The Research Society Research Effectiveness Awards recognise research that makes a difference to business and social policy planning performance.
3 Categories
There are three categories in the Research Effectiveness Awards:
Consumer Insights Award | Public Policy/ Social Impact Award | Technology and Innovation Effectiveness Award
Consumer Insights Award
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This Award will go to the best case study from a client/agency or in-house team partnership that demonstrates how research has led to an improved or new understanding of the consumer in a particular market.
The submission should show how the research has led to changing the client’s thinking and how this fresh understanding allowed for the development of communications or marketing activity in either the commercial or public sector.
The judges are looking for a clear demonstration of how this has led to improved client performance or approach.
Eligibility
The Awards are open to all research, insights and analytics organisations.
We welcome entries from everyone, from one person consultancies to larger agencies, and client-side research teams where at least one member of The Research Society is involved in the submission team.
Criteria
This award recognises the best case study from a client/agency or in-house team partnership that showcases how research enhanced understanding of the consumer in a specific market. Judges seek clear evidence of how this improved understanding has positively impacted the client’s performance or approach.
- The judges will be looking for submissions to demonstrate the:
- Actionability of results;
- Financial outcomes for the business;
- Research thinking: and
- Quality of stakeholder engagement.
Submission:
(2000 words maximum)
Should include the following:
a) A brief summary of the project’s objectives and methodology
b) Research outcomes
c) Evidence of the success of the project: and
d) Any other details that make this research endeavour “above & beyond” the norm.
Executive Summary:
(200 words maximum)
This must be approved by the client for media release. Your summary is an important part of your application and should clearly demonstrate how your entry matches what the judges are looking for.
Entry Tips
- Tell a clear and complete story
- Show the link between the research and its outcomes
- Be concise
- Include business results/outcomes wherever possible
- Clarity is important
- Do you have enough evidence of effectiveness now, or should you wait until next year when you might have more?
Rules of Entry
- All entries must be submitted by 5pm AEST Thursday 11 September 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
- The research must have been completed after 1 July 2023 and not previously entered in the Research Society Research Effectiveness Awards.
- There must be at least one current financial Research Society member involved in the submission team.
- Submissions may be entered for more than one Award category but must be tailored to meet each specific category.
- The Research Society reserves the right to reassign an entry to another category if it is deemed more appropriate.
- Entries must be submitted through the Research Awards Portal.
- Receipt of an entry is acknowledged by email confirmation. If you do not receive this email after submission, please email awards@researchsociety.com.au
- Each submission must include the following:
a) a completed entry on the Research Awards Portal; and
b) an organisation logo. - The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- All submission materials will remain confidential to The Research Society and the judging panel.
- No materials will be returned.
- Entrants will be judged on the merits of the submission alone; no additional material will be considered.
- All entry materials will remain confidential to the Research Society and the judging panel.
- Entry into the Research Organisation of the Year Award assumes that you are giving permission for The Research Society and our media partners to use your submission materials on our website and in promotional materials.
- Case studies may be published based on the materials provided; permission to publish will be sought from the entrants.
Entry Fees
The entry fee is $625.00 (ex. GST).
Or you may request an invoice by emailing awards@researchsociety.com.au.
If the entry fee has not been paid by 29 September 2025 (5 pm) the entry may be cancelled.
Prize
The Award winners will be announced and presented at the Research Society Awards Night.
Public Policy/ Social Impact Award
ENTRIES CLOSED
This Award will be given to the submission that best demonstrates the impact of research on decision-making within, and understanding of the issues relating to, the public policy or social arena.
The judges will be looking for sound case studies which show a strong connection between the research and the outcomes.
To win this Award your submission must show that research is based on sound technique and method and you will need to clearly demonstrate how the research has contributed to decision-making on the issues involved.
Eligibility
The Awards are open to all research, insights and analytics organisations.
We welcome entries from everyone, from one person consultancies to larger agencies, and client-side research teams where at least one member of The Research Society is involved in the submission team.
Criteria
This award honours the submission that best illustrates the impact of research on decision-making and understanding within the public policy or social arena, highlighting a strong link between research and outcomes. To win, submissions must demonstrate sound research techniques and clearly show how the research influenced decision-making on the relevant issues.
The judges will be looking for submissions to demonstrate the:
- Actionability of results;
- The Social impact for the Community;
- Research thinking: and
- Quality of stakeholder engagement.
Submission:
(2000 words maximum)
Should include the following:
a) A brief summary of the project’s objectives and methodology
b) Research outcomes
c) Evidence of the success of the project: and
d) Any other details that make this research endeavour “above & beyond” the norm.
Executive Summary:
(200 words maximum)
This must be approved by the client for media release. Your summary is an important part of your application and should clearly demonstrate how your entry matches what the judges are looking for.
Entry Tips
- Tell a clear and complete story
- Show the link between the research and its outcomes
- Be concise
- Include business results/outcomes wherever possible
- Clarity is important
- Do you have enough evidence of effectiveness now, or should you wait until next year when you might have more?
Rules of Entry
- All entries must be submitted by 5pm AEST Thursday 11 September 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
- The research must have been completed after 1 July 2023 and not previously entered in the Research Society Research Effectiveness Awards.
- There must be at least one current financial Research Society member involved in the submission team.
- Submissions may be entered for more than one Award category but must be tailored to meet each specific category.
- The Research Society reserves the right to reassign an entry to another category if it is deemed more appropriate.
- Entries must be submitted through the Research Awards Portal.
- Receipt of an entry is acknowledged by email confirmation. If you do not receive this email after submission, please email awards@researchsociety.com.au
- Each submission must include the following:
a) a completed entry on the Research Awards Portal; and
b) an organisation logo. - The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- All submission materials will remain confidential to The Research Society and the judging panel.
- No materials will be returned.
- Entrants will be judged on the merits of the submission alone; no additional material will be considered.
- All entry materials will remain confidential to the Research Society and the judging panel.
- Entry into the Research Organisation of the Year Award assumes that you are giving permission for The Research Society and our media partners to use your submission materials on our website and in promotional materials.
- Case studies may be published based on the materials provided; permission to publish will be sought from the entrants.
Entry Fees
The entry fee is $625.00 (ex. GST).
Or you may request an invoice by emailing awards@researchsociety.com.au.
If the entry fee has not been paid by 29 September 2025 (5 pm) the entry may be cancelled.
Prize
The Award winners will be announced and presented at the Research Society Awards Night.
Technology and Innovation Effectiveness Award
ENTRIES CLOSED
This Award recognises new thinking in research methodologies. It will be given to a submission describing a new methodology which adds to the body of research knowledge and significantly contributes to the way research is thought about and carried out.
To qualify for consideration papers must demonstrate one or more of the following:
- the introduction of a new technique
- the stretching of an existing technique
- the application of an established technique from another discipline to the research environment
The method/technique can be quantitative, qualitative or a mixture of both. The judges will be looking for papers that clearly demonstrate both the innovative nature of the work and demonstrable outcomes.
The Award aims to bring deserved prominence and greater recognition to those whose excellence in the application of technology is making an outstanding contribution to research effectiveness.
It will be given to the paper that best demonstrates outstanding innovation in the application of software or technology for research, insights and analytics which has directly achieved a demonstrable improvement in the effectiveness of research delivered. Entry for nomination is open to anyone developing or using technology in any of these areas of research.
Entry to the Award is open to any individual, group of individuals or companies that consider the technology he/she/they have developed meets the entry criteria. For the purpose of this award, technology will be considered as any computer software, hardware equipment or device that has either been developed or adapted specifically for research, insights and/or analytics.
Eligibility
The Awards are open to all research, insights and analytics organisations.
We welcome entries from everyone, from one person consultancies to larger agencies, and client-side research teams where at least one member of The Research Society is involved in the submission team.
Criteria
This award honours innovative research methodologies, recognising submissions that introduce new techniques, extend existing ones, or apply established methods from other disciplines to research. Judges seek papers demonstrating innovation and effective outcomes in the use of technology, including software or hardware, that significantly enhance research effectiveness.
The judges will be looking for submissions to demonstrate the:
- Actionability of results;
- Financial outcomes for the business and/or the Social impact for the Community;
- Research thinking: and
- Quality of stakeholder engagement.
Submission:
(2000 words maximum)
Should include the following:
a) A brief summary of the project’s objectives and methodology
b) Research outcomes
c) Evidence of the success of the project: and
d) Any other details that make this research endeavour “above & beyond” the norm.
Executive Summary:
(200 words maximum)
This must be approved by the client for media release. Your summary is an important part of your application and should clearly demonstrate how your entry matches what the judges are looking for.
Entry Tips
- Tell a clear and complete story
- Show the link between the research and its outcomes
- Be concise
- Include business results/outcomes wherever possible
- Clarity is important
- Do you have enough evidence of effectiveness now, or should you wait until next year when you might have more?
Rules of Entry
- All entries must be submitted by 5pm AEST Thursday 11 September 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.
- The research must have been completed after 1 July 2023 and not previously entered in the Research Society Research Effectiveness Awards.
- There must be at least one current financial Research Society member involved in the submission team.
- Submissions may be entered for more than one Award category but must be tailored to meet each specific category.
- The Research Society reserves the right to reassign an entry to another category if it is deemed more appropriate.
- Entries must be submitted through the Research Awards Portal.
- Receipt of an entry is acknowledged by email confirmation. If you do not receive this email after submission, please email awards@researchsociety.com.au
- Each submission must include the following:
a) a completed entry on the Research Awards Portal; and
b) an organisation logo. - The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- All submission materials will remain confidential to The Research Society and the judging panel.
- No materials will be returned.
- Entrants will be judged on the merits of the submission alone; no additional material will be considered.
- All entry materials will remain confidential to the Research Society and the judging panel.
- Entry into the Research Organisation of the Year Award assumes that you are giving permission for The Research Society and our media partners to use your submission materials on our website and in promotional materials.
- Case studies may be published based on the materials provided; permission to publish will be sought from the entrants.
Entry Fees
The entry fee is $625.00 (ex. GST).
Or you may request an invoice by emailing awards@researchsociety.com.au.
If the entry fee has not been paid by 29 September 2025 (5 pm) the entry may be cancelled.
Prize
The Award winners will be announced and presented at the Research Society Awards Night.