2026 MASC Prize Calls

MASC: The Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry Interest Group

2026 MASC Prize Calls

2026 MASC Group Supramolecular Chemistry Award

The MASC Group Supramolecular Chemistry Award is the award given to the most senior category of chemists by the group. It may be awarded to individuals (and their research groups) or to teams of collaborating principal investigators (and their research groups) for exceptional research contributions to macrocyclic and/or supramolecular chemistry in the broadest sense. Candidates are asked to provide a supporting statement evidencing their service to supporting the macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry community. The Group seeks to encourage applications from researchers with diverse interests and backgrounds. The award is open to nominations from any country.

The Supramolecular Chemistry Award provides up to £2000 to support travel to and accommodation at the MASC meeting to give the award lecture. Expenses must align with the RSC’s policy on expenses. The award lecture is given at the MASC Interest Group meeting that is held annually in December. This year the meeting will be held at the University of Sheffield on Monday 21st – Tuesday 22nd December 2026. Applicants, or at least one member of the team for joint applications, should be willing to present at this meeting if their application is successful.Chemical Science alongside the MASC interest group are generously sponsoring the Supramolecular Chemistry Award in 2026.

Self-nominations for the Supramolecular Award should consist of a single two-page cover letter outlining suitability for the award per application, a service to the community statement (350 words max.), and the CV(s) of the applicant(s) each including up to 20 relevant publications from the last five years as well as any other relevant information. The nomination should include a short citation describing what the prize should be awarded for. This citation must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence. Supporting statements from nominators are not required and will not be considered. Please declare if over the last five years you have been found guilty of any disciplinary procedure, had any paper retracted, or have other circumstances which may bring the award into disrepute (if yes, word limit 250 words).

Decisions will be made based on the scientific achievements of the candidate as judged by the MASC Committee members and external experts based on the submitted documents, not simply the number or impact factor of the articles published.

Note about the service to the community statement:

This award is an international award, and you can draw on any evidence; this does not have to be related to the UK/Eire community or to MASC-specific events. We would encourage discussing evidence in the same way that you would in a narrative style CV, as recommended by DORA. This might include:

  • Explaining your contributions to the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
  • Teaching activities, workshops, or mentoring
  • Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives
  • Examples of leadership or shaping the direction of a team
  • Your contributions to the wider supramolecular and macrocyclic community
  • Positions of responsibility you have held
  • Commitments such as reviewing, editing, or committee work
  • Strategic leadership in influencing research agenda

Judging criteria:

Scored 100% for exceptional research contributions

The service to supporting the community statement will be used as an eligibility criterion for award consideration and only scored in the event of a tie for research contributions.

Please remember that, as with other RSC prizes, a person or team cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work. Your top 20 papers submitted for this award should not have been included in the portfolio of work for any previous RSC prize (previous MASC prizes or previous other RSC prizes). Please ensure that your nomination paperwork clearly explains why the current nomination is distinct from work which led to the previous award(s).

Applications should be submitted by email to the Group Secretary (Dr Ben Pilgrim: ben.pilgrim@nottingham.ac.uk) by 5pm (UK time) Friday 18th September 2026. If you have any questions about your eligibility for the award, please contact Ben who will be happy to provide additional guidance. 

2026 Bob Hay Lectureship

The prestigious Bob Hay Award Lecture is given annually by a chemist within 15 years of the completion of their PhD working in the area of macrocyclic and/or supramolecular chemistry in its widest sense. The award is made in memory of Professor Bob Hay, one of the pioneers of macrocyclic chemistry in the UK. The award is open to anyone working at an institution in the UK or Eire or who can otherwise demonstrate a strong link to the MASC Interest Group. The Group seeks to encourage applications from researchers with diverse interests and backgrounds. The award is given for “exceptional research contributions to macrocyclic and/or supramolecular chemistry in the broadest sense and/or exceptional service to the macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry community.”

The lecture is given at the annual MASC Interest Group meeting. This year the meeting will be held at the University of Sheffield on Monday 21st – Tuesday 22nd December 2026. All applicants should be willing to present at this meeting if their application is successful.

Self-nominations for the Bob Hay lectureship should consist of a one-page cover letter outlining suitability for the award, a CV and full publication list highlighting the applicant’s top 10 papers where they have had a leading role. The nomination should include a short citation describing what the prize should be awarded for. This citation must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence. Supporting statements from nominators are not required and will not be considered. Please declare if over the last five years you have been found guilty of any disciplinary procedure, had any paper retracted, or have other circumstances which may bring the award into disrepute (if yes, word limit 250 words).

Decisions will be made based on the scientific achievements of the candidate as judged by the MASC Committee members based on the submitted documents, not simply the number or impact factor of the articles published.

Please remember that, as with other RSC prizes, a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work. Your top 10 papers submitted for this award should not have been included in the portfolio of work for any previous RSC prize (previous MASC prizes or previous other RSC prizes). Please ensure that your nomination paperwork clearly explains why the current nomination is distinct from work which led to the previous award(s).

Applications should be submitted by email to the Group Secretary (Dr Ben Pilgrim: ben.pilgrim@nottingham.ac.uk) by 5pm on Friday 18th September 2026. If you have any questions about your eligibility for the award, please contact Ben who will be happy to provide additional guidance. 

2026 RSC MASC Group PhD Thesis Award given in memory of John Fossey

The RSC MASC Group PhD Thesis Award given in memory of John Fossey

is open to doctoral students working in the area of macrocyclic and/or supramolecular chemistry in its widest sense. It is open to doctoral students in the final year of their studies, or those who have had their viva and been recommended for the award of a doctorate in or after October 2025. The Group seeks to encourage applications from researchers with diverse interests and backgrounds. Candidates must have conducted their doctoral studies at an institution in the UK or Eire or be able to otherwise demonstrate a strong link to the MASC Interest Group.

The award consists of £200 and a lecture at the annual MASC Interest Group meeting. This year the meeting will be held at the University of Sheffield on Monday 21st – Tuesday 22nd December 2026. All applicants should be willing to present at this meeting if their application is successful.

Self-nominations should consist of: (i) a thesis abstract (one page, Arial font size 11, can include figures, can be different from the one actually submitted in your thesis), (ii) a list of publications from your PhD work if applicable, including an author contribution statement* for each publication; (iii) a written statement (max. 500 words) highlighting the candidate’s scientific contribution to what they consider to be their best work from their PhD; (iv) the signed referee form from your academic supervisor or other suitable person (this can be found on our website for download); and (v) the nomination should include a short citation describing what the prize should be awarded for. This citation must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence. Please declare if over the last five years you have been found guilty of any disciplinary procedure, had any paper retracted, or have other circumstances which may bring the award into disrepute (if yes, word limit 250 words).

Decisions will be made based on the scientific achievements of the candidate as judged by the MASC Committee members based on the submitted documents, not simply the number or impact factor of the articles published. For this reason, only complete nominations that follow the guidelines will be considered.

Applications should be submitted by email to the Group Secretary (Dr Ben Pilgrim: ben.pilgrim@nottingham.ac.uk) by 5pm on Friday 6th November 2026. If you have any questions about your eligibility for the award, please contact Ben who will be happy to provide additional guidance.

*Example author contribution statement: M. Curie conceived the project. M. Faraday designed and performed the electrochemical experiments. W. H. Perkin Jr performed the synthetic work. R. Franklin collected and solved the X-ray data. M. Curie and M. Faraday wrote the manuscript in consultation with W. H. Perkin Jr and R. Franklin.

2026 MASC/WISC EDIA Award

The MASC Interest Group and WISC Network* announce the 2026 MASC/WISC EDIA Award for “excellence in equality/equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA)”. This award recognises early career researchers (defined as PhD students and researchers within 7 years of completion of their PhD who have not yet obtained a permanent position**) who: (i) work in the field of macrocyclic and/or supramolecular chemistry, (ii) contribute to initiatives addressing EDIA issues in supramolecular chemistry or in the wider community (scientific or general), (iii) have a strong link to the RSC MASC Interest Group. The Group seeks to encourage applications from researchers with diverse interests and backgrounds.

The award consists of £100 and presentation of the award at the annual MASC Interest Group meeting. Applicants should be willing to attend this meeting held at the University of Sheffield on Monday 21st – Tuesday 22nd December 2026 and to prepare a short video (2-3 min) explaining their work to be played during the RSC MASC meeting and then retained on the WISC website as a platform to highlight EDIA initiatives in the community.

Self-nominations for the MASC/WISC EDIA Award should consist of: (i) a one-page cover letter outlining suitability for the award, particularly in terms of the candidate’s individual contributions to the EDIA initiative(s) (especially for initiatives involving a team), how their contributions to the initiative(s) promote awareness of EDIA and evidencing the candidate’s links to the RSC MASC interest group, (ii) a CV and publication record (please illustrate any publications that support your application with an asterisk (*)) to include evidence of the candidate’s engagement in EDIA initiatives and the wider community, (iii) a short citation describing what the prize should be awarded for. This citation must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence, and (iv) if relevant, please provide a short statement on any potential conflicts of interest. Please declare if over the last five years you have been found guilty of any disciplinary procedure, had any paper retracted, or have other circumstances which may bring the award into disrepute (if yes, word limit 250 words).

Decisions will be made based on the candidate’s individual contributions to both the EDIA initiative(s) and the promotion of EDIA awareness as judged in line with RSC guidelines by members of the MASC Committee and representatives from WISC.

Please remember that, as with other RSC prizes, a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work. Your application submitted for this award should not have been included in the portfolio of work for any previous RSC prize (previous MASC prizes or previous other RSC prizes). Please ensure that your nomination paperwork clearly explains why the current nomination is distinct from work which led to the previous award(s).

Applications should be submitted by email to the WISC network chair (Prof. Emily Draper: Emily.Draper@glasgow.ac.uk) by 5pm (UK time) on Friday 6th November 2026, adding 2026 MASC/WISC EDIA Award as your email subject heading. If you have any questions about your eligibility for the award, please contact Emily who will be happy to provide additional guidance.

*The WISC Network (www.womeninsuprachem.com) is an area-specific network that supports the retention and progression of women and marginalised groups in supramolecular chemistry. One of the network’s aims is to increase awareness of EDIA issues in the supramolecular chemistry community.

**Extensions are allowed for career interruptions (e.g., parental leave, illness) and please include dates and, if applicable, additional details for career interruptions in the cover letter and CV.