Prizes & Awards

The British Society of Audiology (BSA) has a portfolio of awards that are available on an annual or bi-annual basis. Many of them have been created to honour remarkable individuals; pioneers in the profession and are a great way to identify and celebrate the achievements of new individuals that promote excellence in hearing and balance. Depending on the award, nominations are received from BSA members, Trustees and groups.

Nominations for any award can be made throughout the year via the Teams form here. Trustees at the March Council meeting will award the prize winners from all the nominations received up to the 1st March where they will be officially announced during the AGM. Nominations made after the 1st March will be included in the nominations for the subsequent year.

March 2024 – March 2025 BSA Award Nominations have now reopened. The results of these awards will be announced at the BSA AGM on TBC June 2025.

 

The March 2023 – March 2024 BSA Award Winners are noted below, congratulations to all.

Awards Nominated By Members Of The Society

  • Thomas Simm Littler Lectureship Prize – No nominations received on this occasion.
  • Ruth Spencer – No nominations received on this occasion.
  • Denzil Brooks – Kevin Munro.
  • David Baguley Mentorship Award – Gabrielle Saunders.
  • Honorary Member – No nominations received on this occasion.

Awards Nominated By Members Of The Public (BSA members are encouraged to highlight this award to their patients and their families)

  • The George Harris Award – Doris Bamiou.

Awards Nominated by The Editorial Team of the Audacity Magazine

  • Jos Millar – Andreas Anagiotos.

Roger Thornton Award

  • Winnie Ng.

The Thomas Simm Littler Lectureship

An Award That is Nominated By Members Of The Society

Background: Set up in honour of the late Dr Thomas Simm Littler, a pioneer in British Audiology.


Nomination Process:

  • Nominations should include people who have made a recent (within the last 5 years) significant contribution to the Audiology evidence base.
  • Nominee must hold current BSA membership.

Schedule: Awarded biennially


Prize:

  • Mounted tuning fork (to be kept by recipient)
  • Certificate
  • Presentation at subsequent BSA Scientific Meeting and the opportunity to deliver content through the BSA Online Learning platform.

The Ruth Spencer Prize

An Award That is Nominated By Members Of The Society

Background: Originally established by donations from Ruth Spencer’s many friends and colleagues following her death, this award is now funded by the society.


Nomination Process:

  • Nominations should be for a submitted piece of UG academic work which falls under any of the 4 strategic aims of the BSA.
  • Nominee must be either a BSA UG student member on behalf of self or UG colleague or a member of academic staff who is a BSA member

Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • £250
  • Certificate

Jos Millar Award

An Awards that is Nominated by The Editorial Team of the Audacity Magazine

Background: Jos Millar, Chief Audiologist at the Waveney Hospital, Ballymena, retired after many happy years spent in audiological practice. Jos has commemorated these happy years by making an award to the BSA in the form of a shield.


Nomination Process:

Nominations are made by the Audacity editorial team for the best article submitted to Audacity within the past year. Award winning articles will be informative, transferrable, well-structured and engaging.


Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • The Jos Millar Shield (returned to the Society at the end of each year)
  • Audiological Text Book of the Winner’s Choice
  • Certificate

George Harris People’s Choice Award

An Awards That is Nominated By Members Of The Public (BSA members are encouraged to highlight this award to their patients and their families)

Background: Set up in 2006 as a result of money bequeathed to the BSA by the late George Harris.


Nomination Process:

  • Nominations should be for individuals or groups/teams who have made a significant impact to a service user or contribution in the field of adult rehabilitation or paediatric habilitation. This could include contributions related to research in this area, service development or innovations in clinical practice or individual clinical impact (as nominated by service users and their families).
  • Nominee can be either a service user or a family member or friend of a service user

Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • Personalised soundwave artwork
  • Certificate

Denzil Brooks Award

An Award That is Nominated By Members Of The Society

Background: The Denzil Brooks Trophy was set up in 2007 for Promoting Excellence in Audiological Practice in memory of Denzil Brooks


Nomination Process:

Nominations should be for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of excellence in audiological practice throughout their career. This could include promotion of excellence through leadership, development of guidance or contributions to clinical education

Nominee must be a BSA member


Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • Ear Trumpet Trophy
  • Certificate

Roger Thornton Award

Background: Roger Thornton was the chair of the IERASG for many years and an internationally renowned researcher in the field of auditory electrophysiology


Nomination Process:

  • Nominations should be for undergraduate or postgraduate students or early career researchers who have shown excellence in their research work and would like the opportunity to share the outcomes of their work with the wider scientific community
  • Nominees can submit on behalf of self or others, but must be BSA members.

Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • Reasonable costs to cover attendance and presentation at a relevant scientific conference
  • Certificate

How to apply

Application form 

PLEASE NOTE WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY FURTHER APPLICATIONS FOR THIS AWARD AS THE BUDGET FOR 2023 HAS BEEN ALLOCATED. WE SHALL OPEN UP THE AWARD IN THE NEW FINANCIAL YEAR IN MARCH 2024.

David Baguley Mentorship Award

An Award That is Nominated By Members Of The Society

Background: In memory of the outstanding mentorship offered by David Baguely throughout his career, the David Baguely award is to acknowledge those offering mentorship and supporting the development of others.


Nomination Process:

  • Nominations should be for professionals who have mentored or supervised other professionals in a formal or informal arrangement
  • Nominee must be a BSA member
  • Nominations are accepted from individuals who have received mentorship or supervision from the person being nominated

Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • Personalised glass obelisk
  • Certificate

Honorary Life Membership (may be more than one award per year)

An Award That is Nominated By Members Of The Society

Background: Honorary Life Membership can be awarded to people who have been active members of BSA for >10 years and who have contributed to the delivery of the aims of the Society during that time


Nomination Process:

Nominee must be a BSA member


Schedule: Awarded annually


Prize:

  • BSA Honorary Life Membership
  • Certificate

Guidance for nominators 

Thank you for considering nominating someone for a BSA award. There are a number of awards available and included below is an explanation of each award plus some guidance on what to consider and include in your nomination.

All nominees, with the exception of the Jos Millar Award and the George Harris Award, must be for BSA members.

As a nominator it is suggested that you consider and include clear reasons for your nomination using specific examples so that your nomination stands out from others.

A nominator can only nominate one nominee for each award in any one year although they can nominate multiple people to receive different awards. It is suggested that a nominator considers NOT nominating someone for multiple awards in any one year and instead considers which award best matches the achievements of the nominee.

Dr Thomas Simm Littler

Thomas Simm Littler was a scientist, progressing from his early degree in Physics, to a MSc in Acoustics through to innovative projects in support of children with hearing impairment. At the invitation of the Medical Research Council, Dr Littler established and became director of the Wernher Research Unit of Deafness at the Royal, National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital London. In 1951 he was awarded the Norman Gamble Prize for the most outstanding contributions to otology by the Royal Society of medicine.

Nominations should include individuals who have made a recent and significant contribution to the Audiology evidence base and can include individuals working in basic, translational or clinical research and can be academic or clinician researchers.

Information in your nomination should include:

  • Examples of contribution to the Audiology evidence base over the last 2 years
  • In what way this contribution has made an impact
  • How this contribution has been disseminated and used by others

The Ruth Spencer Prize

Historically this prize was awarded annually to a BSA member of non-graduate status based upon their production of an audiological essay. In later years (with the introduction of the BSc Audiology) this award was opened to any member giving the best contribution to Audiology in the UK. In 2022 the BSA Council re-instated that this award is for under-graduates only.

Nominations will need to include information about where in the UK your nominee is in learning and include their piece of academic work. This nomination can be for any student BSA member:

  • Why should this student receive an award for this particular piece of work?
  • How does it fit with the BSA’s 4 strategic aims?

Jos Millar Award

NB. Nominations for this award are not required to be BSA members

This award is for the best article published in the BSA Audacity magazine within the preceding year’s editions. When considering nominations the Audacity Editorial Team will take a number of key features into account:

  • The relevance and significance of the topic area – does it offer something new or novel?
  • The degree and level of information contained within the article
  • The impact of the article on BSA members work and practice
  • The structure and flow of the article, it’s readability
  • The quality and relevance of any images or diagrams
  • Is it written in a way that is engaging?

George Harris People’s Choice Award

This award is for an individual or group nominated by any non-member of the society, including individuals or their friends or families. Nominations should include individuals who have made a significant contribution in the field of adult rehabilitation or paediatric habilitation with particular focus on contributions related to technological interventions. This could include contributions related to research in this area, service development or innovations in clinical practice or individual clinical impact

Information in your nomination should include:

  • Details about the contribution they have made over the last year– what have they done?
  • How technological interventions featured in this contribution
  • The impact of the contribution on the technology available to audiologist or on direct patient care

Denzil Brooks Award

This award is for promoting excellence in Audiological Practice

Nominations should include individuals who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of excellence in audiological practice throughout their career. This could include promotion of excellence through leadership, development of guidance or contributions to clinical education.

Information in your nomination should include:

  • Details about the contribution they have made throughout their career – what have they done?
  • How did this promote excellence in Audiological Practice?
  • What has been the impact of that on service delivery or direct patient care?

Roger Thornton Award

Roger Thornton was the chair of the IERASG for many years and an internationally renowned researcher in the field of auditory electrophysiology. Nominations should be for undergraduate or postgraduate students or early career researchers who have shown excellence in their research work and would like the opportunity to share the outcomes of their work with the wider scientific community

Information in your nomination should include:

  • Details about the contribution they have made from the research work that they have done or are currently working on
  • How does this work contribute to the Audiological knowledge base?
  • What is the potential impact of that on patient care in the future?

David Baguley Mentorship Award

This award is for people who have excelled in the support and guidance they have provided to other professionals in the audiological field. The support and guidance can have been provided in a formal or informal arrangement.

Information in your nomination should include:

  • Details about the contribution they have made over the last year– what have they done?
  • How technological interventions featured in this contribution
  • The impact of the contribution on the technology available to audiologist or on direct patient care

Honorary Life Membership (may be more than one award per year)

Nominations should include people who have been active members of BSA for >10 years and who have contributed to the delivery of the aims of the Society during that time. Information in your nomination should include:

  • Details of any roles and group membership held within BSA
  • Details of any participation in the production of BSA guidance or other resources
  • Details of any contributions that have furthered the aims of the Society
  • How their contribution has made a difference to the field of Audiology