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Plowright Prize

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Knowledge

The £100,000 Plowright Prize, awarded every two years, recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution to control, management or eradication of infectious diseases of animals.

The Plowright Prize

All nominations must be received by 31 January 2026.

The Plowright Prize is now open for nominations. If you would like to nominate an individual to receive the prize

Prize background

Walter Plowright was widely regarded as one of the world’s most eminent veterinary virologists and authorities on rinderpest. His work to develop a tissue culture vaccine represented a key milestone in efforts to control the disease – one of only two infectious diseases that have been fully eradicated. The prize is made possible thanks to a generous gift to RCVS Knowledge with the aim of recognising excellence and stimulating further research and support for the development of expertise in infectious diseases of animals.

The prize recognises an individual whose work has had a significant impact on the control, management or eradication of infectious diseases of animals. Their contribution will demonstrate animal, humanitarian or economic benefit.

The prize is open to any veterinary surgeon, veterinary nurse or research scientist working in Europe or the Commonwealth. The nominee may be working in practice, academia, a research institute/organisation, industry, government or another relevant sector. Institutions and/or organisations are not eligible to be nominated.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong Alignment with RCVS Knowledge’s Mission

This is the single most important predictor.

Successful proposals clearly focus on:

Improving quality, safety, or consistency of veterinary care

Reducing unwarranted variation in clinical practice

Embedding evidence-based decision-making

Supporting learning health systems in veterinary medicine

🟢 Projects framed around clinical impact and improvement perform better than purely academic studies.

2. Clear Quality Improvement (QI) or EBVM Focus

RCVS Knowledge places high value on:

Audit cycles (plan–do–study–act, PDSA)

Benchmarking against standards or guidelines

Translating evidence into real-world veterinary settings

Measuring change in practice or outcomes

Predictor: A proposal that clearly explains what will change in practice and how success will be measured.

3. Practical Relevance to Front-Line Veterinary Practice

Competitive applications:

Address real clinical problems faced by vets, nurses, or practices

Involve primary care, referral practice, or mixed practice settings

Demonstrate feasibility in routine clinical environments

🟢 Projects that engage practicing clinicians (not just academics) are particularly strong.

4. Clear, Measurable Outcomes

RCVS Knowledge reviewers look for:

Defined outcomes (e.g., adherence to guidelines, prescribing behaviour, complication rates)

Simple, appropriate metrics

Realistic data collection plans

Predictor: Clear before-and-after comparisons or improvement indicators.

5. Appropriate Methodology for Improvement-Focused Work

RCVS Knowledge does not expect large RCT-style designs. Instead, successful projects use:

Audit and service evaluation methods

Mixed-methods approaches (quantitative + qualitative)

Pragmatic study designs suitable for clinical settings

🟢 Methodological appropriateness, not complexity, predicts success.

6. Engagement and Collaboration

Strong applications often include:

Multidisciplinary teams (vets, nurses, practice managers, researchers)

Collaboration between practice and academia

Buy-in from participating practices or organisations

Predictor: Evidence that stakeholders are already engaged and committed.

7. Feasible Scope and Modest, Justified Budgets

RCVS Knowledge funding is typically small to moderate, so reviewers favour:

Well-scoped projects

Clear justification of costs

Efficient use of funds to generate learning and impact

🟢 Over-ambitious projects are a common reason for weaker scores.

8. Strong Knowledge Mobilisation Plan

A defining feature of RCVS Knowledge is its emphasis on using evidence, not just generating it.

Successful proposals explain:

How findings will be shared with the profession

How learning will be embedded into practice

How outputs align with RCVS Knowledge resources (guidelines, toolkits, education)

9. Ethical and Governance Readiness

Projects involving clinical data, animals, or clients must show:

Appropriate ethical review or justification

Data protection and governance awareness

Compliance with professional standards

Predictor: Clear governance planning reduces perceived risk.

⚠️ Common Reasons Applications Struggle

❌ Purely laboratory or discovery research with no practice link
❌ Vague aims with no measurable outcomes
❌ Lack of clinician or practice engagement
❌ Overly complex study designs for small-scale funding
❌ Weak explanation of how results will change veterinary care

📊 Summary: Predictors of Success with RCVS Knowledge

Predictor	Why It Matters
Alignment with quality & EBVM mission	Central to funding purpose
Clear practice-level impact	Focus on improving care
QI-appropriate methods	Matches programme expectations
Measurable outcomes	Enables evaluation of improvement
Clinician & practice engagement	Ensures real-world relevance
Feasible scope & budget	Matches funding scale
Knowledge mobilisation plan	Supports profession-wide learning
Ethical & governance readiness	Reduces implementation risk

Specialties

Infectious Diseases

Others

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Plowright Prize you must:

Be able to clearly demonstrate how your work in the area of infectious diseases of animals has benefited animals, people, or society.
Have published at least five articles in the field of infectious diseases of animals.
Be currently working to increase knowledge or improve the control of infectious diseases of animals.
Have carried out work that inspires and stimulates further research and improvement in the field of infectious diseases of animals.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Knowledge

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1 Hardwick Street, London EC1R 4RB

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