The Kosaka Best Abstract Awards are awarded to the top scoring abstracts submitted to the IARS Annual Meeting in three categories: Clinical Research, Basic Science, or Scholars. Three (3) Top Finalists will be selected in each category and present during the Kosaka Best Abstract Session (5 minute talk, 3 minute Q&A, 5 slide max). The finalists will receive a $100 prize and one winner from each category will receive $500.

Kosaka Clinical and Basic Science award winners will receive complimentary registration and a $1,000 travel stipend to attend the 2027 Annual Meeting, April 30-May 2, 2027 in Chicago, IL.

The Kosaka Best Abstract Awards are supported by the Japan Society for Clinical Anesthesia (JSCA) and the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). The founder of the JSCA, Dr. Futami Kosaka, started a cooperative relationship with IARS in 1990 and developed the foundation for today’s Kosaka Best Abstracts Session.

The abstract:

• Must be submitted to the IARS Annual Meeting.
• Must be submitted in Clinical Research, Basic Science or Scholars.

The presenting author indicated in the abstract submission:

• Will receive the prize.
• Is not required to have an active IARS Membership.
• For the scholars category, author must be junior faculty member within the first six years of faculty appointment at the instructor or assistant professor level.

The abstract must be presented during the Kosaka Best Abstracts Session at the IARS Annual Meeting.

Top Finalists will receive:

• $100 gift certificate and a certificate of recognition at the Annual Meeting

One winner from each category will receive:

• $500 and a plaque after the IARS Annual Meeting

The Basic and Clinical Winners will receive a complimentary registration to the following year’s Annual Meeting and a $1000 travel stipend should they attend.

View the entire list of past Kosaka Award winners here.

The travel grant will provide awardees with complimentary meeting registration and a $1,000 to $5,000 U.S. stipend based on the economic classification of their country of origin as defined by The World Bank.

Applicants must:

• Be a current IARS member,
• Be located in a low-income, lower-middle-income or upper-middle-income country,
• Have submitted an abstract to the 2026 Annual Meeting,
• Be an early-career or mid-career investigator,
• Be pursuing a career that involves research,
• Be conducting research related to anesthesiology or perioperative medicine, and
• Be connected directly or collaboratively to an anesthesia department.

The Junior Faculty Travel Award in Pediatric Anesthesia is awarded to the top scoring abstract in the area of pediatric anesthesia by an early-stage faculty in an academic anesthesiology department within the first six years of faculty appointment at the instructor or assistant professor level. The awardee will receive a $500 prize and a certificate.

The Junior Faculty Travel Award in Perioperative Medicine is awarded to the top scoring abstract in the area of perioperative medicine by an early-stage faculty in an academic anesthesiology department within the first six years of faculty appointment at the instructor or assistant professor level. The awardee will receive a $500 prize and a certificate.

The abstract:

• Must be submitted in the areas of pediatric anesthesia or perioperative medicine.
• Must be presented as a poster presentation during the meeting.

The presenting author indicated in the abstract submission:

• Must be an early-stage faculty in an academic anesthesiology department within the first six years of faculty appointment at the instructor or assistant professor level.
• Will receive the prize.

• $500 and certificate after the Annual Meeting

View the entire list of past awardees here.

The Emery N. Brown Early Career Award recognizes outstanding individuals within the first five years of their initial post-training professional appointment who demonstrate extraordinary promise, innovation, and leadership in advancing anesthesiology and related fields. Honoring Dr. Emery N. Brown’s transformative contributions to statistics, neuroscience, anesthesiology, and interdisciplinary scholarship, the award celebrates rising leaders whose work embodies the curiosity, rigor, and impact that define his career. The award is presented annually at the IARS Presidential Lecture, underscoring its distinction as one of the Society’s highest honors for emerging talent.

• Applicants should be nominated by their departmental chair or by the president of a specialty or subspecialty organization. Only one nominee per department or organization is permitted.
• Applicants must be within five years of their first post-training appointment in a department of anesthesiology and hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent degree.
• Applicants must be members of IARS.
• Applicants must demonstrate interest and potential for contributing to the advancement of anesthesiology.

• Applications Open: January 5, 2025
• Application Deadline: February 15. 2026

Applicants must apply online and submit the following by February 2. 2026:

1. Completed application form.
2. The nominees’ Curriculum Vitae (CV) (max 2–3 pages).
3. Letter of Nomination

The application period for 2026 is now closed.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed based on:

• Alignment with award purpose and eligibility.
• Demonstrated potential for impact in the field.
• Clarity of professional goals and how attending the meeting will support them.

Terms & Conditions

• • Award recipients must attend the Annual Meeting in person.
  • Travel and registration arrangements will be coordinated by working with IARS Staff.
  • By accepting the award, recipients agree to be recognized in IARS communications.

• Complimentary registration to the 2026 Annual Meeting, held May 1-3, 2026, in Montreal, Canada.
• Travel support including complimentary hotel room (up to 4 nights) at the meeting hotel and round-trip coach airfare, up to $1,500 value.
• Formal recognition during the meeting, on the IARS website and newsletter.