WIREDGOV

The ESRC, in partnership with SAGE Publishing, is pleased to announce the launch of its 2016/17 writing competition – 'Making sense of society'.

Open to ESRC-funded students, the competition is a chance to tell the world about their research, while honing their skills in writing for a general audience.

Now in its second year, the competition asks students to write 800 words about why their research matters, and how it helps us understand and make sense of society. 

Entrants are encouraged to use their imagination to write an approachable piece that captures the interest of the public, engages people with their research, and demonstrates their writing and communication skills.

The competition celebrates and fosters the writing skills of the next generation of social scientists, whilst engaging the public with the incredible breadth and depth of social science research taking place throughout the UK.

All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the awards ceremony at the Royal Society, London on 21 March 2017, where the winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize, and the two runners-up £500 each.

All those shortlisted, including the winner and runners-up, will take part in a masterclass on 'how to get published' delivered by SAGE Publishing. Their competition entries will also be published in print and online.

Entries will be judged by a panel of science communication experts. They include Martin Rosenbaum, member of the ESRC Council and an executive producer in the BBC Political Programmes department; Martin Ince, a freelance journalist specialising in research and higher education; and Tash Reith-Banks, Production Editor for theGuardian's Science desk.

Martin Rosenbaum, who will chair the judging panel, says: "The 2016-17 writing competition 'Making sense of society' is a great way of celebrating the diverse contribution that social science research undertaken by ESRC-funded students is making to our efforts to understand society. I look forward to reading the entries."

To take part in the competition you must be a current ESRC-funded student or have been within the past four years. The competition is now open for entries and the deadline is 16.00 on 30 November 2016. 

To enter or for more information on the competition, see: www.esrc.ac.uk/writingcomp

Notes for editors

1. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective. The ESRC also works collaboratively with six other UK research councils and Innovate UK to fund cross-disciplinary research and innovation addressing major societal challenges. The ESRC is an independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly by the Government.
2. The judging panel will include:
   
   Martin Rosenbaum
   Martin Rosenbaum is an executive producer in the BBC Political Programmes department, overseeing a range of radio programming including Radio 4's The Week in Westminster. Martin has produced and edited many documentaries for Radio 4 and the World Service, on a wide variety of topics in politics, social affairs, history, ideas and culture. He is a member of the ESRC Council.
   
   Martin Ince
   Martin Ince is a freelance journalist specialising in research and higher education, and was previously deputy editor of Times Higher Education (THE). He is a frequent contributor to ESRC publications including Society Now andBritain In magazines. He chairs the QS World University Rankings and advises universities around the world on rankings issues. He is President of the Association of British Science Writers.
   
   Tash Reith-Banks
   Production Editor for the Guardian's Science desk, Tash Reith-Banks has also been a freelance scriptwriter, subeditor and copywriter. She worked as a writer and editor for the publishing arm of healthcare company Dr Foster, before moving to Guardian books, where she was a researcher and contributing writer on several titles and co-authored The Guardian Guide to Volunteering. She has a degree in English literature from the University of Cambridge.
    
3. Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 950 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. Our growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company’s continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne.