The winners of the 2010 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers, are:
Winners in each category will share a cash prize of $2,500, to be awarded at a reception on November 7, 2010 during the ScienceWriters2010 meeting, taking place this year in New Haven, Connecticut.
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. The awards are intended to encourage critical, probing work that would not receive an award from an interest group. Beginning with the first award in 1972, NASW has highlighted innovative reporting that goes well beyond the research findings and considers the associated ethical problems and social effects. The awards are especially prestigious because they are judged by accomplished peers. NASW currently awards prizes in four categories: Books, Science Reporting, Science Reporting with a Local or Regional Focus, and Commentary or Opinion .
The judges chose not to make an award in the Commentary or Opinion category this year.
The final judging committee consisted of Rick Borchelt, Director of Communication for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's mission area in Research, Education, and Economics; Nadia El-Awady, a Cairo, Egypt-based science journalist and President of the World Federation of Science Journalists; and Ivan Oransky, M.D., Executive Editor for Reuters Health. The Science in Society awards committee was chaired by Robert Finn, San Francisco Bureau Chief for the International Medical News Group. In addition to the final committee, NASW thanks the volunteers who served on preliminary screening committees: Alison Bass (freelance and Brandeis University), Mary Beckman (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Robert Finn (International Medical News Group), Sara Harris (Palladian Partners), Harvey Leifert (freelance), Robin Lloyd (Scientific American) Laura Newman (freelance), Hillary Rosner (freelance), Liz Scherer (freelance), Dodi Schultz (freelance), Peter Spotts (Christian Science Monitor), and Mitchel Zoler (International Medical News Group).
Entries for next year's competition, for material published or broadcast in 2010, are due February 1, 2011. Entry forms will be available at www.nasw.org in December 2010.
The largest organization devoted to the professional interests of science writers, the National Association of Science Writers fosters the dissemination of accurate information regarding science through all media normally devoted to informing the public. Its 2,335 members include science writers and editors, and science-writing educators and students.