Awards | Psychiatry Research

Awards & Prizes

Award & Prize Announcements

The 2026 Alfred Meyer Prize

Applications for the 2026 Alfred Meyer Prize are now closed. Applications for the 2027 prize will open in October 2026.

The Psychiatry Research Trust is pleased to announce the 2026 Alfred Meyer Prize for research on the relationship between brain mechanisms and mental illness.

This award has been made possible by Dr Nina Meyer’s generous legacy to commemorate the life and work of her late husband, Professor Alfred Meyer. Professor Meyer (1895-1990) was the first professor of neuropathology at the Institute of Psychiatry.

This annual prize of £1,250 will be awarded for the best paper (or papers) published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal between 1st of October 2024 and 30th of September 2025. A maximum of two papers will be awarded.

Who can Apply

Submissions are welcome from researchers associated with:

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The researchers could be in any grade up to and including Senior Lecturer or Consultant, provided these grades have been obtained in the last five years.

The prize is given to the author who has contributed most to the paper, traditionally recognised as the first author, provided they are at or below Senior Lecturer or Consultant grade. Joint first authors should apply together.

How to Apply

The application consists of:

A PDF of the full paper (and supplementary material)
A cover letter (no more than one page) detailing the context and impact of the paper

The application should be sent to psychiatry_research_trust@kcl.ac.uk

The deadline for submission is the 31st of December 2025.

Selection Process

A panel will be convened to decide the award winner(s), including academic members of the PRT Board and/or academics at the above institutions, following an internal triage, if needed.

The award will be announced by March 31st, 2026, and celebrated in a private event to be held at the IoPPN.

The 2026 Claire Nacamuli Prize

The Psychiatry Research Trust is honoured to announce an annual prize in memory of Claire Nacamuli, recognising the most innovative research produced by an early-career researcher on the topic of postnatal depression.

This award has been made possible thanks to a generous donation of £15,000 from the Nacamuli family.

Innovative research is defined as research not yet published but ready to be presented at a national or international conference. The cash prize will be used to fund the costs of travel and registration to the conference.

The Prize will be given every year for 10 years; the sums awarded will increase in line with inflation, starting with £1,250 in 2026 and 2027, and totalling £15,000 over 10 years.

Who can Apply

Submissions are welcome from early-career researchers (students or staff members) associated with:

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Early career researchers will include PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, medical doctors, residents/trainee doctors, or similar positions below senior lecturer/consultant level.

How to Apply

The application consists of:

CV (two pages)
Abstract of the research to be presented at a conference (one page)
Confirmation of acceptance as a poster or slide presentation from the conference organisers (one page)
Budget detailing how the award will be spent, and any additional funding available to attend the conference

The application should be sent to psychiatry_research_trust@kcl.ac.uk

The deadline for submission is the 30th of April 2026.

Selection Process

All applicants will be assessed by a panel comprising two academic or clinical board members of the PRT and one external expert, and the winner will be announced by the 30th of June. The conference must be attended within 12 months from this announcement, that is, by the 30th of June of the following year.

The PRT will also organise a small reception at the IoPPN during the Summer, with the Nacamuli family and members of the PRT Board, to present the prize certificate to the winner.

Apply Now