Student Research Prizes 2017

 Aims:

• To encourage community psychology research among early career researchers, the Community Psychology Section will be awarding up to three prizes for student research projects.  N.B. Students/graduates can nominate themselves or their supervisors can nominate their students.
• There will be one prize for undergraduate research, one prize for taught postgraduate research (e.g. MA, MSc, PGDip, MRes) and one prize for research postgraduate degrees (e.g. MPhil, PhD, Professional Doctorates). 
• Each successful prize-winner will: (1) receive a Certificate of Achievement awarded by the Chair of the Community Psychology Section; (2) have an opportunity to present findings from this work at a forthcoming Community Psychology Section event in 2018; and (3) be able to share their work with other Section members via one of the Community Psychology Section’s electronic newsletters.

Eligibility and Criteria:

Prizes will be awarded on the basis of several criteria:

1. Relevance to Community Psychology: The research project needs to be consonant with the three central aims and objectives of the Community Psychology Section (listed at the end of this notice).  For an application to succeed, each application should have a supporting statement showing how the project has addressed these Aims and Objectives.
2. Recency of work: Applicants need to have submitted their research as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate research project between the dates of November 2015 until November 2017.
3. Theoretical and/or Methodological Excellence: A supporting statement from the applicant’s research supervisor is required.  In the case of a project where joint supervision has happened, this supporting statement can come from any member of the applicant’s supervisory team.  Account will be taken into the balance of inputs into the project by the student and the supervisor/supervisory team.

Timescales:

• 17^th November: Submissions open.  Email Michael Richards, the Secretary of the Community Psychology Section Committee with your application: richarmi@edgehill.ac.uk   

This application should comprise:

• The Abstract of the project (taken from the submitted project report/dissertation/thesis),
• A supporting statement (max. 500 words) showing how the project is addressing the Section’s Aims and Objectives,
• A supporting statement (max. 300 words) from the supervisor/a member of the supervisory team.
• Friday 15^th December 2017, 5.00 p.m.: Deadline for all submissions.  No late entries are permitted.
• Friday 22^nd December, 2017: Applicants are informed of the result of their application. 

Appendix: Three Core BPS Community Psychology Section’s Aims and Objectives

Dismantle disabling societal barriers and construct psychologically enabling contexts and practices 

• raise awareness of socio-political and organisational issues affecting education, development and well-being 
• challenge the dominance of individually-focused models of psychosocial adjustment and psychological intervention 
• address people’s strengths and competencies as well as problems and difficulties 
• promote preventative interventions for health and well-being 

Strive for social justice 

• research the impact of local, national and international policies on health and well-being 
• question established power structures and hierarchies 
• lobby for ideologically progressive policies consistent with community psychology principles 

Work in solidarity and mutual respect alongside people experiencing marginalisation, disempowerment and oppression 

• work with community organisations towards collaborative understanding of issues of collective importance 
• promote the interests of marginalised, disempowered and oppressed people 
• facilitate community engagement to address issues affecting health and well-being 
• encourage lobbying, community networking, advocacy and policy engagement