The late Charles Downie was one of the pioneers of palynology in the U.K. and a mentor who guided the thinking and development of a large number of postgraduate students who passed through the University of Sheffield. Through the efforts of former colleagues at Sheffield, a permanent memorial has now been established to recognize Charles' contribution to micropalaeontology. An annual award will be made to the society  member, who in the opinion of the Committee, has published the most significant paper, in any journal, based upon his or her postgraduate research.

The award of £200 is made for the best paper published during each year and will be presented at the society AGM in November.

Mechanism for making a nomination:

Past recipients of the Charles Downie Award (in chronological order):

1. Paul Dodsworth (University of Sheffield)
   Dodsworth, P. 2000. Trans-atlantic dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy across the Cenomanian-Turonian (Creataceaous) Stage Boundary. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 19, 69-84.
2. Gary Mullins (University of Leicester)
   Mullins, G. 2001. Acritarchs and prasinophyte algae of the Elton Group, Ludlow Series, of the type area. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, London, 155, 154pp.
3. Henning Blom
   Blom, H, Märss, T. and Miller, G.C., 2002. Silurian and earliest Devonian Birkeniid anaspids from the Northern Hemisphere. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Science, 92(3-4), 263-323.
4. Martin A. Pearce
   Martin A. Pearce, Ian Jarvis, Andrew R. H. Swan, Amanda M. Murphy, Bruce A. Tocher and W. Michael Edmunds, 2003. Integrating palynological and geochemical data in a new approach to palaeoecological studies: Upper Cretaceous of the Banterwick Barn Chalk borehole, Berkshire, UK. Marine Micropaleontology, 47 (3-4), 271-306.
5. Daniela N. Schmidt (University of Bristol)
   Schmidt, D.N., Thierstein, H.R., Bollmann, J. and Schiebel, R., 2004. Abiotic Forcing of Plankton Evolution in the Cenozoic. Science, 303, 207-210.
6. Samantha J. Gibbs (National Oceanography Centre)
   Gibbs, S. J., Young, J. R., Bralower, T. J. & Shackleton, N. J., 2005. Nannofossil evolutionary events in the mid-Pliocene: an assessment of the degree of synchrony in the extinctions of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus and Sphenolithus abies. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 217, 155-172.
7. Eleanor Madison
   Maddison, E. J., Pike, J., Leventer, A., Dunbar, R., Brachfeld, S., Domack, E. W., Manley, P. & McClennen, C., 2006. Post-glacial seasonal diatom record of the Mertz Glacier Polynya, East Antarctica. Marine Micropaleontology, 60, 66-88.
8. Kirsty M. Edgar (Southampton)
   Edgar, K. M., Wilson, P. A., Sexton, P. F. & Suganuma, Y. 2007. No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift, Nature 448, 908-911.
9. Magali Schweizer (ETH)
   Schweizer M., J. Pawlowski, T. J. Kouwenhoven, J. Guiard and B. van der Zwaan, 2008. Molecular phylogeny of Rotaliida (Foraminifera) based on complete small subunit rDNA sequences. Marine Micropaleontology, 66, 233-246.
10. Tom Dunkley-Jones (UCL)
    Dunkley Jones, T., Bown, P. R. and Pearson, P. N.  2009.  Exceptionally well preserved upper Eocene to lower Oligocene calcareous nannofossils (Prymnesiophyceae) from the Pande Formation (Kilwa Group), Tanzania.  Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 7, 359–411.
11. Clara Bolton (Southampton)
    Bolton, C. T. et al.  2010.  Evolution of nutricline dynamics in the equatorial Pacific during the Late Pliocene.  Paleoceanography 25, PA1207, doi:10.1029/2009PA001821