Young Investigator Award Policy

Abstract submission and award application must be completed by the regular abstract submission deadline.

This award is open to MASCC members and non-members.

Purpose
To recognize outstanding young investigators’ research accomplishments.

Scope
The award is open to all junior investigators who have submitted an abstract to the Annual Meeting. Young Investigator Awards are awarded to the first authors of the top five (5) abstracts with the highest scores. These abstracts are chosen from the top ten (10) percent of all abstracts submitted to the Annual Meeting. In addition, the Outstanding Young Investigator Award will go to the Young Investigator with the highest-ranked abstract. The awards are presented at the Annual Meeting.

Award
A Young Investigator Award includes the following:

• Complimentary conference registration for the Annual Meeting,
• Two (2) nights’ accommodation for the Annual Meeting, and
• Reimbursement of travel expenses as per current MASCC reimbursement policies (for details, please contact events@mascc.org). Reimbursement will be provided after confirmation of the recipients’ attendance to the Annual Meeting and presentation of their abstract.
• Recipients will present their abstract as an Oral Proffered Paper at the Annual Meeting.
• Recipients will be invited to the Awards Reception to receive their award certificate.
• Recipients will receive a one-year online MASCC membership (if they are already a member, they will receive their following year complimentary).

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be:
   • In training (training is defined as any clinical or post-graduate training), or
   • Out of training for no more than seven (7) years (applicants who have career disruptions are still eligible provided they have been out of training for no more than seven (7) years full-time equivalent).
2.  Applicants may be from any country.
3. Applicants may be from any profession.
4. Applicants must submit an abstract as first author to the Annual Meeting and answer the questions related to the Young Investigator application for the regular abstract deadline.
5. Applicants must have primarily conducted the research presented in the abstract.
6. Applicants do not have to be members of MASCC, but must register for the Annual Meeting and must be able to present their abstract at the Annual Meeting. If an applicant is unable to be present at the Annual Meeting, then the award is forfeited.
7. Applicants who have previously been awarded a Young Investigator Award are not eligible.
8. Applicants are not eligible for any other abstract-based awards for the given year.

Procedures

Application Process

1. There will be an option to apply for the Young Investigator Award when submitting abstracts online. By selecting this option, a series of application questions will be presented to be completed.
2. Applicants must attest to their eligibility as a “Young Investigator”.
3. Abstracts including an application for a Young Investigator Award must be submitted by the “Regular” abstract deadline.

Selection Process

1. Abstracts will be peer reviewed and scored.
2. All abstracts will be ranked in descending order by mean score.
3. The highest-ranked abstracts submitted by eligible Young Investigators will be chosen from among the top ten (10) percent of all abstracts submitted.
4. The selected highest-ranked abstracts will be reviewed by the MASCC Awards Committee and ad hoc reviewers (if appropriate).
5. From among these, the MASCC Awards Committee will select the top five (5) to receive a Young Investigator Award. The abstracts will be judged based on (1) impact, (2) innovation, (3) research strategy, and (4) quality of writing.
6. From among these five (5) selected abstracts, the first author of the highest-ranked abstract will be named the Outstanding Young Investigator.
7. All applicants will be notified of the MASCC Awards Committee’s decision via email. The award recipient(s) will receive the next steps for completing conference registration.
8. The award recipients must be present at the Annual Meeting and present their abstract to receive a travel reimbursement.
9. Award recipients may be asked by email to provide feedback after the Annual Meeting. Award recipients are required to respond within five (5) business days of such a request.