In honour of the late Prof Marcello Costa and his immense contributions to the field of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, ANGMA is proud to present our inaugural Young Investigator award in his name.

This Marcello Costa Young Investigator Award aims to foster research training by recognising and rewarding excellence in research in the field of neurogastroenterology and motility by early career researchers. This award is made possible by the generous donation of Prof Marcello Costa and matched funding from ANGMA.

Nature of the Award

• One Award will be available biennially, consisting of a certificate and AU$2000.

• All finalists will receive a certificate of recognition.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Award, the investigator must:

• Be a current member of ANGMA

• Not be a previous recipient of this Award

• Register as a delegate for the conference of the award year

• Submit only one abstract for this award per conference year

This application is open to ANGMA members less than 5 years* post-PhD, this includes:

• Postgraduate Research Fellows

• Advanced Trainees in Gastroenterology

• Basic Physician Trainees

• Post-graduate fellows in Neurogastroenterology and Motility

• Students who are currently enrolled in a PhD

 * 5 years at time of application close. Career disruptions will be taken into consideration.

Method of Selection:

1. Abstract submission and review: Please address the additional questions during the abstract submission process. Nominated abstracts from eligible investigators will be reviewed according to the standard ANGMA conference review process.

2. Notification of finalists: eligible investigators with the top 4 scored abstracts will be notified that they are finalists.

3. Conference presentation: Finalists willl present their work at the ANGMA conference 2025 in a dedicated Young Investigator session and must present in person to remain eligible for the Award. Presentations will be evaluated by a dedicated panel.

4. Evaluation criteria:

   • Abstract Quality: Clarity, coherence, and conciseness of the submitted abstract.

   • Scientific Merit: Originality, significance, and scientific rigor of the research.

   • Presentation Quality: Clarity, engagement, and professionalism in the oral presentation.

   • Ability to Defend Work: Competence in answering questions and defending the research methodology and findings.

Award decision:

• The panel will score the oral presentations based on the specified criteria.

• The investigator with the highest overall score will be awarded the Award.

• The decision of the panel will be final, and the Award will be presented at the end of the conference.

Applications will close with the close of Abstract submissions for ANGMA 2025: 8 August 2025, with outcomes announced by September.