The Prosper Riley-Smith Effectiveness Award

In honour of the late Prosper Riley-Smith, a renowned researcher whose challenging approach and alternative perspectives on business problems made him an inspiration to researchers and business leaders alike.

This award, now in its 8th year, celebrates effectiveness in qualitative research. Anyone can enter: independents, agencies, client companies, collaborations, professionals of all levels, AQR members and non-members. You can share any story in any category.

While we don’t discount it, winning the award does not require demonstration of direct impact on brand metrics or bottom line results. There are many other ways to demonstrate effectiveness and this year’s judges have helped to generate a new set of guidelines to help you pick and craft your winning story (see How to win).

What can I win?
An industry spotlight on your work, £1,000 and the respect of your peers, employers and clients.

How do I enter?
Written case study of 1,500 words are required using the Entry Form (Downloadable Word Document). There is a nominal entry fee of £50+VAT per entry.

What is the deadline for entries?
The deadline for entries is 24th September 2010. Please make sure your entry is with us by this date, none will be accepted after this time.

Who is going to judge the entries?
The judging panel will consist of:

• Danny Russell, Marketing Strategy Director, BSkyB
• David Howells, Research Manager, News International
• Rosemary Slee, International co-ordinator, Aura
• Richard Dury, Customer and Marketing Insights Manager, Boots
• John Clark, Senior Planner at M&C Saatchi
• Rosie Campbell and Peter Lovett, both qualitative research experts and elected AQR committee members

How Can I Win?
Make sure you read the new criteria for demonstrating effectiveness in the How to Win notes. They tell you what the judges are looking for.

When will I find out if I have won?
The Award will be announced at the MRS/Research Awards Dinner in December 2010

Where do I download the entry form?
http://www.aqr.org.uk/prsaward/entryform.doc (MS Word Format)
http://www.aqr.org.uk/prsaward/entryform.pdf (PDF Format)

Can I pay my entry fee using a credit card?
Yes. Either call us and we will take your credit card details over the phone or pay online.

A quote from the winner in 2009
"Knowing you've made a difference to a client's business is rewarding, but it's also really great to get recognition from the industry too. Winning the award has presented new opportunities to us as a company, introduced us to some exciting new prospects, and helped us emphasise the power of qualitative research to our clients."

Amelia Coulam and Andrea Higgins of Green Light Research

A quote from the winner in 2008
"This was a great experience all round and my advice to entrants this year would be to just have a go. Winning the award pivots on demonstrating ‘effectiveness’ but this is a really fluid term and can be interpreted in lots of different ways. This frees you up to look at other ways research can have impact on your clients’ businesses.”

Dr Nancy Macdonald of 2CV and Krishan Lathigra of the COI