International Society for antiviral research

Gertrude Elion Award

Elion Award - Nominate

William Prusoff Award

Prusoff Award - Nominate

Antonín Holý Award

Holy Award - Nominate

Alice Ball Excellence Award

Alice Ball Award - Nominate

TCFF Scholarship

Outstanding Contribution 

Award of Excellence

Poster Awards

Gertrude Elion Memorial Award 

The Gertrude Elion Memorial Award will be awarded annually and conferred at the time of the lecture at the annual conference of the Society. The funds will be used for minimal administrative fees and travel for the awardee, and the award will be in the amount of $7,500 (award amount will be constant and expenses for travel up to $2,500 will vary depending on where the awardee is coming from). The remainder will be kept for future Elion awards.

The Awards Committee of the ISAR will select the recipient. The award will be given to an outstanding scientist, not necessarily in the field of antiviral research but certainly someone who has made considerable contributions to the scientific field directly or peripheral to it. It should be a senior scientist (basic or clinical) of international stature. If the nominee had some ties to Dr. Elion, this would be considered in a favorable light. The main selection criterion will be scientific prominence. In addition to scientific preeminence, the recipient should have some of the characteristics typical of "Trudy" -- a genuine love of science, not only admired but also respected, a reputation for scientific integrity and approachability, especially to young scientists. The awardee will be asked to give a 45-minute lecture at the annual meeting.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Nomination for the award must be made by a member in good standing of the International Society for Antiviral Research.
   
2. The nominee must be:
   • A senior basic or clinical scientist of international stature.
     
   • An outstanding contributor to the field of antiviral research or someone who has made considerable tangential contributions that positively affected or advanced antiviral research.
3. The nomination must include a letter of recommendation, by the person making the nomination, outlining accomplishments and the curriculum vitae of the candidate.
   
4. The letter must include detailed reasons for the nomination and describe attributes and qualifications possessed by the nominee in order of priority as follows:
   • Career-long scientific prominence in antiviral research evidenced by funded research programs, corporate leadership, publications, presentations, etc.
     
   • Service to the field of antiviral research such as serving on study sections, editorial boards, and in leadership of professional societies.
     
   • In addition to scientific preeminence, the recipient should have some of the qualities typical of "Trudy" -- a genuine love of science, admired and respected, a reputation for scientific integrity, and approachability -especially to young investigators.
     
   • Personal ties to Dr. Elion would be considered positive but not necessary.

The nominations will be received by the Chairman of the ISAR Awards Committee and reviewed by the Awards Committee, who will make the selection. The President of the Society will notify the awardee, as well as the sponsor, of the selection.

The awardee will be invited to make a presentation at the next International Conference on Antiviral Research, where the award will be presented.

ELION AWARD - NOMINATE

back to top

2025 Elion Award

Tomas Cihlar, PhD

Prior Elion Award Recipients

2024 Johan Neyts

2023 Fabien Zoulim

2022 George Painter

2021 Wiliam Lee

2020 Ann Kwong

2019 David Evans

2018 Paul Griffiths 

2017 Michael J. Sofia

2016 Douglas Richman

2015 Philip Furman 

2014 John Drach

2013 Masanori Baba 

2012 Karl Hostetler

2011 Earl Kern

2010 Bo Oberg

2009 Karen Biron

2008 Jan Balzarini

2007 Frederick Hayden

2006 Robert Sidwell

2005 Erik De Clercq

2004 Richard J. Whitley

2003 John C. Martin

2002 Antonin Holy

2001 Leroy B. Townsend

2000 Michael Rossmann

William Prusoff Memorial Award

The William Prusoff Memorial Award will be awarded annually by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) and will be conferred at the time of the lecture at the annual conference of the Society. The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash award and the remaining $2,500 will be used for minimal administrative fees and awardee travel (expenses for travel will vary depending on where the awardee is coming from).

ISAR is delighted to honor one of the most talented and beloved members of the Society, Bill Prusoff who has been a loyal member of the Society since its inception. His contributions to the development of antivirals, which have succeeded to clinical use, are legendary; his dedication to mentoring young scientists makes this award in his name truly appropriate.

The Awards Committee will select the recipient. The award will be given to an outstanding junior scientist (no more than seven years from the first appointment as an independent researcher or no older than 45 years of age at the time of nomination, discounting any extended leave of absence for cause majeure, such as parental or health related) who has demonstrated dedication and excellence in the field of antiviral research (basic or clinical, synthetic or pharmacological) and future potential for contribution to the field and the society. The award is intended to encourage young investigators in the field and by definition the awardee should not be a fully developed scientist.

Eligibility Criteria: 

1. Nomination for the award must be made by a member in good standing of the International Society for Antiviral Research.
   
2. The nominee must be no more than seven years from the first appointment as an independent researcher or no older than 45 years of age on the date the nomination is submitted, discounting any extended leave of absence for cause majeure, such as parental or health related.
3. The nomination must include a letter of recommendation, by the person making the nomination, outlining accomplishments and the curriculum vitae of the candidate.
   
4. Demonstrated dedication and excellence in the field of antiviral research (basic or clinical, synthetic or pharmacological) evidenced by:
   • Number and quality of peer reviewed publications.
     
   • Number and quality of presentations at national/international meetings.
     
   • Amount of responsibility (academic and/or industry).
5. Nominee should have potential for contribution to antiviral research and the Society.
   
6. Other criteria, which may be considered, include service to the antiviral research community.

The nominations will be received by the Chairman of the ISAR Awards Committee and reviewed by the Committee, who will make the selection. The President of the Society will notify the awardee. as well as the sponsor, of the selection.

The awardee will be invited to make a presentation at the next International Conference on Antiviral Research, where the award will be presented.

PRUSOFF AWARD - NOMINATE

back to top

2025 Prusoff Award

Supported by

Leen Delang, PhD

Prior Prusoff Award Recipients

2024 Jessica Spengler

2023 Timothy Sheahan

2022 Priscilla Yang

2021 David Durantel

2020 Jason McLellan

2019 Marnix Van Loock

2018 Ester Ballana
2017 Maaike Everts
2016 Jerome Deval
2015 Erica Ollman Saphire
2014 Adrian Ray
2013 Andrea Brancale
2012 William Delaney
2011 Brian Gowen
2010 Jose Este
2009 Mark Prichard
2008 Bruno Canard
2007 Chris Meier

2006 Tomas Cihlar

2005 Arianna Loregian

2004 Fabien Zoulim

2003 Johan Neyts

2002 Ralf Bartenschlager

2001 Chris McGuigan

Antonín Holý Memorial Award

Gilead has established sponsorship for the annual Antonín Holý Memorial Award by committing annual funding of $7,500 to the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR). The nominee must be a senior scientist of international stature who has made innovative contributions that have had a major impact on antiviral drug discovery and/or development who has demonstrated career-long scientific prominence in medicinal chemistry evidenced by funded research, corporate and/or academic leadership, patents, publications, and presentations. The nominee must have demonstrated service to the field of medicinal chemistry and antiviral research through participation in study sections, membership in editorial boards, and leadership in professional societies. The award will be conferred at the time of the lecture at the annual conference of the Society.  The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash award and up to $2,500 will be used for administrative fees and awardee travel (expenses for travel will vary depending on where the awardee is coming from).

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Nomination for the award must be made by a member in good standing of the International Society for Antiviral Research.
2. The nominee must be:
   • A senior chemist of international stature.
     
   • An outstanding contributor to the field of medicinal chemistry who has made significant contributions that directly or tangentially advanced antiviral drug discovery.
3. The individual submitting the nomination must include the nominee's CV as well as a letter of recommendation outlining the accomplishments and career highlights of the nominee and describing his or her impact on the field of medicinal chemistry. The letter should include specific examples of accomplishments and reasons for the nomination and describe attributes and qualifications possessed by the nominee in order of priority as follows:
   • Career-long scientific prominence in medicinal chemistry and antiviral research evidenced by funded research programs, corporate leadership, patents, publications, presentations, etc.
     
   • Service to the field of medicinal chemistry and antiviral research such as participation in study sections, membership on editorial boards, and leadership in professional societies.

The nominations will be received annually by the Chairman of the ISAR Awards Committee and reviewed by that Committee, which will make the selection. The President of the Society will notify the awardee, as well as the sponsor, of the selection.

The awardee will be required to make a presentation at the next International Conference on Antiviral Research, where the award will be presented.

HOLY AWARD - NOMINATE

back to top

2025 Holý Award

Supported by

Raymond F. Schinazi, PhD, Hon DSc

Prior Holý Award Recipients

2024 Nicholas Meanwell

2023 Vincenzo Summa

2022 Mark. von Itzstein

2021 Eddy Arnold

2020 Kathie Seley-Radtke

2019 Richard Mackman

2018 Chris Meier

2017 C.K. (David) Chu

2016 Robert Vince

2015 Dennis Liotta

2014 Piet Herdewijn

Alice Ball Excellence Award

The International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) has made a commitment to ensure that antiviral research and development reaches, benefits, and includes equally all human beings. Considering the International character of the Society and that not all individuals face the same challenges in pursuing antiviral research and development, or being recognized for it, the Society will issue an Award of Excellence to a scientist that reflects the values of the Society and has shown outstanding resilience to overcome particular personal or collective challenges in the pursuit of antiviral research and development. The awardee must have exhibited actual or potential interest and capacity to mentor and support other researchers facing individual or collective challenges. The award, in the amount of $5,500, will be conferred at the time of the ICAR meeting. The awardee will receive a $3,000 cash award and up to $2,500 will be used for administrative fees and awardee travel (travel expenses will vary depending on the specific travel needs).

The Past, Current and Elected Presidents will receive nominations from ISAR members or nominate candidate speakers for consideration for the Award themselves. The Society President shall chair this committee. The committee shall seek assistance from other appropriate Society members as necessary to select the awardee based on scientific merit, prominence and leadership in their respective scientific field, and the particular individual or collective challenges. The Chair of the Committee will inform the awardee of their selection and invite them to present their research at the annual ICAR meeting, where the award will be presented by the Chair.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Nomination for the award must be made by any member in good standing of the International Society for Antiviral Research.

2. The nominee must be a scientist who has made significant contributions to Antiviral Research and is recognized in their field for high impact science.

3. Nomination must include the nominee's CV, as well as a letter of recommendation from the nominator that highlights their accomplishments and contributions to the field, as well as the particular individual or collective challenges that the nominee had to overcome in the pursuit of excellence.

4. Peer recognition and productivity will be determined by the number and quality of publications, patents, products, or policies, and presentations at national or international meetings and the impact on the field.

5. The nominee must have shown actual or potential leadership in promoting or increasing the participation in antiviral research of those who have faced unique collective or individual challenges in the pursuit of this goal.

Alice Ball Award - Nominate

back to top

Prior Award Recipients

2025 Joy Y. Feng, PhD

2025 Marco Vignuzzi, PhD

2024 Judith Breuer

2024 Nancie Archin

2023 Joanne Lemieux

2023 Blanton Tolbert

2022 J. Victor Garcia-Martinez

2022 Christina Spiropoulou

2021 Graciela Andrei

2021 Craig Cameron

2019 Grace Zhou

2018 Desiree LaBeaud

2017 Priscilla Yang

The Chu Family Foundation Scholarships for Early Career Women in Science

Sponsored by 

Purpose

The Chu Family Scholarships were initiated by The Chu Family Foundation (TCFF) and ISAR to support the professional development of early career level women with the potential for significant contribution in the field of antiviral research by providing funds to attend a specialized workshop, visit/work in another laboratory to obtain new skills, take a course, or acquire specialized training.

Award

Up to three awards will be given annually to advance the careers of early career level women with potential for significant contributions in the field of basic, applied, and clinical aspects of antiviral research and antiviral drug development. Each award will consist of a $3,000 stipend, a 2-year ISAR membership and a commemorative plaque. The stipend must be used within a year of its award and the winners must present their research at the next International Conference for Antiviral Research (ICAR). As a result, the award should be used for both the proposed external training and attending the ICAR. However, if the total cost exceeds the $3,000 limit, applicants are still eligible to apply for the ICAR travel award funds. The funds are not meant, however, just to attend ICAR.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for the TCFF award, the early career level woman scientist must currently be either a (i) graduate student or (ii) hold a doctoral degree and have no more than four years of cumulative postdoctoral experience. The applicant must currently be doing graduate or postdoctoral research in the general field of antiviral research – this includes virology, chemistry, molecular biology or another virally-related focus. The criteria for selection includes, but is not limited to, the level of interest in antiviral research, the ability to do independent scientific work, the potential for a high level of scientific endeavor in antiviral research, as well as the extent of scientific accomplishments and scientific leadership/mentoring skills. Graduate students and postdoctoral candidates as well as their mentors must be members of ISAR. A letter of support must be provided by a nominator, who may be the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director. Click here for information in how to become an ISAR member.

TCFF Application Process

Once submitted, nomination materials become the property of the Selection Committee and will not be returned. Winners will be selected by the TCFF Selection Committee by early-January and will be informed of their status by email. The winners must present their research at the next ICAR meeting. (Note: Winners are still eligible to receive ICAR travel merit and assistance awards to attend ICAR).

Each candidate must submit:

• A Candidate Statement that describes her academic accomplishments and future career goals. The candidate should include an explanation of how the planned use of the award (workshop, training, specialized course, external lab visit, etc.) will help her career. The length of the Statement may not exceed 2 pages, single spaced. 
• A Curriculum Vitae of any length.
  
• A letter of support from the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director. Recommenders should describe how the planned use of the award (meeting, course, lab visit, etc.) will benefit the candidate's scientific and career development.
  
• Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to visit another scientist's laboratory must also submit a letter from the head of the laboratory indicating that the proposed visit is permissible.
  
• Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to attend a specialized course or workshop or course must provide a detailed description of the conference/course including the date, location, and other pertinent details, including a link to online information.
  

Additional Information

Candidates may apply more than one time but women who have previously won the award are not eligible for a second award. In addition, any candidate that has won a TCFF Scholarship from the International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (IS3NA) is ineligible to apply. In general, the career development activity should not be one for which the applicant's advisor is already funded. After completion of the training or course, etc., the recipient must provide a brief report of the work that was supported by the award to ISAR. This report will then be sent to The Chu Family Foundation.

For questions please contact the TCFF Chair, Professor Katherine Seley- Radtke, with the words The Chu Family Foundation Scholarship in the subject title.  Submissions at this time will be considered for ICAR2026.

Submission deadline is November 14, 2025.

back to top

ISAR Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Society

The success of the International Society for Antiviral Research is due to the hard work and devotion of many individuals. However, occasionally an individual stands out as a key factor in the Societies success. Earl Kern is the first recipient of this award which was enacted in 2004. This award is dedicated to one who has made significant contributions consistently over many years (at least 10 years) that are considered to have been essential to the continuing success of the Society and its annual Conference. This rare award is conferred by the ISAR Board upon considerable reflection of the individual’s extensive contributions. These contributions could include, but are not limited to: administrative efforts, efforts considered essential to the success of the Society and its Conference, fund raising activities, membership on committees, recruitment of members, an ambassador and promoter of the society at multiple venues, promotion and/or presentation of the highest quality science at society meeting, promotion of the effective integration of industry and academic society members, etc.

back to top

Outstanding Contributions Award Recipients

Earl R. Kern presented in 2004
George Galasso presented in 2007
Erik De Clercq presented in 2012

Mark Prichard presented in 2019

ISAR Award of Excellence

From time to time the International Society for Antiviral Research will issue the prestigious Award of Excellence to individuals who have made truly outstanding contributions to the field of antiviral research. The Board of Directors in conjunction with the Awards Committee makes the selection. Past recipients have been: Erik DeClercq, Gertrude Elion, William Prusoff, Richard J. Whitley, and Robert Gallo.

back to top