Gerry Murphy Prize
Applications for 2026 open 1 August 2025 and close 15 September 2025.
The Gerry Murphy Prize is awarded annually to the best oral presentation by an Advanced Trainee of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM).
Trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand have the opportunity to present on public health issues at competitions hosted either by the Aotearoa New Zealand Committee or, in Australia the respective AFPHM Regional Committee event in November each year.
These presentations will be assessed using the AFPHM Oral Presentation Assessment criteria. This assessment is part of the AFPHM training program and can count toward the trainee's overall assessment requirements.
Selected finalists from these events will represent their jurisdiction and compete for the overall Gerry Murphy Prize in 2026.
The Prize is made possible through a generous bequest by the late Dr Gerry Murphy FAFPHM.
Presentations pertaining to Indigenous health topics
Any applicant for the Gerry Murphy Prize who is presenting a topic relating to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health or Hauora Māori and/or presenting on an Indigenous health and wellbeing topic, must ensure that:
-
they have clearly designated this in their abstract and acknowledge this during the presentation
- describe the nature of the contributions of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori individuals and/or committees such as co- authorship of the abstract and joint research leadership
- provide an additional 50-word paragraph at the end of their abstract for consideration for the Gerry Murphy Prize, which outlines how Indigenous Data Sovereignty, community engagement, co-design and/or Te Tiriti o Waitangi have been taken into account
Note:
Applicants with presentations relating to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health or Hauora Māori are encouraged to invite Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori contributors, to co-present alongside them. When this occurs, the following will apply:
- trainees must clearly designate their role in relation to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori co-presenters
- trainees will only be marked on the section of the presentation presented by the trainee
- the time limit will apply only to the section of the presentation presented by the trainee
Any abstract that the AFPHM Council considers to be related to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health or Hauora Māori that has not been clearly designated as such may be rejected from consideration for the Gerry Murphy Prize without further correspondence. Supervisors may be contacted in this instance.
Invitation to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori co-presenters
The AFPHM thanks you for your contributions to training and cultural competence. You should have the opportunity according to correct cultural protocols to jointly introduce yourself alongside the trainee at the start of the presentation if you wish. Alternatively, you might prefer to introduce yourselves, following the trainee’s presentation and provide further insight and cultural understanding at that point about the topic, including describing any impacts of the work on individuals and your community. Your contribution as co-presenter will not be marked or scored by the judging panel. The AFPHM both values and appreciates your contribution.
The role and coordination of presentations with Aboriginal, Torres Strait islander and Māori co-presenters should take place well in advance of the actual date of first round presentation.
Eligibility
You must be a trainee currently enrolled in the Advanced Training in Public Health Medicine Program at the time of submitting your abstract.
Past Gerry Murphy Prize applicants, finalists, winners and regional finalists are eligible to apply again with different topics.
Prize
Finalists will be selected as above and compete for the overall Gerry Murphy Prize at an event nominated by the AFPHM Council, such as the annual members meeting, RACP Congress or similar event.
- full trainee event registration
- return economy domestic or trans-Tasman airfares for travel to and from their place of residence to the nominated event
- a ticket to the faculty dinner if 2026 (if it occurs)
The Gerry Murphy Prize winner receives:
- $500 cash prize
- a certificate from the AFPHM President
- book(s) relevant to the practice of Public Health Medicine
Selection process
First-round jurisdictional competitions
The first-round Gerry Murphy Prize competitions will be held between late October and early December of the year preceding the final.
All trainees will have 10 minutes maximum for their presentation and a further 3 to 5 minutes for questions.
Judging
- The regional competition judging panels consist of at least 3 AFPHM Fellows.
- The judging criteria will consider:
- the AFPHM Oral Presentation Assessment criteria, which forms part of the Advanced Training in Public Health Medicine program
- the extent that a trainee covers background, objectives, methodology, results and implications
- additional criteria relating to quality of project and importance of finding
- A finalist is announced at the end of each jurisdictional competition.
- All finalists will be contacted by the RACP Foundation and provided details about the competition final.
Note: Trainees may choose to submit the judgement outcome as part of their overall assessment. They must select this option on the application form or advise the AFPHM Executive Officer of this choice prior to the competition.
It's the responsibility of the trainee to lodge the assessment.
The judging panel reserves the right not to nominate a first-round finalist(s) if all submissions or presentations fail to meet a sufficiently high standard.
Final competition
The final competition judging panel consists of at least 3 AFPHM Fellows. A winner is announced at the end of the competition.
For information on first round and final events for the Gerry Murphy Prize, contact the AFPHM.
Contact the RACP Foundation for all other enquiries about the Gerry Murphy Prize and the final competition.
Related content
Past prize recipients
Division, Faculty and Chapter awards and prizes
College and Congress prizes