| Dr | Muhammad Saadiq | Moolla | Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital | South Africa | Medicine and Dentistry | Infectious Diseases/COVID-19 | Best Researcher Award | |
| Prof | Amogelang | Bolokang | CSIR | South Africa | Materials Science | Metallurgy | Best Researcher Award | |
| Dr | Lebea | Nthunya | Wits University | South Africa | Chemistry | Membrane Technology | Best Researcher Award | |
| Assoc Prof Dr | Richard | Ocaya | University of the Free State | South Africa | Materials Science | Schottky photodetectors and devices | Best Researcher Award | |
| Mr | Takudzwa | Mandizvo | University of KwaZulu-Natal | South Africa | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Crop Science | Best Researcher Award | |
| Dr | Maria | Mathabathe | CSIR | South Africa | Materials Science | Physical Metallurgy | Fast Cited Article Award | |
| Dr | Aldwin | Ndhlovu | Nelson Mandela University | South Africa | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Rockyshore systems | Most Reader's Article Award | |
| Prof | Luke | Chimuka | University of the Witwatersrand | South Africa | Chemistry | analytical chemistry | Best Researcher Award | |
| Prof | Caven Mguvane | Mnisi | North-West University | South Africa | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Animal Science | Best Paper Award | |
| Dr | Enyioma | Okpara | North-West University | South Africa | Chemistry | Electrochemistry | Best Researcher Award | |
| Dr | Omotosho | Ademola | Central Universit of Technology South Africa | South Africa | Business, Management and Accounting | Entrepreneurship | Best Researcher Award | |
| Mr | Simphiwe Gift | Nkuna | Tshwane University of Technology | South Africa | Energy | Waste to energy | Most Reader's Article Award | |
| Dr | Turnwait | Michael | University of Johannesburg | South Africa | Social Sciences | Sociology/Demography/Population Health | Best Researcher Award | bestpaperawards.com |
| Dr | Ivan | Šprajc | Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) | Slovenia | Arts and Humanities | Archaeology | Best Researcher Award | |
| Assoc. Prof. Dr | Maja | Vončina | University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering | Slovenia | Materials Science | Aluminium | Best Researcher Award | bestpaperawards.com |
| Dr | Alenka Lena | Klopcic | Pikanai Consultancy | Slovenia | Energy | Energy markets development | Best Researcher Award | |
| Assist Prof Dr | Klementina | Pušnik Črešnar | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor | Slovenia | Materials Science | sustainable polymer nano composites, synthesis, crystallisation | Best Researcher Award | |
| Dr | Parvaneh | Esmaeilnejad Ahranjani | Department for Materials Synthesis, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia | Slovenia | Chemical Engineering | Nanobiomaterials | Best Researcher Award | bestpaperawards.com |
| Dr | Veronika | Lackova | Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences | Slovakia | Physics and Astronomy | Physics of Condensed Matter and Accoustic | Best Researcher Award | |
| Prof | Jianyong | Ouyang | National University of Singapore | Singapore | Materials Science | Thermoelectrics | Best Researcher Award | bestpaperawards.com |