Lift others as you climb!

An academic prize can have a significant impact on self-confidence and work wonders on your resumé. Even if you don’t win, putting together an application can help you evaluate your skills and get your CV in order. When Prof Haley Gomez of the Cardiff University was up for a €1.8 million grant, the first thing they asked in her interview was about a public engagement award she’d received in Wales. “It’s almost a badge that says you are externally recognised as having achieved something by your community. It’s also something to distinguish yourself against others in grant applications.”

We must work together to nominate more women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ scientists. To reduce the large gender gap in awards we are creating a database of awards, honours and fellowships relevant for 500 Women Scientists. Instead of scrolling through twitter to find you’ve missed a deadline by a couple of hours, we want to help you find opportunities in advance and then support you in applying for them. It’s early days – we’re crowdsourcing ideas. In the future this will become a map of opportunities, which lets you see awards by discipline and closing dates, as well as giving any advice from former award winners.

Today's Action:

Add to our collection: Submit opportunities and check out our growing Awards, Honors + Funding list
Nominate your mate! Reach out to their colleagues and put together letters of support. Check out previous award winners and try and reach out for advice.
Apply for one yourself. Whether it’s a TED Fellowship, a L’Oréal for Women in Science Award or a AAAS Science Diplomacy prize, there’s something out there for everyone.

If you’re currently in the process of applying for an award, reach out! We’d love to hear your advice and help out in anyway that we can.

Today's Take Action Tuesday is brought to you by 500WS leader Dr. Jess Wade.