After a break of several years the Association for Tree-ring Research (ATR) 2018 re-launched its early-career researcher award for the best Ph.D. and Masters thesis within the fields of tree-ring research encompassed by the remit of the Association.

For the 2023-awards, supervisors who are members of the ATR are invited to nominate Ph.D. theses from any research student who is also a member of the ATR for at least the year of submission whom they have supervised and who has successfully defended their thesis within the calendar year 2022.

For the Masters award nominations are invited from supervisors who are members of the Association, although given the early-stage nature of Masters-level research, nominees need not be members of the Association.

Nominations are submitted using the ATR Nomination Form. The deadline for receipt of theses is February, 15 2023. Thesis can be submitted electronically or as hard copy. Theses may be either in the format of a monograph or bound published papers with an accompanying summary in English.

The ATR thesis awards aims to recognise the very best Masters and Ph.D. theses in tree-ring research. For this reason and to ensure a fair review process, supervisors may nominate only ONE thesis for each award category (i.e. the best M.Sc. and the best Ph.D.). When nominating a thesis for a prize, the supervisor should also provide with their application a short (<750 characters) statement as to why the thesis is novel and a potential prize winner. This statement is retained by the ATR board and not forwarded to the individual reviewers.

Theses will be judged for their excellence by members of the ATR Advisory Board (or nominated external reviewers) who will make a recommendation to the Management Board. Theses will be judged upon their quality, originality, potential contribution to the discipline, scientific rigour and presentation.

The highest ranked thesis will be awarded the ATR prize €1,000 for Ph.D. and €250 for Masters (including “Doctorant” or National equivalent). The winner will be announced at the TRACE Annual Meeting and communicated to members online. The decision of the Board is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Given the prestige and financial value of the award, the Board and reviewers reserve the right to not recommend a thesis for an award in any one year.

Former awardees are listed below.

Ph.D. thesis award

2021 -not appointed-
2020 Linar Akhmetzyanov*
Jessie Pearl
2019 Jernej Jevšenak
2011 Bettina Wagner
2010 Britta Eilmann
2008 Niels Bleicher
2007 Matthias Schaub
2006 David Frank

* winner of the ‘Fritz H. Schweingruber Award’

Master thesis award

2021 Julie Edwards
2020 Duncan Mifsud
2019 Corinna Herrmann
2011 Cathrin Meinardus
2010 Karina Hennig