IOM Awards

The Awards Committee shall consist of ten regular members appointed by successive Chairs of IOM. Members will serve for two IOM Congresses (generally two biennia), with five holdover members who were appointed by the retiring Chair and five new members appointed by the new Chair of IOM after assuming office. At the beginning of each biennium the incoming Chair of IOM will appoint a Chair of the Awards Committee from among the five hold-over members, who will serve in that capacity for one congress (generally one biennium, two years). Collectively, members of the Awards Committee should reflect the expertise necessary to evaluate all IOM award categories. Subject to approval and appointment by the IOM Chair, the Chair of the Awards Committee may assign qualified IOM members as ad hoc participants to provide specialized expertise or fill gaps in Committee member service for specific needs during a single biennial term. Award Committee members who work in the same group/organisation as a nominee, will declare conflict of interest and exclude themselves from voting for the corresponding award.

The following table summarizes the criteria and other relevant information about different IOM wards.

1. The Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel Award is made in honor of Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel and is given in recognition of outstanding contributions in research in the field of mycoplasmology. The contribution will be assessed based on relevant publications and citations, training of higher degree students, applied research outcome and service to the community (such as serving as a member of the IOM Board or IRPCM, participating in the organization of an IOM congress, etc).
2. There shall be no age limit for the Award, but the nominee must be actively engaged in research in the field for which the Award is to be made. If the nominee has retired from full duty, the maximum elapsed time between the date of retirement and the date on which the Award is to be presented can be no more than five years.
3. The Award consists of a certificate and a cheque payment of $1000 USD. All payments to anyone residing outside of the US are made via wire transfer or PayPal. Cheques must be cashed within 3 months after the award.
4. The recipient of the Award will be selected by the Awards Committee of the IOM.
5. Membership in the IOM is not a requirement for eligibility at the time of nomination, however the award will be given to the present or former IOM members only.
6. The Award shall be made at every official IOM Congress, at which the recipient of the Award will present a lecture at a time determined by the Scientific Program Committee.
7. Nominations for the Award will be invited by the Awards Committee through announcement in the IOM Newsletter. Nominations must be made by active IOM members through a completed nomination form which includes: a) a biographical sketch of the nominee; b) a publication list of the nominee, preferably including reprints of the most significant work; c) a specific description of the research that has stimulated the nomination; and d) a single supporting letter, preferably from a scientist involved in the field and not closely associated with the nominee. Nominations must be submitted electronically and received by the IOM Awards Committee Chair by December 15^th prior to the next IOM Congress. The Awards Committee Chair shall determine the validity and forward the validated nominations promptly to the Awards Committee. Self-nomination is not accepted and only one nomination per IOM member is allowed.
8. The Awards Committee shall select a single nominee to receive the Award. If no suitable nominee, the Award may be deferred. The Awards Committee shall reach a decision by February 1^st of the year that the Award is to be made and promptly report to the IOM Secretary-General so that a formal invitation may be made on behalf of the IOM Chair.
9. The Awards Committee report should include a condensed biographical sketch and a summation of the scientific work upon which the Award is based. A public announcement of the winner of the Award shall be made in the IOM Newsletter, and possibly in suitable journals of wider general circulation, at a reasonable time before presentation of the Award, so that proper publicity can be obtained.
10. Members of the Award Committee who make nominations shall not participate in the decision on the Award.
11. These rules may be revised, if desirable, by formal action of the Board of Directors of the IOM.

1. The Derrick Edward Award is made in memory of Derrick G. ff. Edward and is given in recognition of outstanding contributions in research in the field of mycoplasmology by young investigators entering the field of mycoplasmology. The contribution will be assessed based on relevant publications and citations, training of higher degree students, applied research outcome and service to the community (such as serving as a member of the IOM Board or IRPCM, participating in the organization of an IOM congress, etc).
2. Although there are no age limits on a nominee to be eligible for the Award, the nominee should not have more than fifteen years previous work experience in the field of mycoplasmology at the time of the Award. The award committee evaluates the experience relative to opportunity and takes into consideration time away from research due to parental or sick leave. The time spent in pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research programs in mycoplasmology will count toward the total work experience. The nominee must also be actively engaged, at the time of nomination, in research in the field for which the Award is to be made.
3. The value, requirements for the nomination, and other rules for the selection of an awardee for the Derrick Edward Award are similar to those described for the Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel Award (points 3-11).

1. The Peter Hannan Award is given in recognition of outstanding research achievements in the field of applied medical or veterinary clinical mycoplasmology and is made in honor of Peter C. Hannan. Dr. Hannan made major contributions to this specific discipline within mycoplasmology, particularly in the area of establishing methods for assessing the sensitivity of animal mycoplasmas to antimicrobial drugs. The contribution will be assessed based on relevant publications and citations, training of higher degree students and applied research outcome.
2. There shall be no age limit for the Award, but the nominee must be actively engaged in research in the field for which the Award is to be made. If the nominee has retired from full duty, the maximum elapsed time between the date of retirement and the date on which the Award is to be presented can be no more than five years.
3. The value, requirements for the nomination, and other rules for the selection of an awardee for the Peter Hannan Award are similar to those described for the Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel Award (points 3-11).

1. The Robert F. Whitcomb Award was made in 2008 to honor Robert F. Whitcomb, whose lifetime contributions in plant and insect mycoplasmology were instrumental in the development of the discipline. The Robert F. Whitcomb Award is given in recognition of outstanding research achievements in the field of plant and insect mycoplasmology. The contribution will be assessed based on relevant publications and citations, training of higher degree students and applied research outcome.
2. There shall be no age limit for the Award, but the nominee must be actively engaged in research in the field for which the Award is to be made. If the nominee has retired from full duty, the maximum elapsed time between the date of retirement and the date on which the Award is to be presented can be no more than five years.
3. The value, requirements for the nomination, and other rules for the selection of an awardee for the Robert F. Whitcomb Award are similar to those described for the Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel Award (points 3-11).

1. The IOM Founders Award (Board of Directors Award prior to 2016) is made to recognize outstanding group or individual efforts that promote the aims, objectives, or activities of the IOM, or contribute to advances in the science of mycoplasmology.
2. There shall be no age limit for the Award. However, if the nominee has retired from full duty, the maximum elapsed time between the date of retirement and the date on which the Award is to be presented can be no more than five years.
3. The Award consists of a certificate briefly denoting the accomplishments. The certificate is given in the name of the IOM Board of Directors, and is signed by the Chairperson and the Secretary-General of the IOM.
4. Membership in the IOM is not a requirement for eligibility at the time of nomination, however the award will be given to the present or former IOM members only.
5. Nomination for the Award is normally made by the IOM Chairperson, with a formal vote of concurrence from the IOM Board of Directors. This vote, preferably by secret ballot with returned ballots forwarded directly to the Secretary-General, should confirm by majority vote of the Board that they are in agreement with the granting of the Award to the individual or group nominated.
6. The IOM Awards Committee can also provide a written nomination to the IOM Chairperson, providing names of individuals or groups that might be eligible for the Award. These proposals should provide detailed documentation as to why the Committee is offering the nomination. However, it is the ultimate decision of the IOM Chairperson as to whether the nominations are forwarded to the Board of Directors for approval and vote.
7. Generally, not more than two IOM Board of Directors Awards should be given at a major Congress of the Organization. If a suitable nomination is not confirmed, the Award will be deferred.
8. The following general guidelines might be used to select suitable nominees for the Award: a) The candidate might have given sustained and outstanding service to the IOM, either as an elected official, committee chairperson or member. b) The candidate might have played an integral part in the formation and development of the IOM or rendered outstanding service to the IOM or to one of the component parts (such as the IRPCM). c) The candidate (or group) might have contributed noteworthy advancement to the science of mycoplasmology, but the contribution might not have been recognized by other IOM awards. This contribution should, however, represent an important and qualified scientific advancement to the field, and be recognized as such by most mycoplasmologists.
9. The first public announcement of the Award should be given by the IOM Chairperson at an appropriate time during the regular IOM Congress. This announcement should briefly state the criteria for awarding the citation. Further announcement of the Award should be carried in a subsequent issue of the IOM Newsletter and another appropriate publication.
10. These rules may be revised, if desirable, by formal action of the Board of Directors of the IOM.

1. The Louis Dienes Award is made in memory of Louis Dienes. This award is given to recognize an outstanding poster in mycoplasmology by an author who is a postdoctoral fellow and who obtained a terminal degree no more than five years previously.
2. The Award consists of a certificate and a cheque payment of $500 USD. All payments to anyone residing outside of the US are made via wire transfer or PayPal. Cheques must be cashed within 3 months after the award.
3. Candidates must indicate their intention of candidacy for the Award at the time of abstract submission for the IOM Congress and must personally present the poster at the Congress be eligible. The evaluation process considers both the submitted abstract and the actual presentation. In addition to showing a high standard of presentation, the poster presentation should introduce novel concepts or techniques, possess unique or highly significant new findings or, in the judgment of the IOM Awards Committee, possess the potential for significant influence on future directions of research in mycoplasmology.
4. The recipient(s) of the Award will be selected by the IOM Awards Committee. Award Committee members with conflict of interest will exclude themselves from voting.
5. Membership in the IOM is not a requirement at the time of nomination; however the award will be given to the present or former IOM members only.
6. The Award will be made every second year at the official Congress of the IOM.
7. No member of the current IOM Awards Committee may be a candidate for the Louis Dienes Award.
8. The IOM Awards Committee will decide upon a single individual or group of individuals to receive the Award, but if, in the opinion of the Awards Committee, there are no qualified candidates for the Award, it may be deferred.
9. Announcement of the winner(s) of the Louis Dienes Award will be made prior to the closing ceremony of the IOM Congress by the Chairperson of the IOM. Public announcement should also be made in a subsequent issue of the IOM Newsletter.
10. The rules may be revised, if desirable, by formal action of the Board of Directors of the IOM.

1. The Harry Morton Student Award is made to honor Harry Morton and is given in recognition of an outstanding poster presentation in mycoplasmology by a graduate student at a regular Congress of the IOM.
2. The Award consists of a certificate and a cheque payment of $500 USD. All payments to anyone residing outside of the US are made via wire transfer or PayPal. Cheques must be cashed within 3 months after the award.
3. Candidates must indicate their intention of candidacy for the Award at the time of abstract submission for the IOM Congress and must personally present the poster at the Congress be eligible. The evaluation process considers both the submitted abstract and the actual presentation. To be eligible for the Award, the candidate must be enrolled as a graduate student on April 30^th of the year of the Award and must be actively engaged in research in the field for which the Award is to be made. The poster presentation to be recognized for the Award should represent work done primarily by the candidate. In addition to showing a high standard of presentation, the poster should introduce novel concepts or techniques, important new findings in the field, or, in the judgment of the Awards Committee, possess the potential for significantly influencing future directions of research within the field of mycoplasmology.
4. The recipient of the Award will be selected by the IOM Awards Committee. Award Committee members with conflict of interest will exclude themselves from voting.
5. Membership in the IOM is not a requirement for eligibility.
6. The Award will be made every second year at the official Congress of the IOM.
7. The IOM Awards Committee will select one candidate to receive the Award, but if, in the opinion of the Committee, there is no qualified poster, the Award may be deferred.
8. Announcement of the winner of the Harry Morton Student Award will be made prior to the closing ceremony of the IOM Congress by the Chairperson of the IOM. Public announcement should also be made in a subsequent issue of the IOM Newsletter.
9. These rules may be revised, if desirable, by formal action of the Board of Directors of the IOM.