Dear Colleagues,

To acknowledge authors’ continued support and celebrate the 10^th anniversary of our journal, we are pleased to announce the establishment of a Best Paper Award for research and review articles published between 1 January 2020 and 15 November 2020. After a thorough evaluation by the journal award committee (consisting of members of the Life Editorial Board), one review paper and one research paper will each receive an award.

Eligibility conditions:

• Papers published in Life from 1 January 2020 to 15 November 2020 will be considered;
• Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered;
• Only original research articles and reviews will be considered.

Selection criteria: 

• Originality and significance;
• Citations and download rates in 2020, determined using Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics).

Winners (corresponding author) will receive a certificate and 400 CHF. The winners will be announced at the end of 2020. 

Dear Colleague,

We are pleased to announce that the 2020 Life Young Investigator Award is now open. This prize will be given to two young investigators in recognition of their excellence in the research field of life science and its applications. All nominations will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee organized by the Editorial Board Members.

The Prize:

–– 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs);
–– Option to publish one paper free of charge in Life after peer review before the end of 2021.

Candidate Eligibility and Requirements:

–– Must be below 40 years of age and have received their PhD;
–– Must have produced ground-breaking research and a significant contribution to the advancement of life science;
–– Candidates must be nominated by their supervisors, research director, or department head.

List of Documents for Nomination

–– Detailed Curriculum Vitae including an updated publication list and a list of the researcher’s own research grants;
–– Birth certificate or other proof of age;
–– Scanned copy of doctorate certificate;
–– Signed nomination letters from two established senior scientists.

Please send your nominations and materials at the link https://www.mdpi.com/journal/life/awards by 31 October 2020. The winner will be announced by the end of December 2020.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Life, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Life Travel Award 2019:

Pol Arranz-Gibert, a post-doctoral fellow at Yale University, whose research focuses on the expansion of the genetic code to facilitate the incorporation of nonstandard amino acids into proteins. He is planning to present his work “Ribosome Evolution for the Incorporation of Non-Standard Monomers”. The award consists of 800 Swiss Francs to attend an academic conference of his choice in 2019.

We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their fascinating and diverse range of research topics. And the competition for the Life Travel Award 2020 will be opened at the end of 2019. Please visit Life homepage for more information closer to this date.

Dr. Ulrich Muller
Editor-in-Chief

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Life, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Life Travel Award 2018:

Ryo Mizuuchi, PhD student at Osaka University, whose research focuses on constructing a comprehensive scenario of possible evolution of primitive replication systems. He is planning to present his work “Sustainable Cooperation and Coevolution of Encapsulated Gene-Encoding RNA Replicators” at the Evolution 2018 Montpellier. The award consists of 800 Swiss Francs to attend this conference.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Lazcano
Editor-in-Chief

As Editor-in-Chief of Life, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Life Travel Award 2017:
Claudia Bonfio, PhD student at the Centre for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, whose research focuses on the origin of iron–sulfur clusters and their catalytic activity on the early Earth. She is planning to present her work “UV-light driven prebiotic synthesis of iron–sulfur clusters” at the XVIIIth International Conference on the Origin of Life. The award consists of 800 Swiss Francs to attend this conference.

Prof. Dr. David Deamer
Editor-in-Chief