Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Animals will be granting the Travel Award to one junior scientist. The applications will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of senior scholars from the Animals Editorial Board.

This award provides financial support for the winner to attend an international conference in the field of science and technology of animals to be held in 2024, in order to give a presentation, present a poster, or both.

Candidate Requirements:
– Postdoctoral fellows or PhD students.
– Plans to attend an international conference in 2024 (oral presentation or poster).

Required Application Documents:
– Information of the conference the applicant is planning to attend and the abstract that will be submitted.
– Curriculum vitae and list of publications.
– Justification letter describing the focus of the research (max. 800 words).
– Letter of recommendation from the supervisor, research director, or department head, which also confirms the applicant’s status as a postdoctoral fellow/PhD student.

There will be one winner, and the winner will be awarded CHF 800 and an electronic certificate.

Please submit your applications for the Animals 2024 Travel Award online by 15 January 2024. The prize will be awarded at the middle of April 2024 and announced on the Animals website.

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

Animals is inviting applications for the 2023 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to one PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced highly anticipated theses with great academic potential. Applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Clive J. C. Phillips.

Eligibility and Requirements
– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The PhD thesis must be or have been defended in 2023.

Required Application Documents
– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student due to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria
– Quality of resume and publications;
– Relevance of the candidate and research description;
– Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
– Strength of the recommendation letter;
– Anticipated academic potential;
– Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes
– Bonus (CHF 1000);
– An electronic certificate;
– Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Animals after peer review before the end of 2024.

The award application deadline is 31 December 2023. The winner will be announced on the Animals website at the end of March 2024.

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Animals is now inviting nominations for the Animals 2023 Young Investigator Award. This prize will be given to one young investigator in recognition of their excellence in the field of animals. All nominations will be assessed by an Award Evaluation Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips.

The Prize
– CHF 1000;
– The option to publish one paper free of charge in Animals after peer review before the end of 2024;
– An electronic certificate.

Eligibility and Requirements
– Must have received their PhD no more than 10 years prior to 31 December 2023;
– Must have produced ground-breaking research and made a significant contribution to the advancement of animals;
– Candidates must be nominated by senior scientists.

List of Documents for Nomination
– Detailed Curriculum Vitae, including an updated publication list and a list of the researcher’s own research grants;
– Scanned copy of doctorate certificate;
– Signed nomination letters from two established senior scientists (scanned handwritten or e-signature).

Schedule
Open for nomination: 21 March 2023
Nomination deadline: 20 October 2023
Winner announcement: 31 December 2023

How to Submit Nominations?
The nominations must be submitted online.

Contact
Ms. Davina Zhao
Marketing Specialist
Email: [email protected]

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the “Animals 2023 Best Paper Award” for research and review articles published in Animals from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. Two reviews and three research articles will each receive an award. The papers will be selected after thorough evaluation by the Journal Award Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips, and the winners will be announced in March 2023.

Eligibility for the award:
– Papers published in Animals from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021;
– Open to all career levels;
– Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered.

Selection Criteria:
The papers will be selected by the Journal Award Committee according to the following criteria (data source: Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics)):
– Scientific merit and broad impact;
– Originality of the research objectives and/or the ideas presented;
– Creativity of the study design or uniqueness of the approaches and concepts;
– Clarity of presentation;
– Citation and download rates in 2022.

Prizes:
– Rank 1: One review and one research article award: 500 CHF each.
– Rank 2: One review and two research article awards: 300 CHF each.
– Each winner will also receive a certificate and a chance to publish a free paper in Animals in 2023 after peer review.

The winners will be announced on the journal website in March 2023.

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Animals, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Animals 2023 Travel Award. The award has been granted to: Dr. Nikol Kmentová, a post-doctoral fellow at Hasselt University, Belgium, who will attend the XV International Symposium on Flatworm Biology, São Paulo, Brazil.

As the awardee, she will receive an honorarium of CHF 800 and an electronic certificate.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process was challenging, and the final decision was difficult to make. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on her accomplishments.

Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips
Editor-in-Chief, Animals

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of Animals 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Animals Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Animals. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Mr. James Brereton
Affiliation: University Centre Sparsholt, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, Hampshire, UK
Research Interest: animal nutrition; microbiome; parasitology; behaviour; behavior; enclosure use; amphibian; reptile; bird; biobank; cryobank; cryopreservation; cryoconservation; sperm; diet

Dr. Noah Esmaeili
Affiliation: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
Research Interest: aquaculture; fish nutrition; stress; cortisol; glucose

Dr. Duy Ngoc Do
Affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Canada
Research Interest: genomic selection; feed efficiency; miRNAs; statistical genomics

Prof. Dr. Aitor Fernandez-Novo
Affiliation: Veterinary department, Biomedical and sciences faculty, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain
Research Interest: cattle; reproduction; medicine; bull; calf; ovine; caprine; animal production; physiology

Dr. Weronika Maślanko
Affiliation: Department of Animal Ethology and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Research Interest: animals migration; ecological corridors; home ranges; refuges; telemetry; mammals; ectoparasites; nature protection; nature conservation; animal management

The Prizes for Each Winner:
• CHF 500;
• An opportunity to publish a paper with 50% discount in Animals in 2023 after peer review;
• An electronic certificate.

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Animals, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the Animals 2022 Best PhD Thesis Award. This award is for a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential.

The award has been granted to:

“Importance of older males: influence of age structure on social dynamics between males in an elephant bull area”
By Dr. Connie Allen, University of Exeter, UK.

The winner will receive CHF 1000, a certificate and an offer to publish a featured paper in Animals with the article processing charge (APC) waived before the end of 2023.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I congratulate the winner on her accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their exceptional theses, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips
Editor-in-Chief, Animals

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Animals 2022 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Daniel Stec.

Daniel Stec has had a remarkable start to his scientific career, after just 8 years as a scientist. With several of his 75 publications reported in Animals, he has specialised in a little-known phylum of tiny animals, the tardigrades. They are mostly found in mosses and lichens and are particularly resilient to environmental extremes. Stec’s work has been vital in recognising the diversity and complexity of these animals, as well as investigating current concerns such as the impact of thermal stress. Stec has also made a valuable contribution to Animals as an academic editor, and we commend him for his excellent work in such a short period of time.

As the awardee, Dr. Daniel Stec will receive an honorarium of CHF 1000, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2023 in Animals after peer review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Kind Regards,
Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips,
on behalf of the Animals 2022 Young Investigator Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

The editorial team would like to congratulate the winners of the Animals 2022 Best Paper Award, who were chosen by a selection committee chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips. Following a thorough review process by the Evaluation Committee, five winners were selected. The recipients are as follows:

Research Article:

Rank 1 Award: (CHF 500 + one free publication in 2023)
Impact of the First COVID-19 Lockdown on Management of Pet Dogs in the UK (doi:10.3390/ani11010005)
By Robert M. Christley et al.

Rank 2 Award: (CHF 300 + one free publication in 2023)
Organic Farming as a Strategy to Reduce Carbon Footprint in Dehesa Agroecosystems: A Case Study Comparing Different Livestock Products (doi: 10.3390/ani10010162)
By Andrés Horrillo et al.

Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs (doi: 10.3390/ani10020318)
By Daniel S. Mills et al.

Review:

Rank 1 Award: (CHF 500 and one free publication in 2023)
Probiotics (Direct-Fed Microbials) in Poultry Nutrition and Their Effects on Nutrient Utilization, Growth and Laying Performance, and Gut Health: A Systematic Review (doi: 10.3390/ani10101863)
By Rajesh Jha et al.

Rank 2 Award: (CHF 300 and one free publication in 2023)
Composition and Function of Chicken Gut Microbiota (doi: 10.3390/ani10010103)
By Ivan Rychlik

Please join us in congratulating the winners of Animals 2022 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Animals.

Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the “Animals 2021 Best Cover Award”. The winners (corresponding author) will receive a bonus of CHF 100.
The winners are as follows:

Issue 4 (April 2021)
Grumpy Dogs Are Smart Learners—The Association between Dog–Owner Relationship and Dogs’ Performance in a Social Learning Task
Animals 2021, 11(4), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11040961

Issue 5 (May 2021)
Enhanced Understanding of Horse–Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare
Animals 2021, 11(5), 1347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051347

Congratulations to the winners for their excellent research!

We would like to thank everyone for your participation.

Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Animals 2021 Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, which recognises the most highly anticipated academic potential thesis among PhD students.

The award has been granted to:

“Visual Illusions as a Tool to Understand How Vertebrates See the World” By Maria Santacà, University of Padova, Italy

The winner will receive CHF 1000, a certificate, and an offer to publish a featured paper in Animals with the article processing charge (APC) waived before the end of 2022.

We congratulate Dr. Maria Santacà on her accomplishment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics, as well as the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips
On behalf of Award Committee of Animals 2021 Best Ph.D. Thesis Award

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the following two conference applicants who have been selected as the winners of the Animals 2021 Academic Conference Grants. Under the global epidemic, academic exchanges have been greatly restricted, and many academic conferences have been forced to cancel or transform into online platforms. Therefore, to maximize the promotion of academic exchange and give the academic community the most possible support, Animals specially set up this grant to encourage or commend innovation in global academic exchange.

Conference Name: The 10^th International Sheep Veterinary Congress (The 10^th ISVC)
Conference Organizer: International Sheep Veterinary Association (ISVA)
Conference Link: www.intsheepvetassoc.org/international-sheep-veterinary-association

Conference Name: ESLAV-ECLAM Virtual Meeting
Conference Organizer: ESLAV
Conference Link: https://www.eslav.org/events/eslav-eclam-virtual-meeting-2021/

The two winners will each receive a 2000 CHF grant to promote academic exchange in any form.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Animals 2021 Academic Conference Grants.

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Animals 2021 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Katharina Hohlbaum.

Dr. Katharina Hohlbaum is a postdoctoral research assistant at Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin. Dr. Hohlbaum’s research interests are the development of refinement strategies for laboratory mice, including automatic monitoring of wellbeing based on facial expressions, automatic monitoring in the home cage, cognitive and affect-stimulating enrichment, systematic and animal-based severity assessment, non-aversive handling techniques and animal training, improvement of housing conditions of male mice, barbering, and geriatric mice; and the synthesis of intelligent behavior of mice in an interdisciplinary approach, including investigation and modeling of problem-solving behavior in individuals and in a social context. Dr. Hohlbaum received her PhD in 2018 and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 14 publications in peer-reviewed international journals. She is clearly a rising star in the field of animal welfare, laboratory animal science, and veterinary ethics. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hohlbaum for her outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Hohlbaum will receive an honorarium of 2000 CHF, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before the end of 2022 in Animals after peer review, and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Kind Regards,
Animals 2021 Young Investigator Evaluation Committee

Dear Authors,

I am pleased to announce the winning papers of the Animals 2021 Best Paper Awards. Nominations were chosen from all papers published between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019. After initial screening based on citation and download numbers, the Selection Committee reviewed a shortlist to produce the following winners of the Animals 2021 Best Paper Awards. We congratulate all of the following winners, listed in no particular order, of the Animals 2021 Best Paper Awards.

— Original Research Article Award—1

Effects of Dietary Betaine on Growth Performance, Digestive Function, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Indigenous Yellow-Feathered Broilers under Long-Term Heat Stress
By Wenchao Liu et al.
Animals 2019, 9(8), 506, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080506

Outstanding features of this publication: Wenchao Liu and coauthors, in their paper “Effects of Dietary Betaine on Growth Performance, Digestive Function, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Indigenous Yellow-Feathered Broilers under Long-Term Heat Stress”, demonstrate the problems faced by the broiler industry with climate change and some of the mechanisms by which betaine can help to alleviate these problems. These mechanisms have remained elusive for several years, even though betaine has been known to have beneficial effects. The paper describes the work that they conducted extremely well, with a clear summary for the public. It has already been cited 18 times and downloaded over 1000 times. The work illustrates how a multinational team from PR China and North Korea has made a major advance in poultry science with funding from sources made available to young and emerging scientific talent in this region.

— Original Research Article Award—2

The Ethics of Human–Animal Relationships and Public Discourse: A Case Study of Lions Bred for Their Bones
By Peter Coals et al.
Animals 2019, 9(2), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9020052

Outstanding features of this publication: The manuscript, listed as a case study, eruditely illustrates how case studies can be used to develop ethical tools in a very novel way. Coming from a multinational team from the UK, South Africa and the USA, the work is novel in developing an ethical tool that can be expected to address the sensitive issues surrounding lions in Africa. It illustrates both the diversity of research published by Animals and the high quality of research that can be achieved by a top class multinational team without any external funding.

— Review Paper Award—1

The Potential Role of Insects as Feed: A Multi-Perspective Review
By Giovanni Sogari et al.
Animals 2019, 9(4), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9040119

Outstanding features of this publication: The review evaluates the possibilities provided by novel use of insects as animal feed. In the face of rapidly expanding farm animal populations to meet the growing demand for meat, new sources of animal feed are essential. The novelty of this approach commends itself, and the multinational team from Italy and the USA has demonstrated a depth of understanding of the topic, without external funding. The paper has already been cited 40 times and downloaded over 6000 times, demonstrating both the quality of the work and the keen interest in this topic.

These three outstanding papers are valuable contributions to Animals. On behalf of the Editorial Board, I would like to congratulate these three teams for their excellent work. In recognition of their accomplishments, each team will receive a certificate and CHF 500. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the authors of these exceptional papers for their contributions to Animals, and to thank the Animals Editorial Board for assisting me in the selection of these outstanding papers.

Kind regards,
Clive Phillips
Animals Editor-in-Chief
and the Animals Editorial Office

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Animals 2020 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Animals Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Animals. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Prof. Lvhui Sun
Affiliation: College of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Research Interest: Animal Nutrition; Feed safety; Mycotoxins; Animal health; Selenium.

Dr. Aser García-Rodríguez
Affiliation: Department of Animal Production, Neiker, Campus Agroalimentario de Arkaute s/n, Arkaute, Spain
Research Interest: Animal Production.

Dr. Duy Ngoc Do
Affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Canada
Research Interest: MiRNAs; genomic selection; network analyses; genomewide association studies; genetic diversity; next generation of sequencing; biomarkers; feed efficiency; milk genomics.

Dr. Edwin Westreicher-Kristen
Affiliation: Schothorst Feed Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
Research Interest: prenatal programming; postnatal development; physiology; nutrition; probiotics; glucocorticoids; heavy metals; toxicology; bone metabolism and development; bone and tendon mechanical properties; gut structure; gut-bone axis; skin in fur animals.

Prof. Dr. Ewa Tomaszewska
Affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland
Research Interest: Ruminant Nutrition; Feed Evaluation; Feed Formulation; Dairy Cattle Nutrition.

Kind Regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Animals 2019–2020 Best Cover Award. 24 cover stories published from 2019 to 2020 in Animals were considered for this award. The winners of the “Animals 2019–2020 Best Cover Award”, in no particular order, will receive 100 CHF each. They are as follows:

Animals, Volume 9, Issue 12 (December 2019)
Emotional Transfer in Human–Horse Interaction: New Perspectives on Equine Assisted Interventions
(doi: 10.3390/ani9121030)

Animals, Volume 10, Issue 5 (May 2020)
Is Humane Slaughter Possible?
(doi: 10.3390/ani10050799)

Animals, Volume 10, Issue 2 (February 2020)
Fatal Infection in a Wild Sandbar Shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus), Caused by Streptococcus agalactiae, Type Ia-ST7
(doi: 10.3390/ani10020284)

Congratulations to the winners for their excellent research!

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the “Animals Best Paper Awards for Special Issue Calf and Heifer Feeding and Management ”.

The awards have been granted to:

– One research article:
An Economic Analysis of the Costs Associated with Pre-Weaning Management Strategies for Dairy Heifers
By Anna Hawkins et al.
Animals 2019, 9, 471, doi: 10.3390/ani9070471

– One review:
Paper Title: Review: How Forage Feeding Early in Life Influences the Growth Rate, Ruminal Environment, and the Establishment of Feeding Behavior in Pre-Weaned Calves
By Jianxin Xiao et al.
Animals 2020, 10, 188, doi:10.3390/ani10020188

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive 400 CHF and a certificate.

On behalf of the assessment committee, we congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the aforementioned exceptional papers for their contributions to Special Issue, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Kind regards,
Animals Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2018 Animals Young Investigator Award is Dr. Jay Johnson.

Dr. Johnson is a Research Animal Scientist of USDA Agricultural Research Service, USA. His work focuses on evaluating the impact of environmental (i.e., heat stress) and production stress on livestock physiology, welfare, and metabolic health to develop mitigation strategies that will improve animal well-being and productivity. He has authored 2 book chapters, 2 invited reviews, 27 refereed articles, 62 abstracts, and 18 other publications. These publications demonstrate his research productivity and diverse research portfolio, as he has published results in swine, dairy cattle, beef cattle, poultry, and rodents, on a range of animal well-being topics, including heat stress, antibiotic alternatives, transport stress, and weaning stress. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Johnson for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Johnson will receive an honorarium of 2000 CHF, an offer to publish a paper free of charge without a fixed deadline in Animals, and an engraved plaque.

We would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge another applicant who was highly commended: Dr. Jessica Elisabeth Martin from University of Edinburgh. She will receive a free publication in Animals.

We would like to thank all the applicants in various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee members for their evaluation of the excellent applications.

Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips
Editor-in-Chief, Animals

Dear Colleagues,

This year we launched a Travel Scholarship to be awarded to a PhD student or early career postdoctoral student. It attracted a large number of applicants, 78 in total, of generally very high quality. The applications were assessed by an international team of four Animals editors, Dr. Serdar Izmirli, Prof. Darryl Jones, Prof. John McGlone and myself. The winner of the award is Angie Johnston, a PhD student from Yale University who will receive 800 Swiss Francs towards travel expenses to participate at the Canine Science Forum in Hungary and present her paper entitled: The double-edged sword of domestication: Dogs are less adept than dingoes at independent problem solving.

Two other applicants that were highly commended will receive the opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Animals; these are Dr. Irene Camerlink of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Dr. Eija Kaukonen from the University of Helsinki. An additional nine short-listed candidates will receive a reduction of half the fee for publication in Animals.

It was a difficult decision with such high quality applications for the awards and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. We congratulate the winners for their accomplishments! Animals is happy to support our young scientists, who represent our future leaders in animal science. We hope that all manage to get to the conferences and meetings that they applied to attend and that they enjoy Animals as a source of inspiration and information about the latest findings in animal science.

Prof. Dr. Clive J. C. Phillips
Editor-in-Chief