Nominations for the 2025 JA Prescott Medal can be submitted until August 31st by using the form below.
– Nominations should be prepared in each case by a nominator and a seconder and be supported by three additional financial members of the Society.
– Nominations are confidential to the Awarding Committee.
– Open to any individual who has made a significant contribution to soil science.
– Nominees do not need to be members of Soil Science Australia.
– If no outstanding nominations are received, the award may be withheld for that year.
Submission of the candidate for the award shall be accompanied by a case in support of the candidate.
Supporting documentation must include:
– A nomination statement (up to 1000 words) outlining the nominee’s contribution to soil science and details the significance of the nominee’s work.
– Any additional materials that strengthen the application.
The JA Prescott medal is presented by the Federal President or their proxy at a Soil Science Australia national conference or another event determined by the Federal Council.
Distinguished Professor Chengrong Chen has made an outstanding contribution to soil science.
His research has had a significant impact across aspects of sustainable agricultural production, global climate change mitigation, and soil environmental remediation/protection. He is an international leader in soil environmental biogeochemistry with expertise focused on soil health and resilience, soil carbon sequestration, environmental changes, environmental pollution and remediation (including microplastics), and novel technologies for use in agricultural systems. He has led research on providing a cost-effective tool to predict the sediment and nutrient loads from different land uses and their impacts on water quality in the Great Barrier Reef catchments. Recently, he was the academic lead for the Solving Plastic Waste CRC which commenced in 2024. He has had significant impacts on soil science policy, soil science training, and the adoption of sustainable management practices in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in the Philippines and Bangladesh.
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1972 | C.G. Stephens |
| 1973 | not awarded |
| 1974 | T.J. Marshall |
| 1975 | J.P. Quirk |
| 1976 | R.G. Downes |
| 1977 | K. Norrish |
| 1978 | J.K. Taylor |
| 1979 | N. Collis-George |
| 1980 | R. Brewer |
| 1981 | B.E. Butler |
| 1982 | C.H. Williams |
| 1983 | G.D. Hubble |
| 1984 | C.G. Hallsworth |
| 1985 | J.R. Freney |
| 1986 | K. Lee |
| 1987 | M. Raupach |
| 1988 | P.H. Walker |
| 1989 | O.T. Denmead |
| 1990 | K.G. Tiller |
| 1991 | R. Gilkes |
| 1992 | W.W. Emerson |
| 1993 | J.N. Ladd |
| 1994 | R. French |
| 1995 | G. Aylmore |
| 1996 | not awarded |
| 1997 | K. Northcote |
| 1998 | R.W. Fitzpatrick |
| 1999 | A. Rovira |
| 2000 | M.J. Mulcahy |
| 2001 | B.E. Clothier |
| 2002 | J.W. Holmes |
| 2003 | J.M. Oades |
| 2004 | A.B. McBratney |
| 2005 | not awarded |
| 2006 | R.E. White |
| 2007 | P. Rengasamy |
| 2008 | R. Dalal |
| 2009 | M. McLaughlin |
| 2010 | D. Chen |
| 2011 | not awarded |
| 2012 | S.E. Smith |
| 2013 | J. Churchman |
| 2014 | A.J. Baldock |
| 2015 | V.V.S.R. Gupta |
| 2016 | Rai Kookana |
| 2017 | Neil McKenzie |
| 2018 | D. McKenzie |
| 2019 | N.W. Menzies |
| 2020 | not awarded |
| 2021 | B. Singh |
| 2022 | R. Bell |
| 2023 | B. Minasnay |
![James Arthur Prescott [1890-1987]](https://www.soilscienceaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6231123.png)
was born in England, moving to Australia in 1924 as Professor of Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Adelaide. From 1929 he was Chief of the Division of Soils CSIR, and from 1938 to 1955 he was the Director of the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, South Australia.When Prescott came to Australia he was just beginning to make some impact on the scientific world. Prescott was to further the development of agricultural science in a revolutionary manner that attracted international attention. In 1951 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for his fundamental pedological researches and his pioneering work in climatology.
