Science journalism awards
NASW sponsors the annual Science in Society Journalism Awards and the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists in cooperation with the Clark/Payne Fund and the National Press Foundation.
Science in Society Journalism Awards
Download instructions and entry form
The Science in Society Journalism Awards honor and encourage outstanding investigative and interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact for good and ill. Official rules and entry forms will be available here in mid-November 2010 for work published or broadcast between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2010. Deadline for submissions: Postmarked Feb. 1, 2011.
Categories this year:
- Books
- Commentary and opinion
- Science reporting
- Science reporting with a local or regional focus
The purpose
NASW established the Science in Society awards to provide recognition — without subsidy from any professional or commercial interest — for investigative or interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact on society. NASW especially encourages entries of critical, probing pieces that would not receive an award from an interest group. Beginning with the first award in 1972, previous winners have demonstrated innovative reporting that goes well beyond the science itself and into the ethical problems and social implications. A committee of accomplished peers judges the entries each year.
The awards
NASW will award separate cash prizes of $2,500 for writing judged best in each of four categories: books, commentary or opinion, science reporting, and science reporting with a local or regional focus. With the exception of the book category, prizes will be platform independent. We're open to entries from print, broadcast, and online journalists. Winners and their publishers/broadcasters will also receive certificates. The awards will be presented at an NASW dinner the weekend of October 15, 2011, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Reasonable travel and hotel expenses of the award winners will be reimbursed. In cases of multiple authors or producers, only one person's expenses will be covered.
Eligibility
Any writer (or team) is eligible to submit one entry in each category. Except in the book category, an entry will consist of a maximum of three articles or broadcasts on separate topics or a single series. Work must be written or spoken in English, intended for the lay person, and first published or broadcast in North America between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2010. Winners of last year's awards and individuals who have won three times are not eligible.
Rules for submission
Please follow the rules carefully. Submissions that do not follow these procedures will not be considered.
- Entries must meet the purpose stated above. Material about significant advances in science, no matter how well written, will be ineligible if the relevance to the broader society is unclear. If you wish, you may include a cover letter of not more than one page explaining why the entry deserves to win the Science in Society Award. A copy of the cover letter must be attached to each piece (or packet in the case of multiple piece entries).
- Any person, including the author, may submit material. There is no submission fee.
- "Book" entries: Entrants should send ten copies of the book, with a completed copy of the entry form attached to each book.
- "Commentary or opinion" entries: Entrants should send ten copies of a maximum of three editorials, blog posts, or broadcasts, with a completed copy of the entry form attached to each piece (or packet in the case of multiple piece entries).
- "Science reporting" and "Science reporting with a local or regional focus" entries: A submission may consist of a maximum of three pieces on separate topics or one series of reports on a single topic. Submissions may include printed articles, broadcasts, and Web sites, alone or in combination. Entrants should send ten copies of their submission, with a completed copy of the entry form attached to each piece (or packet in the case of multiple piece entries).
- If you are submitting multimedia: Videos should be sent on ten DVDs with a completed copy of the entry form attached to each piece (or packet in the case of multiple piece entries). Radio broadcasts should be sent in a standard format on ten CDs with a completed copy of the entry form attached to each piece (or packet in the case of multiple piece entries). Those entering Web sites need only provide a working URL (with a password allowing cost-free access if necessary) on each of the ten completed copies of the entry form.
- Submissions will be accepted only at the provided P.O. Box below. NOTE: FedEx and UPS do NOT deliver to P.O. boxes.
For questions about submissions, contact:
Send entries, postmarked by Feb. 1, 2011, to:
National Association of Science Writers P.O. Box 7905 Berkeley, CA 94707
Science in Society Awards Committee chairs 2010-2011:
- Robert Finn, San Francisco Bureau Chief, International Medical News Group
- Dan Ferber, freelance
