These five awards constitute one-third of the total number of bursaries made by the society to students around the world. The conference is attended by some 1,200 dinosaur researchers and other vertebrate paleontology (VP) experts. In 2009, the meeting will be held in Bristol – the first time it will take place outside North America.

Founded in 1940, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has almost 2,200 members comprising professionals, students, artists, preparators and others interested in VP. The society is organised exclusively for educational and scientific purposes. It aims to advance the science of vertebrate paleontology and to serve the common interests and facilitate the cooperation of all persons concerned with the history, evolution, comparative anatomy, and taxonomy of vertebrate animals, as well as the field occurrence, collection and study of fossil vertebrates and the stratigraphy of the beds in which they are found. The society is also concerned with the conservation and preservation of fossil sites.