Award Nominations

Members of LDA are invited to submit nominations for the 2022 Rosemary Carter Award, which is open to all current Consultant Members of LDA. 

Nominations for the Rosemary Carter Award should include the following information:

• A brief comment on the reason for the nomination, outlining the nominee’s contribution to the field of learning difficulties as a Consultant Member of LDA and the particular reason(s) why the nominee is considered to be a worthy recipient of the Award
• A CV describing the nominee’s work and current and past achievements, to provide supporting evidence of the reason for the nomination as given above.
• Any relevant supporting documentation

Criteria for nomination may include:

• Excellent understanding of a range of learning difficulties and their impact on learning
• Exceptional knowledge of literacy (and its linguistic base), numeracy (preferable) and executive function constructs
• Advanced knowledge of diagnostic assessments and the ability to design effective individual programs for students with learning difficulties in response to assessment results
• Exceptional knowledge of research-based pedagogies and methodologies to address the learning needs of students with learning difficulties
• Evidence of the impact of their instruction on the learning outcomes of students with learning difficulties
• A history of engaging the wider community to promote LDA and its goals
• A significant history of supporting students with learning difficulties in in private practice or in school settings
• The provision and/or promotion of equitable access to appropriate educational support for low income and disadvantaged families
• Demonstrated commitment to the LDA Association and significant involvement in activities which contribute to the mission of LDA

Applications for the Tertiary Student Award are invited from postgraduate students undertaking research in the area of learning difficulties.
Applicants for the LDA Tertiary Student Award must be:

• Currently enrolled in a postgraduate degree at an Australian University or have had their postgraduate degree conferred within the last 24 months from an Australian University.
• Their research:
  • Must have been carried out as part of a postgraduate program at the Masters or PhD level at an Australian university  
  • Must address theoretical and/or practical issues in the field of learning difficulties

Documents uploaded to the application for the LDA Tertiary Student Award should include:

1. A covering letter, detailing:
   • Course and year of study, university, date of enrolment and date degree conferred (if appropriate)
   • Research supervisor/s and their contact details
2. A letter from their research supervisor/s confirming that the research described in the application was carried out as part of their postgraduate degree.
3. A brief overview of their research. This should include a summary of:
   • The purpose of the research
   • Relevant background and brief literature review
   • Information on the research design and data collection procedure
   • Research findings
   • Discussion of the implication of the findings, including a statement of how the research advances the understanding of theoretical and practical issues in the field of learning difficulties.

The award recipient would be expected, after receipt of the award, to provide an overview of their research in a form suitable for publication in the LDA Bulletin (in consultation with the LDA Bulletin Editor and their supervisor/s).

The AJLD Early Career Researcher Award will be by open competition, based on the submission of a paper in a form appropriate for publication in the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties. Those eligible to receive this Award will be researchers who have completed their PhD within the last six years, and who are currently engaged in research which has the potential to make a significant contribution to theory or practice in the learning difficulty area. Selection of the Early Career Researcher Award will be decided by the Editors of the Journal in consultation with the LDA President. The Award carries a prize of $500. Submissions for this Award are called for at the beginning of each year.

Researchers wishing to be considered for this Award are required to follow the application procedure and fill in the form here, by 31st May, 2022. In addition to uploading your article with the application, applicants for this Award must also submit their article to the AJLD in the usual way (as per instructions here). All papers submitted for this Award will be considered for publication in the Journal, and those not qualifying for the Award may qualify for the special commendation of ‘highly commended’.  Both members of LDA and non-members of LDA are eligible to be considered for this Award.