The Mary Paton Research Award is a biennial award for breastfeeding research. It was established to honour the founder of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, formerly the Nursing Mothers Association of Australia, Mary Paton, OAM.

The prize will be awarded for the best original paper on breastfeeding.

Submission deadline

June 30 2025

Eligibility

To be considered for the award the paper may

• relate to any aspect of breastfeeding
• be a report of original research, or a critical review of the literature

The paper

• must not have been previously published or submitted for publication
• must be the original work of the author/s
• shall be no longer than 5000 words (excluding references, tables and appendices)

In accordance with ABA policy, no paper funded by an infant formula company will be accepted.

Primary judging criteria

• Relevance to the current breastfeeding situation in Australia
• Practical implications of findings
• Whether new areas are opened up or old ground is being restated

For a report of original research

• quality of research
• methodology
• discussion/conclusion

For a critical review of the literature

• scope of literature coverage
• use of relevant evidence
• logical discussion of material

Format of paper

The document should be double-spaced and should include

• the author/s name, address, telephone and email
• the institution/s with which the author/s are associated, if any
• sources of funding, if any
• word count, excluding references, tables and appendices

In PDF documents, please ensure that contact details, acknowledgements and end matter are on separate pages.

For style and referencing guidelines

• please refer to the instructions for authors for submissions to Breastfeeding Review.

How to submit a paper

Email your entry to bir@breastfeeding.asn.au by 30 June 2025.

Judging of papers

All submissions will be considered by a panel appointed by the Australian Breastfeeding Association Board of Directors.

Entrants will be notified of the results by 31 October 2025.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association reserves the right to withhold the award if no papers of sufficient merit are submitted.