The 2018 Genes Travel Awards have been granted to:

a. Andi Wilson, a Ph.D. student at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, for her work on the understanding of sexual reproduction in fungal plant pathogens of the Ceratocystidaceae family.

b. Dr. Jesus A Ballesteros, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, for his research on the molecular and developmental evolution of arachnids and other arthropods.

The awards consist of 800 Swiss Francs each, and are available for the winners to use for attendance and participation in any academic conference in 2018.

It is also my pleasure to announce that as part of the reward, Genes will offer the winners the oppor tunit y to publish a paper with the publication fees waived.

I would like to thank all applicants for their participation and interest in our journal.