European Science Writer of the Year award NOW open for entries

National associations are invited to nominate their candidate for the European Science Writer of the Year award worth £500 and a free trip to attend the reception at the 3rd European Conference of Science Journalists in Manchester, UK.

The deadline is 17:00 on Friday 15 April 2016.

Here’s how to do it  (info is from the Association of British Science Writers’ website):

“The ABSW is co-ordinating an award for ‘European Science Writer of the Year’ for the second year.   This initiative has been made possible by support from Janssen Research and Development.

Criteria

The award is intended to celebrate the work of a journalist or writer who promotes excellence and creativity in science journalism and writing. They will be recognised for entertaining and informing audiences, for inspiring new generations of journalists and writers, and for innovation in their main area of expertise.

The award is in the first year limited to those who primarily work with the written word, be it features, news, or blogs, but not books. Their work may appear in print, online or both. The ABSW may extend the award to broadcast journalists in the future, but in the first instance is limiting entries to the written word for ease of translation and to simplify judging.

Process

Each European science journalism/writing association has been asked to put forward their nomination for the Award (one nominee per association). It is entirely up to each association to determine the most appropriate way to select their nominee.

The ABSW has decided to ask its members for their nominations with the ABSW’s Executive Board then selecting the winner to be put forward to the European Award. Entries from each national association will then be judged by the ABSW Awards Judging panel.

The nominated writer must have been working in the country of the nominating national European association during the relevant competition year, 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015.  Supporting articles provided with the nomination must have all been first published during the competition year 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015.

The winner of the European Science Writer of the Year Award will receive a cash prize of £500.00 and will be invited to attend the 3rd European Conference of Science Journalists and ABSW Science Writers Awards ceremony to be held in Manchester, UK, Saturday 23 July 2016.  Funds are available to cover the costs of attending the conference and ceremony.

For European Science Journalism Association Nominations

The method by which each Association chooses its nominee is entirely down to that Association.   Only one nominee may be made by each Association. When you have decided on your nomination then please make your entry via the online entry form.

You may also want to look at this form in order to ensure you gain appropriate information about potential nominees during your selection process. A key requirement is that supporting work should have been published in the entry year which runs 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015 and that the nominated writer must have been working in the country of the nominating national European association during the relevant competition year, 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015.

You must also seek permission from the relevant journalist/writer before making the nomination. The deadline for making your nomination is 17:00 on Friday 15 April 2016.

The ABSW Awards are a celebration of science journalism in Britain and Ireland, and are much appreciated by journalists as they are always judged and/or nominated by their peers. The ABSW is delighted that this ethos can now be extended to our science journalism colleagues throughout Europe.”

Last year’s winner was Croatian science journalist, Tanja Rudez of Jutarnji List daily national newspaper, while the second and third place went to Jop De Vrieze, freelance journalist, from the Netherlands who was nominated by VWN (Dutch Association of Science Journalists) and Ewen Callaway, senior reporter at Nature, UK, nominated by the ABSW.

Tina Popovic, reporter at Vijesti newspaper from Montenegro got an honorable mention for brave investigative reporting.