Rules of Eligibility

• Entrants must have been awarded their Ph.D. between 1 January and 31 December 2004. Candidates for M.D./Ph.D. degrees are eligible to compete for the prize in either the year the Ph.D. is awarded or the year the final degree is awarded.
• The research described in the entrant's thesis must be in the field of molecular biology as described above.
• The prize will recognize only work that was performed while the entrant was a graduate student.
• The prize will be awarded without regard to sex, race, or nationality.
• Employees of GE, Science and AAAS, and their relatives are not eligible for the prize.

Procedures for Entry
Materials may be submitted in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, or Chinese (Mandarin). The entrant must submit the following items:

1. An essay, written by the entrant, that describes his or her thesis work and places it in perspective with respect to current research in molecular biology. The essay must not exceed 1000 words in length.
2. The abstract of the thesis (not to exceed four double-spaced typed pages).
3. A one-page letter from any thesis committee member or your adviser, commenting on the applicant and the significance of the work.
4. Typed listings of the following information:
   1. All published/in-press papers based on the thesis work. List full citation, including title and authors, in order.
   2. Academic and professional awards and honors the entrant received as a student.
   3. Relevant professional experience (work, presentations, etc.).
5. A completed entry form. Submissions should be mailed to one of the following addresses:
   
   

   Young Scientist Award Selection Committee
   Science
   1200 New York Avenue, NW, Room 1049B
   Washington, DC 20005
   UNITED STATES

   or
   

   Young Scientist Award Selection Committee
   Science International
   Bateman House
   82-88 Hills Road
   Cambridge
   CB2 1LQ
   UNITED KINGDOM

Judging Procedures
For judging purposes, the essays will be grouped according to the geographic location of the degree-granting institution: North America, Europe, Japan, and all other countries. Initial screening of the submissions will be done by regional judges. Essays will be judged on the quality of the research and the entrant's ability to articulate the contribution of the research to the field of molecular biology. The top five essays from each geographic region will be forwarded to a panel of judges. The Science editors retain the right to forward fewer than five essays if they deem the quality or quantity of submissions in any of the groups to be inadequate. The judging panel will be composed of prominent international researchers in the field of molecular biology.

Awards
The judges may select up to three winners for each of the four geographic regions. The number of prizes awarded to each region is at the discretion of the judging panel and will be based on the comparative quality of the submissions. Total prizes will not exceed eight. The judges may choose not to award a prize to one or more of the regions if they determine that such a prize is not warranted. All regional winners will compete for the grand prize of US$25,000. The regional winners who do not receive the grand prize will be awarded US$5,000.

Winners will be announced in Science and the prize will be awarded in St. Louis, MO in February. The grand prize essay will be published in Science, and essays of the regional winners will be published on Science Online.

ENTRY FORM
Please write clearly. Entries can be continued on a separate sheet if required. Please mark the additional sheet with your name and the section and number of the item being continued.

Name of entrant

_______________________________________________________

Current address

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Telephone
_______________________________________________________

Fax
_______________________________________________________

E-mail
_______________________________________________________

Degrees/diplomas

List institution, date awarded, and field of study for each degree you have received. Begin with your Ph.D.

Ph.D. _________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

Ph.D. Thesis

Title
______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Adviser
______________________________________________________

Thesis Committee (include name and departmental affiliation)
______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

I certify that the work described in the submitted essay is based upon my thesis work and that the degree was awarded between 1 January and 31 December 2004.

____________________________________________________
Signature of entrant

___________________
Date