Please note the deadline for The Medichem Prize: 1 August 2008

1. Name
   
The Medichem Prize.


2. Objectives
   
To enhance occupational and environmental health on matters with direct relevance to the production and use of chemicals by:
• providing financial assistance to Occupational and Environmental Health trainees, to attend Congress and give oral presentations at Congress
• providing a cash prize to the presenter of the oral presentation judged the best



3. Eligibility
   
The Medichem Prize shall be open to trainees in the fields of Occupational Medicine, Occupational Health (including Occupational Health Nursing), Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, and Occupational Safety, including the management and practice of safety in the workplace, and Safety Engineering Practice. Only residents of the country where the Congress is being held are eligible.


4. Method
   
Eligible trainees, as defined in 3 above, shall submit a paper for oral presentation at Congress. The papers shall be scrutinized by the appointed Scientific Committee of the Congress and the best six accepted, subject to their being of suitable quality and relevance.

Co-authorship with senior members of the trainee's tutoring department shall be permitted, provided that the Scientific Committee has acceptable assurances from the trainee and his/her co-authors that the paper submitted, and the work on which it was based, was largely devised, planned and executed by the trainee.

The Scientific Committee shall be entitled to consider, and to accept for the Medichem Prize, a Poster Presentation when:

the author, otherwise eligible under the Medichem Prize, has as yet insufficient command of English to give an oral presentation which would do justice to his/her work, particularly in the answering of questions after his/her presentation.

• a disability, e.g. wheelchair bound or otherwise mobility impaired, defect of sight, hearing or other sensory loss, which would make an oral presentation unduly taxing to the presenter or the audience
• however, the Scientific Committee will not give preference to such a paper/poster presentation over one which fulfills the usual requirements on these grounds (1 and 2 above) alone. The Scientific Committee's over-riding concern shall be to open the Medichem Prize to all those whose subsequent careers will further Occupational Health in their chosen field and reflect favourably upon Medichem, disability preventing their giving oral presentations at Congress notwithstanding



5. Presentation

During Congress, a 1.5 to 2 hour session will be dedicated to the Medichem Prize. No more than 6 papers shall be given, and no presenter shall be author or co-author of more than one paper. This session shall be a part of the Scientific Programme of Congress.


6. Judging

The papers presented at Congress under the Medichem Prize, shall be judged on scientific content, relevance to the Chemical Industry, the advancement of knowledge and standard of presentation, including delivery and slide quality.

The judging panel shall consist of five judges, who shall be Medichem members of good standing. One shall be the Chairman of Medichem, or his appointee, four shall be from the General Body of Members. Two of the five members shall be from the host country of the Congress. The Chairman of Medichem, or his appointee, will chair the Panel, and be answerable to the Board of Medichem, on behalf of the Panel, for the Panel's conduct and conclusions.


7. Prizes

The trainee, whose presentation is judged by the Panel to be the best, shall be awarded a certificate as the winner of the Medichem Prize and a cash prize of USD 500. This figure may be varied by the Board from time to time.


8. awarded a Certificate as a Medichem Prize contestant
9. awarded a free membership of Medichem, to include all the usual benefits of Ordinary Membership (except voting rights and holding office), for the remainder of the current year of Congress and the following year
10. entitled to cite "Medichem Prize Winner" or "Medichem Prize Contestant" in their CVs as appropriate
11. awarded a sum of money, to be determined each year by the Board, towards Congress expenses. This money to be given in advance of Congress to defray expenses, e.g. travel and accommodation
12. to attend the scientific meetings of the Congress at which they present free of charge




The Treasurer of Medichem shall be authorized to make such payments upon the verbal instruction of the Chairman of Medichem or his/her delegated Board Member, such instructions to be followed as soon as possible by written authority, for the record.

The presentation of the certificates and the cash prize to the winner shall be made before the end of the Congress.

The Handbook will list the Prize Winner of each year.

13. Funding


• An appropriate portion of each membership annual subscription shall be set aside for the financing of the Medichem Prize.
• A substantial percentage of the moneys given by Sustaining Members shall likewise be so designated.

The Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer shall be empowered to use the General Funds of Medichem, up to but not exceeding USD 1,000, to sustain the Medichem Prize when sources A and/or B above fail to generate adequate funds at any time. Following the exercise of such empowerment, the Chairman shall report the necessitating circumstances to the Board, which will, either at a full Board Meeting or by response to a letter from the Chairman, decide on the steps needed to further fund the Medichem Prize.