NATIONAL PHI ZETA AWARDS GUIDELINES 2007
 

About the Awards: The objectives of the Society of Phi Zeta are to recognize and promote scholarship and research in matters pertaining to the welfare and diseases of animals. Pursuant to that objective, a National Phi Zeta Award consisting of a plaque and a check for $500 was established in 1978, which has been increased to $750. The award has been given each year since that time, and in recent years, two awards have been given. One award is to recognize an outstanding manuscript submitted for competition in the basic research category, and the other is to recognize an outstanding manuscript submitted in the clinical or applied research category. Recognizing that the distinction between basic and clinical (applied) research may not always be clear, the author or nominator will designate the category in which the paper is to compete.
 

Eligibility: Each Phi Zeta chapter may sponsor up to two candidates--one for each of the awards described above. The candidates need not be Phi Zeta members but must be veterinarians involved in a graduate or residency program within the past 2 years. A student in a veterinary-science department from an institution with no Phi Zeta chapter may submit a manuscript to a nearby chapter for consideration. To be considered eligible, the sponsored candidate must be the first author of the selected manuscript, and the manuscript must be accepted for publication, or published, in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. A letter verifying acceptance by the journal must be included with the submission(s). Further selection criteria may be established by the local chapter.
 

Manuscript Submission: Each chapter must submit either: one (1) copy of each of the selected manuscripts by electronic mail by February 5, 2007, or five (5) copies of each manuscript by regular mail postmarked by February 1, 2007, to the Chair of the National Phi Zeta Award Committee for distribution to Awards Committee members. The letter of nomination should include the qualification of the first author and the category in which the manuscript is to compete. If the sender provides an email address, the Chair will send an acknowledgment email upon receipt of the manuscript(s). Good quality photocopies of charts, line drawing, or other illustration may be substituted for original prints. If original material is provided, it will be returned to the candidate when selection of the award recipients has been completed around mid-April 2007. Manuscripts will not be returned to candidates unless specifically requested and clearly marked to that effect. Winning manuscripts will be kept on file by the Awards Committee chairperson.
 

Award Selection: Recipients of each award will be selected by the National Phi Zeta Awards Committee. This committee is comprised of five Phi Zeta members from institutions with Phi Zeta chapters. Each member serves a 5-year term, ascending to the chair position in the terminal year of committee appointment. The committee members will fulfill their terms on the committee even if they leave the institution or chapter. The winning manuscripts will be selected on the basis of originality, scientific significance of the work, quality of the study performed, and clarity of the writing and illustrations. If, in the collective judgment of the Awards Committee, none of the submissions in one or both categories meets the Committee's criteria for excellence in that category, the Committee has the prerogative not to name a winner for that year.
 

Award Presentation: The awards will be presented by the National President of Phi Zeta (or designee) at the sponsoring Phi Zeta chapter's initiation ceremony, awards banquet, or other appropriate gathering.
 

Chair, 2006-2007 National Phi Zeta Award Committee
Ida M. Washington, DVM, PhD
Department of Comparative Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle WA 98195
206-543-0474
idaw@u.washington.edu