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The Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) are delighted to announce that the nomination process for the IOP-STFC Physics Journalism Prize 2013 – which will reward one journalist with an expense-paid trip to Chicago – is now open.

Following on the success of last year – which saw Anil Ananthaswamy win the prize for his New Scientist feature ‘Hip Hip Array’ – the 2013 competition was opened at the British Science Association Festival in Newcastle recently.

The prize is designed to highlight the incredible work being undertaken by broadcast and print journalists who unravel the often complex details of physics, and reveal the all-pervasive impact physics research has on our lives – from the optical fibres connecting continents to the particle accelerators in our hospitals.

The winner of this year’s prize will receive an expenses-paid visit to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and attendance at the 2014 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago.

Professor John Womersley, particle physicist and Chief Executive of STFC, said, “Our aim is to highlight and celebrate the excellent work being undertaken by journalists writing about science. Physics research has led to some of the most exciting advances in science today and we want to encourage journalists to write about such scientific leaps forward in a way that brings those advances to life.

“This is our chance to celebrate those people in the media who are doing just that and whose writing can inspire and enthuse large numbers of people.”

The prize is for a work of journalism which is published or broadcast in English anywhere in the world, and which is accessible to the general public.

Eligible articles will cover physics research and related areas of technology, the working lives of physicists, engineers or other people working in physics, the application of physics in industry, or interdisciplinary research linking physics and other scientific disciplines.

The judges will include senior representatives from STFC, IOP, the Association of British Science Writers and the British Science Association.

The nomination process will close at 17.00 on Friday 13 December.

Full details are available on the IOP website.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Contact

For further information, please contact IOP’s Head of Media.

Joe Winters
Tel: 020 7470 4815
Mob: 07946 321473

IOP-STFC Physics Journalism Award

To see the Terms and Conditions of the Award, please visit the IOP website.

The Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society. We are a charitable organisation with a worldwide membership of more than 50,000, working together to advance physics education, research and application.

We engage with policymakers and the general public to develop awareness and understanding of the value of physics and, through IOP Publishing, we are world leaders in professional scientific communications.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security.

The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar.

STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:

• in the UK; ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and LOFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd
• overseas; telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii

It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Follow us on Twitter @STFC_Matters.

Association of British Science Writers

Founded in 1947, the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) is the professional organisation for science writers in the UK. Its 800 members write everything from news stories to books and TV programmes. It runs the UK’s science journalism awards, holds the UK Conference of Science Journalists, and helps entrants to the profession to expand their skills. It is a leading member of the World Federation of Science Journalists and is involved in promoting science journalism in the developing world.