the associated member or partner organisation or taken place within Australia?
- No, awards are given on the merit of the nominee, not where the work was conducted or with who.
Are awards given for specific pieces of work or a body of contributions?
- Nominations can be made for either. In the statement of contributions, nominators can point to a specific piece of work or can nominate due to an aggregate body of work by the nominee.
Do contributions need to be academic in nature?
- No, nominations for AQSN medals can be broader than academic achievements. All efforts to promote the development of quantum algorithms, software and theory are eligible. This can include excellence in teaching, excellence in outreach (education or to the general public) or other general service to the quantum algorithms, software and theory community.
What does the awardee receive.
- AQSN award winners will receive a commemorative medal and a cash prize of $1,250 AUD. This award will be distributed as an unrestricted gift, personally, to the awardee. Awardees will also receive a complimentary registration to the AQSN annual conference, where their award will be presented.
Do I have to be present at the conference to receive the Award?
- The AQSN would prefer awardees to be present in person to receive the award. However, given extenuating circumstances, awardees can be presented with their medal at a later date or remotely. This decision is at the discretion of the AQSN.
How are awardees chosen?
- The Australian Quantum Software Network has established a five person research committee. The initial committee is Simon Devitt (UTS), Gavin Brennen (Macquarie), Zixin Huang (RMIT), Jingbo Wang (UWA), Jared Cole (RMIT) and Casey Myers (UWA). Nominations will be assessed and chosen by the AQSN research committee.
When will I be notified if I have been awarded an AQSN medal?
- Awardees will be notified by mid January 2027. Awards will be conferred at the AQSN annual conference in February 2027.
Is my award taxed?
- The AQSN distributes the cash award as an unrestricted gift to awardees. We recommend that awardees reference the Australian Tax Office website or consult a qualified professional as to potential tax implication of their award. The Australian Quantum Software Network will not manage any potential tax liabilities for awardees and take no responsibility after the award is distributed.
What is required when nominating someone for an AQSN medal?
- Nominees are required to fill out a questionnaire regarding the nominee and provide a one page testimonial as to why an individual should be considered for an AQSN medal. Where appropriate, nominators are encouraged to provide a CV for nominees, however if confidentiality for nominators is desired, a LinkedIn profile, Google Scholar or link to nominees personal homepage is acceptable.
- Two external referees are requested for each nominee. Letters do not need to be provided at the point of nomination and the AQSN reserves the right to contact or not contact nominated referees for award nominations.
Can I nominate myself?
- Yes, self nominations are allowed.
