ARA NEW INVESTIGATOR PRIZE

The ARA New Investigator Prize is available to rheumatology trainees, PhD students, rheumatologists, nurses or rheumatology health professionals within 5 years of finishing training or scientists within 2 years of finishing PhD. The ARA New Investigator Prize is open to ARA Members only.

Value: $1,500 plus certificate

TRAVEL AWARD (5 ARA and 2 RHP)

Open to ARA Members who are a rheumatology trainee, PhD student, nurse, medical student or rheumatology health professional from interstate or regional/rural/remote within state who has an abstract accepted for presentation.

Value: $500

This award recognises the outstanding contribution to research by individual ARA Member in the area of Paediatric Rheumatology Research.The award will be offered to an individual each year for the best Paediatric Research Presentation at the ARA ASM. The marking scheme will favour trainees and early career researchers. The award will be given for a body of productive research and selection will be based on the quality of the science and its impact. Research should be conducted, at least in part, in Australia and the researcher should be based primarily at an Australian Institution. This can only be awarded once to an individual.

Value: $1,000 plus certificate

Eligibility: Financial members of the ARA who undertake paediatric research.

Rheumatology Health Professional Conference Awards

The ARA aims to facilitate the submission of high quality abstracts by RHPs on clinical practice related themes.

Prizes:

Emma Pettet Prize for Best RHP Free Paper - $1,000

Margaret Lewington Prize for Best RHP Poster - $500

Eligibility:  To be considered for an RHP Award, you must either be a current member of the ARA, or be eligible for membership (i.e. have a nurse, allied health or educator background)
AND
The abstract theme should be related to clinical practice. This may include: clinical trials, translation of evidence into practice, multi-disciplinary care, surveys/audits and case studies.

Not Eligible: This award is not open to Medical practitioners; basic science themes or pharmacological trials.

Four RHPSIG Travel Grants are available: value $500 grants to support attendance at the conference. These grants are submitted to and adjudicated by the RHPSIG Executive and must be awarded in accordance with the eligibility criteria and guidelines developed by the RHPSIG.

Eligibility for the $500 grant requires:

• Current ARA RHPSIG Member (ARA membership), and

• Health professionals currently working clinically in the field of rheumatology

• Post-conference webinar to be delivered in conjunction with the RHPSIG education team

• No concurrent funding/sponsorship to the same event e.g. pharma

Applications are invited for the 2027 Debashish Danda ARA APLAR Scholarship. Up to TWO scholarships will be awarded to support an APLAR region applicant to attend and present at the ARA 2027 Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in the Darwin.

Up to two scholarships will be awarded to eligible applicants from the APLAR region to support their attendance and presentation at the ARA 2027 Annual Scientific Meeting.

Each scholarship will include:

• Up to AUD $2,000 towards return economy airfares.

• Taxi transfers upon arrival and departure.

• Up to five nights' room-only accommodation (twin/double) near the conference venue.

• Full conference registration, including attendance at the Conference Dinner where the award will be officially presented to you by the ARA President (attendance is compulsory on acceptance of the award).

Additional Conditions

• Applicants must arrange travel insurance at their own expense when booking travel.

• Successful applicants are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas.

• Previous recipients of the Debashish Danda ARA APLAR Scholarship are not eligible to apply.

• Unsuccessful applicants who are unable to attend without financial assistance may elect to withdraw their submitted abstract.

Applicants must fulfil and are required to submit evidence of the following criteria:

* A rheumatologist, practicing in a country, that is a member of APLAR; and who is within five (5) years of completing their training or is currently in training.

* A copy of your abstract submitted for the 2027 meeting.

* Curriculum Vitae with a head shot.

Please note that when you apply you are limited to one abstract submission only.

Applications must be made via the abstract submission page.

Deadline for applications:  Midnight ACDT, 7 February 2027

FURTHER INFORMATION HERE