The Harper Prize is awarded annually by the British Ecological Society for the best paper in Journal of Ecology by an early career author.

We are pleased to present the shortlisted papers for the 2021 award (published in Volume 109):

⭐️ Christine Åkesson: Long-term ecological legacies in western Amazonia
⭐️ Paula Berenstecher: Worlds apart: Location above- or below-ground determines plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid Patagonian steppe
⭐️ Francis Chaves: Resources do not limit compensatory response of a tallgrass prairie plant community to the loss of a dominant species
⭐️ Jingyi Ding: Ecosystem functions are related to tree diversity in forests but soil biodiversity in open woodlands and shrublands
⭐️ James Furlaud: Bioclimatic drivers of fire severity across the Australian geographical range of giant Eucalyptus forests
⭐️ Dina in ‘t Zandt: Species abundance fluctuations over 31 years are associated with plant–soil feedback in a species-rich mountain meadow
⭐️ Hidehiro Ishizawa: Coordination of leaf economics traits within the family of the world’s fastest growing plants (Lemnaceae)
⭐️ Niko Carvajal Janke: Evidence for a fungal loop in shrublands
⭐️ Nicole Kinlock: Uncovering structural features that underlie coexistence in an invaded woody plant community with interaction networks at multiple life stages
⭐️ Javier Morente-López: Gene flow effects on populations inhabiting marginal areas: Origin matters
⭐️ Maria Paniw: Demographic traits improve predictions of spatiotemporal changes in community resilience to drought
⭐️ Elisabeth Ward: Ericoid mycorrhizal shrubs alter the relationship between tree mycorrhizal dominance and soil carbon and nitrogen

The winner will be selected in the coming weeks, so watch this space for future announcements!🏆