2026 HDR Candidate Prizes

Every year, we honour and celebrate the remarkable accomplishments within our research community through two levels of research awards and prizes: the Vice-Chancellor's Research Awards and Prizes and RMIT Research Awards and Prizes.

The Research Awards and Prizes acknowledge the research excellence, engagement and impact achieved by research staff and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates, while the Research Service Awards (RSAs) are presented to professional staff who deliver services that support and enable research. 

This application is for the Research Award program.

In 2026, nominations for the Research Award program will run from Friday 15 May 11:00am to Thursday 23 July at 3:00pm sharp. Please try to submit early as the system accepts no applications after the cutoff. 

Before you begin:

Please ensure that you have read the Research Awards Guidelines and additional supporting documents on the RMIT University Research Awards page.

Save as you go:

We suggest you click SAVE as you progress through your application.

Further information and contact details:

• If you require support in filling out this form due to accessibility or health issues, reach out to our team for assistance via email. - reward.recognition.research@rmit.edu.au
• If you have any questions about the Research Awards and Prizes please contact our team via email - reward.recognition.research@rmit.edu.au

Per the Research Awards Guidelines.

A complete nomination consists of the following:

1. Completion of this nomination form.
2. Nominator(s) Statement – Nominator Support fillable template.
3. Statement(s) of Support – Statement of Support fillable template.
4. Curriculum vitae – Each nominee must submit an abbreviated CV (1.5 x A4 pages maximum). Team awards require a single compiled PDF containing abbreviated CVs, maximum of 1 page per member, for all nominated team members to be submitted.
5. Google Scholar / Google Scholar Profile Link - Provide a link to the Google Scholar Profile, and / or the relevant research of the nominee(s).

Nominations falling within a specific prize category will be evaluated for both the Vice-Chancellor's Research Awards and RMIT Research Awards within that category. For example, should a nomination be for the Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Research Excellence category (HDR), the same applicant will automatically qualify for evaluation for the RMIT Prize for Research Excellence (HDR). 

Please select the Prize being applied for from the list below.

Award Guidelines.