Samuel Gershon Junior Investigator Award

In an ongoing effort to recognize the outstanding work of future leaders in the field, the International Society for Bipolar Disorders is proud to offer the Samuel Gershon Junior Investigator Awards for up to four young investigators for their original research publication submissions. The Awards are named in honor of Dr. Samuel Gershon, an early pioneer of lithium research who introduced lithium to the US from Australia. He was a founding member of the ISBD, its first elected president, and an Editor-in-Chief of Bipolar Disorders, the official Society journal.

The 2026 SGJIA application period is now CLOSED. Thank you to those who have applied. Please email Mary Miller at marym@isbd.org with inquiries.

Click here to see the previous winners

Eligibility

To honor Samuel Gershon’s vision to advance research in psychiatry, we will accept applications for this award from any individual engaged in the pursuit of understanding and improving outcomes for bipolar disorder.

Eligible applicants must:

Have a clear scholarly focus in bipolar disorders
Work in academic settings where they are pursuing research activities
Presently be a trainee, postgraduate student, or at a relatively early stage in their career. Faculty members up to and including Assistant Professor rank working in the field of bipolar disorders will be considered

Applicants from around the world, irrespective of age, nationality, sex, or race are encouraged to apply.

Winners from previous years are NOT eligible to apply.

New for 2026 – you may apply for either the Samuel Gershon Junior Investigator Awards OR the EMC Travel Awards, but not both. Individuals who submit applications for both awards will not be considered for either.

Developing Country Criteria

In order to promote research interest in bipolar disorder in developing countries, two of the awards will be reserved for those from low and middle-income countries, as defined by the current year World Bank Classification. You can find the current list here.

In order for your application to qualify as a developing country submission, a statement from an advisor/mentor certifying that the research was conducted in a developing country must be submitted with your application. This statement can be included in the letter of support as requested in the Application Instructions.

Manuscript Requirements

A manuscript focused on a key aspect of bipolar disorders must be included in the application package. The manuscript should be based on original work that has not been published elsewhere and demonstrates a significant contribution from the author submitting for this award (reflected by first/last authorship on the paper). Papers can be submitted or under review but cannot be published. The paper should be submitted as an article formatted for publication according to style guidelines of Bipolar Disorders.

Paper will be accepted in the following categories:

Review Articles: These papers provide a timely and useful synthesis of a topic within psychiatry. They may have a clinical and/or research focus.

Original Articles: These are papers that report original high-quality research. Examples include articles illustrating novel findings, innovation and clinical trials.

Article type	Max Word Count	Max # references	Abstract/Keywords
Review Article	4000-75000	100	Yes
Original Article	5000	50	Yes

This information was taken directly from the Bipolar Disorders website. For more information, click here.

IMPORTANT– The BDJ manuscript format guidelines are used to provide consistency across all SGJIA applications. The manuscript that is submitted for the SGJIA will NOT be published in BDJ as part of the award process. All authors must independently and separately submit their manuscript to BDJ should they wish it to be considered for publication. The SGJIA application and/or review process has no influence on any future BDJ submissions and/or reviews.

Award Details

Awards will be judged on the originality of the content, as well as the significance of the findings reported, and will be evaluated by an international scientific panel under the auspices of the ISBD. The applicant’s potential for long term commitment and contributions specifically to the field of bipolar disorder will also be evaluated. All panel decisions will be final.

The awards, which are contingent upon attendance at the annual conference, will consist of:

A travel expense stipend to be reimbursed by the ISBD following attendance at the annual conference. This stipend is meant to cover most aspects of travel to the meeting, including airfare and local transport.
Three nights accommodation based on single occupancy conference booking rates at a hotel organized by the ISBD
An award plaque
Waived registration fees for the annual meeting the year of award, and
One-year ISBD Membership

Award Presentation and Notification

Winners will be notified in May 2026. All winners will be expected to attend the 28th Annual Conference of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders taking place September 28-30, 2026, in Vancouver, Canada.

Please contact Mary Miller at marym@isbd.org with any questions.