Association of British Science Writers

MJA Winter Awards launched
 
We asked you to do an online poll on what you would like the self-submission Winter Awards categories to be this year, and you have chosen.

Way out ahead was Investigative reporting/scoop - a key element in good news stories. So we will offer three separate awards in this category.

Investigative reporting/scoop (consumer press/online)
Investigative reporting/scoop (professional press/online)
Investigative reporting/scoop (broadcasting).

You also voted for Financing healthcare, Interview or profile of a medical/health figure, and for Patient education - different types of feature. We couldn't afford to split all these into three, but will offer a single award, across all sectors, in the first two and we have split the third -- renamed more explicitly, we hope, Explaining medical science for the lay person - one for print/online, one for broadcast entries.

Financing healthcare (all sectors)
Interview or profile of a medical/health figure (all sectors)
Explaining medical science for the lay person (consumer press/online)
Explaining medical science for the lay person (broadcast)

And for something slightly different, we are also offering an award for a TV drama or soap opera:

Handling of a medical/health theme in TV/radio drama.

Entry forms and full details are already up on the special MJA Awards website: www.mjaawards.com.

Closing date for entries to be received is Monday, November 7 2011.

Queries, contact awards organiser, Deanna Wilson on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please note that entry is open to all, but non-MJA members entering should send the MJA a cheque for £15. Those eligible should also apply to join the MJA and the £15 will be discounted against their first year's sub. (Full details on the entry form.)

Go to www.mjaawards.com and download an entry form, or several. Tell your colleagues and contacts, now.

Lionel Penrose Prize for a Short Story on Global Peace

This prize was created in memory of Professor Penrose, an eminent geneticist and peace activist, and one of only four Psychiatrist Fellows of the Royal Society in the last century.

We are looking for optimistic stories of around 2500-3500 words that will inspire the public to work towards peace. It should contain some factual information about the peace movement, such as important figures, achievements or failures. However fictional elements are equally welcome. You can take an original approach but here are some important points in medical peace history to stimulate ideas:

• Costa Rica is a country without an army.
• Australia have created National Ministries of Peace.
• The Japanese Constitution renounces the right to wage war except in self defence.
• Officials worldwide have joined to transcend national borders (Mayors for Peace, Cities for Peace).
• The Hague Convention in 1899 was one of the first formal statements of war crimes in international law.
• Olaf Palme, the assassinated anti-nuclear Prime Minister of Sweden, Bernard Lown, President of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Joseph Rotblat, the nuclear scientist who opposed nuclear weapons.

The prize is open to all but the story should not previously have been published. The first prize is £500, second prize is £300 and winning stories will be considered for publication in Medact’s newsletter, Communique. The closing date is 1 July 2011. For further details and an application form contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Directorate General for Health and Consumers is pleased to announce to you that the 3rd edition of the EU Health Prize for Journalists was launched on the 30th of March.

Please find attached the EUROPA web banners and the links to the flyer below:

http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/journalist_prize/2011/docs/flyer_en.pdf

For further information please visit the dedicated website:

http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/journalist_prize/2011/index_en.htm

take a look at the Press Release:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/377&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

or check the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EU-Health-Prize-for-Journalists/109464325763850?ref=ts

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any other questions. Any help in promoting this 3rd edition will be highly appreciated!

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Georgeta SERB
European Commission for Health and Consumers
Health Programme and Knowledge Management: Communication - Trainee

 

Call for entries for resurrected prize for young people’s science books
 
Following a prize-saving donation from an anonymous donor, the Royal Society is delighted to announce the resurrection of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize (previously known as the Royal Society Junior Prize for Science Books).  Entries for the 2011 prize are being accepted from today 11th April 2011.
 
The 2011 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize will celebrate the best books that communicate science to young people.  The winner will be announced in January 2012 and will receive £10,000.  The authors of the short listed books will receive £1000. 
 
The Prize is open to books in which science is a substantial aspect of the book’s content, narrative or theme.  The books must be written for young people aged up to 14 and first published in English in the calendar years 2008, 2009 and 2010.  Full details of the prize’s regulations and eligibility criteria and the entry form are available on the Society’s website at http://royalsociety.org/sciencebooks/young-people/.     
 
An online entry form must be completed for each entry, and seven non-returnable copies of each entry submitted to The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, UK by 18:00 BST on Friday 6 May 2011.
 
NOTES FOR EDITORS
 
1.       The Royal Society is the UK’s national academy of science.  Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as a provider of independent scientific advice, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. Our expertise is embodied in the Fellowship, which is made up of the finest scientists from the UK and beyond.  Our goals are to:
 
·         Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
·         Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
·         Invigorate science and mathematics education
·         Increase access to the best science internationally
·         Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery
 
For further information please visit http://royalsociety.org. Follow the Royal Society on Twitter at http://twitter.com/royalsociety or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theroyalsociety .
 
For further information contact:
Alice Henchley / Daisy Barton
Press and Public Relations
The Royal Society, London
Tel: 020 7451 2514 / 2510
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Global Energy Prize’s international media competition opens - Energy of Word Award for best coverage of energy related issues open to journalists worldwide.

Journalists and their media organisations around the world are invited to submit entries for the Global Energy Prize’s Energy of Word award at http://www.globalenergyprize.org/en/request/pen/new.

The prize is open to writers who submit published work in any language which tells a captivating and illuminating story in the field of Energy.

The competition aims to reward those who contribute to public awareness of the energy challenges faced worldwide and scientific innovations which provide new energy efficiencies. Entries are evaluated for their depth, objectivity, style, and relevance to society. This includes articles, opinion pieces, interviews and photojournalism published in journals, magazines and newspapers (including those published online), as well as radio and television programmes and documentary films. Entries do not need to reference the Global Energy Prize or any of its sponsors, and may have been published at any time between 1 March 2010 and 1 March 2011.

Applications will be accepted until March 20th 2011 and winners will be announced in April 2011. Submitting work for consideration takes only a few minutes, candidates can enter here: http://www.globalenergyprize.org/en/request/pen/new. Winners receive a week-long all-expenses-paid trip to St Petersburg, Russia, in June 2011 and an exclusive interview with a Russian VIP, yet to be determined.

The Energy of Word award winner’s trip to Russia will include the opportunity to attend events associated with the Global Energy Prize Laureates’ Week (13–19 June) and the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (16-18 June). This will include an invitation to attend the Global Energy Award Ceremony, which is presided over by the President of Russia.

The Energy of Word award was established by the organisers of the Global Energy Prize, one of the world’s most respected awards in energy development, awarding US$1m annually for scientific breakthroughs and bringing international recognition to energy efficiency innovators. Since its inception in 2002, the Global Energy Prize has been granted to 22 scientists from around the globe.

Contacts:
Glen Cameron or Laura Suisted
SweeneyVesty
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This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
+44 (0)20 3178 5710

The European School of Oncology (ESO) is looking for nominations for its 6th Annual Best Cancer Reporter Award. The Award, which acknowledges the value of good cancer journalism, has a top prize of €10,000 and one runner-up prize of €5000. Articles from award-winning journalists will be published in ESO’s Cancer World magazine (www.cancerworld.org)

Well-written stories about cancer can change people’s lives:

• They help reduce the fear and isolation felt by many patients and inform them of their rights and what sort of help and support they should expect.

• They get across simple life-saving messages about evidence-based steps to minimise risk.

• They highlight gaps and failings in services and helped promote understanding and realistic expectations about the steady progress in the search for better cancer treatments.

Would you like to nominate a journalist who deserves to be recognised for their coverage of cancer?

Do you think that you should be rewarded for your clear and accurate reporting on cancer?

If so submit a nomination form to ESO by 29th April 2011.

For full details and a nomination form visit: www.cancerworld.org

or contact Corinne Hall - +39 02 85 46 45 22

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Dear Members,
I've requested, and been offered, a three-month trial of a back-office solution for freelancers and the self-employed. The service is called Workology. (It would normally charge at 1% of your bills for its services.

Among other things it generates, tracks and chases invoices. I'll offer it to whomever is willing to test it out and write a review for the website please.

Natasha Loder, Chair

About Workology

Workology is a web-based service that is designed as an everyday business tool for freelancers and the self-employed. The platform provides tools that systemise invoicing, expense management and payment collection – enabling clients to reduce the amount of time they spend doing accounting related tasks and to get paid faster. With invoice processing at the core of our service, the Workology platform nevertheless provides a wide set of functionality, including:

· Easily creating and tracking quotations
· Automatic tracking of invoices, and issuing of reminders

· Easily managing expenses and allocating them to an invoice
· Obtaining an listing within the freelance directory

How do we charge for the service?
Workology charges its clients 1% for invoicing and payment processing. The software and the storage of data is free. There are no set up costs, no subscription or hidden fees.

 

 

Metcalf Institute Deadlines for Seminar and Workshop on Oil Spill Research

Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting is accepting applications for two science training programs for journalists and informal science educators focusing on research on impacts of the  Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Science Seminar, April 6-8, 2011, in  Cocodrie, LA; and the 13th Annual Science Immersion Workshop for  Journalists, June 12-17, 2011, in Narragansett, RI.

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These fellowships are made possible by a Rapid Response grant through the National Science Foundation's Informal Science Education program.

*Science Seminar: Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster*

April 6-8, 2011 in Cocodrie, LA

*/Application postmark deadline: January 31, 2011/*

Participants will gain hands-on knowledge of oceanographic techniques,  cultivate scientific resources and sharpen their reporting and  communication skills, and discuss the latest research on the oil spill  impacts with leading experts.

The seminar supports journalists and informal science educators with a minimum of two years professional experience and a demonstrated interest  in environmental communication or reporting. Tuition free, includes room and board and some travel support. Applications for the 2.5-day Science  Seminar must be postmarked by January 31, 2011.

For additional science seminar program information, call 401-874-6211 or  email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

*13th Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists Coastal Impacts: One Year of Research on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill*

June 12 --17, 2011 in Narragansett, RI

*/Application postmark deadline: January 21, 2011/*

The Metcalf Institute 13^th Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists is a hands-on introduction to research methods, data analysis, translation of scientific research, and integration of science and policy. The 2011 workshop, /Coastal Impacts: One Year of Research on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill/, will be held at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, June 12-17, and will explore the state of the science and methods used to assess the impacts of a major deep water oil spill.

Fellows will gain a better understanding of environmental science research methods, cultivate scientific resources and sharpen their reporting skills through daily fieldwork and labs.

The Annual Science Workshop Fellowship includes room, board, tuition and some travel support. Applications must be postmarked by January 21, 2011. For additional Annual Science Workshop information, call 401-874-6211 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Details about eligibility and the applications for both programs can be  downloaded at www.metcalfinstitute.org .

Quick links:

Eligibility and Applications
Frequently Asked Questions

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Kat Anderson
Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting
URI Graduate School of Oceanography
Narragansett Bay Campus
218 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, RI  02882

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Office: 401.874.6009
Fax:  401.874.6486

http://www.metcalfinstitute.org
http://www.granthamprize.org

MEDIA FELLOWSHIP 2nd International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC)
May 14-18, 2011. Victoria, British Columbia

BACKGROUND
This meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology's marine section attracts more than 1000 ocean scientists, managers, policymakers, and experts from around the world. The IMCC emphasizes international, interdisciplinary, and interactive approaches to advancing marine conservation, science, and policy. New research on a wide range of issues will include:

• Climate impacts on oceans
• The changing Arctic - natural and social implications
• Solutions for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
• Effective Marine Spatial Planning
• Energy gains and drains - offshore oil drilling
• The future of salmon

For details of the meeting

FELLOWSHIP DETAILS
Ten or more fellowships will be awarded to professional reporters, editors, science writers, and freelance journalists from print, broadcast, and online outlets. Fellows will be introduced to leading scientists through social events organized by COMPASS, and may be invited to participate in various discussion panels and training sessions. Awards cover travel and or accommodation costs, and award amounts will be based on point of origin, need, and ability of media organization to help defray costs.

ELIGIBILITY AND TIMELINES
We welcome applications from journalists, science writers, and anyone whose primary interest in IMCC2 is in reporting on the news, science, and people to be found at the conference. Our goal is to support discussions about ocean issues in the broadest range of outlets, places, and audiences possible. Application deadline is February 4, 2011. Awards will be announced in early March. COMPASS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping ocean scientists connect themselves and their science to the wider world. By giving scientists the communication tools they need, and by bridging the worlds of science, journalism and policy, COMPASS works to ensure that ocean science is better understood and used by society. www.COMPASSonline.org

 

TO APPLY
Send This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it an email containing:

1. Cover letter including:
• why you plan to attend IMCC2,
• which stories/issues you hope
to pursue, and
• an overview of your outlet(s)
and audience(s).

2. A brief resume or CV.

3. Three published clips or samples of your work (URLs ok, if not behind firewall).

4. Comprehensive contact information, including email, phone number, blog and websites
URLs, Twitter username, and mailing address.