Prizes and awards

CIPHER Grant Programme: Annual programme

The IAS Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) Grant Programme provides a unique opportunity for early-stage investigators to address research gaps in paediatric and adolescent HIV in resource-limited settings and promote evidence-based HIV policies and programmes in these settings. The grants are for up to USD 150,000 for two years, and 80% of grants awarded go to applicants from low- and middle-income countries. CIPHER is made possible through support from Founding Sponsor ViiV Healthcare.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Anne Njoroge

  • Jerome Galea

  • Yagai Bouba

CIPHER Growing the Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship Programme: Biennial programme

The IAS Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) Growing the Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship Programme contributes to strengthened HIV clinical research capacity in high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa by providing two-year research fellowships to emerging young leaders in paediatric HIV clinical science. The fellowship provides up to USD 70,000 for the fellow to work with an established mentor on a funded research project that addresses a key gap in paediatric and adolescent HIV clinical science. CIPHER is made possible through support from Founding Sponsor ViiV Healthcare.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Daniel Kesseng

  • Awa Kane

IPHASA Peer Learning Visit Grant

The International Paediatric HIV Symposium in Africa (IPHASA) Peer Learning Visit Grant supports country teams of three to five people to visit another country team that has successfully implemented a strategy and/or programme of interest in paediatric HIV. To support the translation of evidence into policy and practice and to have the best practice scaled up, the teams are encouraged to work with at least one ministry of health official responsible for either paediatric HIV testing services or sexual and reproductive health and rights (including, for example, prenatal and postnatal services) or a paediatrics HIV programme. The grant includes funding to attend the second edition of IPHASA (2023) to report back on results.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Berthe Amélie Angoue

IPHASA Implementation Science Research Grant

The International Paediatric HIV Symposium in Africa (IPHASA) Implementation Science Research Grant is aimed at supporting an early-career African researcher to conduct implementation science projects to address critical gaps in their respective countries. The recipient will be invited to attend the second edition of IPHASA (2023) to present the findings of their research.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Phiwe Babalo Nota

  • Bonniface Oryokot

  • Maureen King’e

IAS CPP Advocacy-for-Cure Academy Fellowship Prize: Annual prize

The inaugural IAS Advocacy-for-Cure Academy, organized in partnership with AVAC, awards fellowships to advocates and peer educators interested in advancing the HIV cure field in countries with limited resources for HIV cure research. This USD 2,000 annual prize, sponsored by the IAS Corporate Partnership Programme (CPP), is presented to one outstanding fellow based on their engagement during the academy, collaborative spirit and continued engagement in the HIV cure field.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Erasmus Gwidza

IAS CPP Research-for-Cure Academy Fellowship Prize: Annual prize

The IAS  Research-for-Cure Academy, organized in partnership with the South African Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Witwatersrand, awards fellowships to early- to mid-career investigators and clinical scientists interested in advancing the HIV cure field in countries with limited resources for HIV cure research. This USD 2,000 annual prize, sponsored by the IAS Corporate Partnership Programme (CPP), is presented to one outstanding fellow based on their engagement during the academy, collaborative spirit and continued engagement in the HIV cure field.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Elizabeth Okwaro

IAS/MSD Prize for Research in HIV Prevention: Annual prize

IAS – the International AIDS Society – and Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD) award a co-partnered prize for the top-scoring abstracts at AIDS 2022 with a focus on the development of new prevention tools, delivery of currently available prevention strategies and impact of expanding prevention options on the HIV epidemic. The prize recognizes outstanding research that addresses key knowledge gaps and links new evidence to strategic programme priorities in the response to HIV. The prize (USD 10,000 per recipient) is awarded to the four highest-scoring abstracts. It is funded by MSD.

Abstract submissions for AIDS 2022 are expected in the following areas: treatment as prevention, PrEP implementation and development, broadly neutralizing antibodies and vaccines, integrated prevention approaches, key populations and the intersection with larger issues of sexual and reproductive health, novel trial design and monitoring strategies. The prize (USD 10,000 per recipient) is awarded to the four highest-scoring abstracts. It is funded by MSD.

Eligible candidates are presenting authors of regular and late-breaker abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022, who meet the following criteria:

  • The abstract has been accepted as an oral presentation or for the poster exhibition.
  • The research demonstrates innovation, originality, rationale and quality.
  • The abstract presents data on prevention science for HIV.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Diego Cuadros

    Abstract title: Collision of HIV and non-communicable disease epidemics: mapping chronic health needs among a HIV hyperendemic community in rural South Africa

  • Rachel Sacks-Davis & Mark Stoove

    Abstract title: Incidence of HCV reinfection among people with HIV prior to and during periods of limited and broad access to direct-acting antiviral therapies for HCV in five countries

  • Alison Brown

    Abstract title: The 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets mask the underlying number of people with transmissible viral load: case study of England

  • Laurén Gómez

    Abstract title: Association of prenatal PrEP exposure with neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes beyond 24 months among Kenyan children

IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prizes for Young Investigators: Annual prizes

The six USD 2,000 IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prizes for Young Investigators are jointly funded by IAS – the International AIDS Society – and ANRS – Emerging infectious diseases (France) to support young researchers who demonstrate innovation, originality, rationale and quality in the field of HIV research. The prizes are granted to the top-scoring abstract in each of the six tracks: Track A (basic and translational science); Track B (clinical science); Track C (epidemiology and prevention science); Track D (social and behavioural science); Track E (implementation science, economics, systems and synergies with other health and development sectors); and Track F (political science, laws, ethics, policies and human rights). In 2015, the Young Investigator Prize was permanently renamed in memory of Joep Lange and Jacqueline van Tongeren.

Eligible candidates are presenting authors of abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022, which meet the following criteria:

  • The abstract has been accepted as an oral presentation or for the poster exhibition.
  • The research demonstrates innovation, originality, rationale and quality.
  • The presenting author is under 35 years of age.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

Track A

  • Marion Pardons

    Abstract title: Potent latency reversal enables in-depth transcriptomic analyses of the HIV reservoir

Track B

  • Vamshi Jogiraju

    Abstract title: Pharmacokinetics of a simplified subcutaneous lenacapavir regimen versus Phase 2/3 regimen

Track C

  • Laurén Gómez

    Abstract title: Association of prenatal PrEP exposure with neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes beyond 24 months among Kenyan children

Track D

  • Fanghui Shi

    Abstract title: Racial residential segregation as a structural barrier to viral suppression among people living with HIV in Southern United States from 2013 to 2018: a county-level longitudinal study

Track E

  • Nathan Lachowsky

    Abstract title: Undetectable Equals Untransmittible (U=U) Knowledge and Practices by HIV and PrEP Status Among Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Trans Men and Two-Spirit and Non-Binary People Across Canada, 2015-2021

Track F

  • Mykyta Trofymenko

    Abstract title: Research on evergreening patents in Ukraine

Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award: Biennial award

The Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award recognizes the efforts of individuals who have achieved major breakthroughs or shown exceptional courage in their efforts to advocate for human rights in the field of HIV. The award is supported by the International AIDS Society and the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) to pay a lasting tribute to Dame Elizabeth Taylor, a highly visible, vocal and relentless champion of human rights in the HIV field.

From the early days of the AIDS epidemic until her passing in March 2011, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, amfAR’s Founding International Chairman, was one of the strongest advocates for the respect of human rights of all people living with or affected by HIV.

The Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award, which is awarded every two years at the IAS-convened International AIDS Conference, came into effect in 2012 and was awarded for the first time at the opening ceremony of AIDS 2012, the 19th International AIDS Conference. The Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award is a recognition award with no monetary value. The award consists of a statue and a certificate stating the reasons for the award.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Tetiana Deshko

  • Andrey Klepikov

JIAS Impact Awards

The Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) Impact Awards acknowledge high-impact publications from the previous year, as determined by the journal’s Editorial Board members and Deputy Editors. Selections are made based on a combination of public health importance, downloads and citations. Three awards will be announced at AIDS 2022.

An Impact Award will go to the manuscript’s first author and will cover the registration fee for a future conference (IAS 2023 or AIDS 2024). IAS – the International AIDS Society – sponsors the JIAS Impact Awards.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Christina Laurenzi

    Stellenbosch University, South Africa

  • Andrew Mujugira

    Makerere University, Uganda

  • Lauren Bailey

    USAID

IAS President’s Award: Biennial award

The IAS President’s Award aims to recognize the achievements of an individual who demonstrates a history of leadership and excellence as a pioneer or advocate at the forefront of the response to HIV and AIDS. The award highlights an individual’s contribution that results in increased knowledge, skills, creative solutions or evidence-based policies and programmes to enhance the global response to HIV.

The IAS President’s Award is a recognition award with no monetary value. The prize consists of a statue and a certificate stating the reasons for the award.

To be eligible for the award, the individual must meet the following criteria:

  • The individual must be nominated by two or more members of the International AIDS Society Governing Council from at least two regions.
  • The nominee demonstrates a long history of leadership and excellence as a pioneer at the forefront of the response to HIV and AIDS.
  • The nominee demonstrates throughout their career that they act as a strong advocate for the implementation of effective, evidence-based policies and programmes that enhance the global response to HIV.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Soumya Swaminathan

IAS/Quebec AIDS Research Network Young Investigator Prize

The IAS/Quebec AIDS Research Network Young Investigator Prize supports a young scientist (under 35 years old) affiliated to an institution in the Canadian province of Québec and who used a multidisciplinary approach to conduct high-quality research in the field of HIV and AIDS.

Eligible candidates are presenting authors of abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022, which meet the following criteria:

  • The abstract has been accepted as an oral presentation or for the poster exhibition.
  • The research demonstrates innovation, originality, rationale and quality.
  • The presenting author is under 35 years of age and affiliated to a research institution located in Québec.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

Track A

  • Caroline Dufour

    Abstract title: Scarcity of intact HIV genomes in vertically infected Thai children who initiated ART during the first months of life

Track B

  • Léna Royston

    Abstract title: Kaposi sarcoma in ART-treated PLWH and HIV-uninfected people: differences in viral and immune characteristics

  • Jeanne Brochon

    Abstract title: Long-term risk of hospitalization and chronic disease among children who were HIV-exposed uninfected (cHEU) compared to population controls in Montreal, Canada

Track C

  • Lily Yang

    Abstract title: Cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV: a systematic analysis of population-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa

Track D

  • James Stannah

    Abstract title: Improving our understanding of how structural determinants impact HIV epidemics: a scoping review of dynamic models to guide future research

Track E

  • Kana Yokoji

    Abstract title: Service uptake, client profile, and acceptability of a self-directed HIV and STI screening clinic in Quebec during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Patrick Keeler

    Abstract title: Building and Implementing Le Cercle Orange: Creatively Responding to the Needs of People Living with HIV in the Montreal Region Without Access to Healthcare

Track F

  • Léa Pelletier-Marcotte

    Abstract title: Reducing harm and preventing transmission by assessing complex HIV situations through a multidisciplinary lens: INSPQ’s expert support to regional public health departments

  • Layla Razek

    Abstract title: Factors associated with transphobia among travestis and transgender women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: results from an open, prospective cohort

Prize for Excellence in HIV Research Related to Children and Adolescents: Biennial prize 

The aim of the Prize for Excellence in HIV Research Related to Children and Adolescents is to draw the attention of the scientific community to children living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The USD 2,000 prize is jointly offered by the International AIDS Society and the Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS. One prize is awarded to an investigator whose abstract demonstrates excellence in research that is likely to lead to improved services for children affected by HIV and AIDS.

There is an urgent need to advance the scientific understanding of HIV-affected children and adolescents (aged 0-18 years). This includes children and adolescents living with HIV, born into HIV-affected households, exposed to HIV perinatally and with heightened risk of acquiring HIV. We are especially interested in research that enhances practices of HIV prevention, treatment and care. And we are interested in research into both biomedical innovation and understanding the social and economic aspects of HIV for children and adolescents.

The prize was first awarded at AIDS 2010, the 18th International AIDS Conference, in Vienna, Austria.

Eligible candidates are presenting authors of abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022, which meet the following criteria:

  • The abstract has been accepted as an oral presentation or for the poster exhibition.
  • Research must be related to the needs of children affected by HIV (using the UNICEF definition of a child aged 0-18 years). Research focusing on the integration of care and support is encouraged, especially highlighting the impact of holistic approaches.
  • The research site must include low- or middle-income countries.

AIDS 2022 recipients:

  • Lucie Cluver

  • Siyanai Zhou

Prudence Mabele Prize: Biennial prize

The Prudence Mabele Prize is an endowment named in honour of the life and work of Prudence Mabele, a trailblazing activist for the rights of women and people living with HIV. In 1992, she became the first black woman in South Africa to publicly reveal her HIV status. She was a founding member of the Treatment Action Campaign and founder of the Positive Women’s Network.

The International AIDS Society created the prize in 2018 through an endowment from the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations and in partnership with the Positive Women’s Network of South Africa. The USD 20,000 prize is the largest monetary value awarded at the International AIDS Conference.

The selected honouree will be a woman (cis or trans) whose work and personal commitment best embodies the values, spirit and activism of Prudence Mabele. They will be publicly honoured at a high-level session at the International AIDS Conference.

Consideration will be based on the following criteria:

  • Nominations are invited for women (cis and trans) making deep connections between the fight against the HIV epidemic, feminism and gender and reproductive justice.
  • Potential recipients should match the values that Prudence embodied:
    • Innovativeness: Demonstrate the creativity of the nominee in their work, in line with the innovation Prudence showed throughout her life.
    • Perseverance: Illustrate the tenacity of the nominee in achieving their accomplishments.
    • Social justice: Exemplify how the nominee enhances social justice in both their work and personal life, with an emphasis on gender activism and vulnerable people.
  • We encourage applications from around the world. Strong consideration will be given to applicants from the region where the conference is hosted. To honour and commemorate Prudence’s early activism and the courage she showed as a young woman openly speaking about her HIV status, preference will also be given to applications from young people (under the age of 35, according to the definition in the African Youth Charter).

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Khourtney Otieno

Robert Carr Research Award: Biennial award

The Robert Carr Research Award recognizes a research project conducted by a community-academia partnership that has led to evidence-based programmes and/or influenced policies in the field of HIV to guide a human rights-based response. The Robert Carr Research Award is a joint initiative of IAS – the International AIDS Society – and the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR). The award is sponsored by the IAS and ICASO.

Robert Carr was the Executive Director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, the Policy and Advocacy Director of ICASO and a human rights activist who highlighted stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. His commitment to translating findings from research collaborations between community and academic partners into advocacy efforts, evidence-based programmes and tangible policy is the driving force behind this prize.

To be eligible for the award, the research project must meet the following criteria:

  • The research project has been nominated by an IAS Governing Council member, an ICASO Board of Directors member, an HRW Health and Human Rights Division’s Advisory Committee member or a CPHHR Advisory Board member.
  • The research project has been conducted by a community-academia partnership in which all partners were equally involved in designing the study, collecting and analysing the data and disseminating the results.
  • The research project has led to evidence-based programmes and/or influenced policies in the field of HIV to guide a human rights-based response to HIV.
  • For the 2022 award, preference will be given to projects that address race and/or migration and HIV issues.

For more information or to submit a nomination for the Robert Carr Award, please visit ICASO’s website here.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Red Somos and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

    The project: Bienestar de los Venezolanos que son Inmigrantes y Refugiados (BIENVENIR) en Colombia
    (Well-being of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia)

Women, Girls and HIV Investigator’s Prize: Biennial prize

This USD 2,000 prize is funded by the IAS and UNAIDS, with the support of the International Community of Women with HIV/AIDS. The vulnerability of women and girls to HIV acquisition and accelerated disease progression is well documented. As HIV incidence continues to increase among women and girls, particularly in resource-limited settings, research on gender-related issues, including community-based interventions and investigations, will provide critical evidence and knowledge to inform our response.

The Women, Girls and HIV Investigator’s Prize was introduced in 2008 to support young female investigators from resource-limited settings whose abstracts demonstrate excellence in research and/or practices that address women, girls and gender issues related to HIV and AIDS. Since AIDS 2010, partners have agreed to change eligibility to allow any researcher (male or female, regardless of age) to receive the award as long as the criteria are met. The purpose of the Women, Girls and HIV Investigator’s Prize is to encourage research in low- and middle-income countries that can benefit women and girls affected by HIV and AIDS.

Eligible candidates are presenting authors of abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022, which meet the following criteria:

  • The abstract has been accepted as an oral presentation or for the poster exhibition.
  • The abstract demonstrates excellence in research and/or practice that addresses women, girls and gender issues related to HIV and AIDS.
  • The abstract title contains at least one of the following keywords: “women”, “girls”, “gender”.
  • The presenting author is a national of a low- or middle-income country.
  • The investigation has taken place in a low- or middle-income country.

AIDS 2022 recipient:

  • Nadiia Semchuk

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