The Sarah Jones Award Terms of Reference
2026 Nominations
The call for nominations for the 2026 Sarah Jones Award is now open! Please review the Terms of Reference carefully before completing the nomination form. Nominations will remain open until 14th June 2026.
Nominations Process
Award Overview and Criteria
The RDA is pleased to announce the ‘The Sarah Jones Award for exceptional contribution to fostering collaboration in Open Science‘. This bi-annual award, instituted in 2024, will be given to the nominee that is recognised for:
Nomination criteria
- Open science (including but not limited to education & training, research data management & FAIR data) contribution. Exceptional contribution to fostering collaboration in Open Science.
- Positive impact: Showing evidence of positive change as a result of interactions on an organisational, individual and/or community level.
- Nominee characteristics should outline the career level (Early Career nominations are strongly encouraged), an otherwise unrecognised contribution to the community in open science. Furthermore, demonstration of contribution within the RDA community is welcomed, but not obligatory.
- Nominees from geographical areas with little or difficult development of open science are strongly encouraged.
The RDA community is invited to suggest nominations for this award providing details on the following:
- Nominee Contact details
- Why they should receive the award:
– What have they contributed to Open Science and community-driven activities?
– What impact has their work had outside of their organisation, within their scientific/research community, between community members?
– What is special about them and their work? - How they fulfil the nomination criteria, mandatory and desirable.
- Support letter from the nominator and one other supporter.
Selection
An independent selection panel, composed of invited RDA community members, will assess the nominations received and shortlist up to three candidates to be contacted and interviewed. The winner will be announced during the RDA 27th Plenary Meeting in October 2026. The winner will receive a physical award, a certificate, and be included on the RDA Sarah Jones Award website listing with details of their exceptional contribution. Finally, the winner will have access to a fund to be invested in activities relevant to the winning activities (for example, further capacity building, cross community collaboration, community animation and engagement, etc.).
Sarah Jones Award Selection Panel
Ingrid Dillo
DANS
Kevin Ashley
DCC
Rosie Hicks
ARDC
Cathrin Stove
GEANT
Criteria for shortlisting and selection
The criteria and weighting for shortlisting and selection are:
- Each nomination will be individually assessed by 3 different members of the selection panel based on the scoring criteria below.
- The three assessment scores and comments will be merged into one evaluation report and the nominees will be ranked according to their scores.
- Weighting criteria will be assigned to the total average score of the three assessments.
- The top three ranked nominations will be contacted for interview by the complete or a sub-section of the selection panel.
Assessment Scoring & weighting
Three overarching criteria are assessed: 1) Excellence; 2) Impact and 3) Nominee Status.
Each criteria will be scored between 0 (very poor) and 5 (Excellent) (and 0.5 scores are admitted) by the individual evaluator. The score should be accompanied by a note on the assessment and rationale for the score assigned. Upon receipt of the three individual evaluations, they will be merged, scores totalled and the weighting criteria below assigned to obtain the ranking list.
Excellence (35%)
- Concrete evidence of contribution to Open Science on a cross border and / or community level
- Community involvement and engagement
Impact (45%)
- Proven impact on individuals, organisations, and / or communities
Nominee Characteristics (20%)
- Career level (Early Career nominations are strongly encouraged)
- Geographic location (i.e. in some areas this is more challenging)
- Otherwise unrecognised contribution to community in open science
- RDA community member (desirable criteria, but note that this award is open to all and non-RDA members are particularly welcome)
Award Timeline
| Phase | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for nominations opens | 14 October 2025 |
| Deadline for nomination submission | 14 June 2026 |
| Selection & Shortlisting | 14 June – 9 July 2026 |
| Shortlist interviews | 10 July – 3 August 2026 |
| Panel deliberation | 3-8 August 2026 |
| Announcement preparation | 28 August – 6 October 2026 |
| Award announcement | 6 – 8 October 2026 |
About the Sarah Jones Award
Sarah Jones was an esteemed member of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) Council, former member of the Technical Advisory Board (TAB), and RDA community member since 2014.
A fantastic colleague and a wonderful friend, Sarah’s energy, passion, and enthusiasm was infectious, and she was a true believer in and driver of Open Science in Europe and across the globe. Sarah didn’t just ‘talk the talk’ about openness, but she really walked the talk. Sarah invested a huge amount of time and effort into advocating for true openness. She believed in community and its power, and was a true believer in the RDA. She said it was ‘her tribe’. Sarah was professional, prepared and passionate about her work and had an incredible work ethic, but she also infused her enthusiasm and energy into social networking.
With this annual award the global RDA community would like to honour Sarah’s memory and her huge contribution to the Open Science community.
Remembering Sarah Jones
RDA community members have shared their memories and dedications to Sarah
Contact us
For more information about the Sarah Jones Award, please contact the RDA.