The National Association of Science Writers and its Awards Committee are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards (EIWA):
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In the long-form category: "Going Deep: The Perils and Promise of Long Science" by Christopher Pollon, Tyee Bridge, and Jonathan Kellogg, Pacific Association of the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System
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In the short-form category: "Saving Sea Turtles, One Paddle at a Time" by Marilyn Perkins, Thomas Jefferson University
The EIWA winner in each category will receive a cash prize of $2,000. The 2024 NASW Awards will be presented on Sunday, Nov. 10, in Raleigh, N.C., as part of the ScienceWriters2024 national conference. Follow hashtags #SciWri24 and #SciWriAwards on social media for ongoing awardee celebrations.
Praise for the 2024 EIWA Long-Form Category Winner: "Going Deep: The Perils and Promise of Long Science" was written by Christopher Pollon, Tyee Bridge, and Jonathan Kellogg and produced by Jeremy Latham and Serena Renner for the Pacific Association of the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System.
The piece explains why long-term data measurement is critical to understanding Earth’s complex systems — and why the scientists who do this work have to fight for funding and recognition.
Christopher Pollon, Tyee Bridge, Jonathan Kellogg, Jeremy Latham, and Serena Renner
The authors "weave together different examples of long science," the judges said, "drawing on everything from sardine canning on the coast of California to oral histories of Inuit communities in Quebec to tell the story of the effect of climate change on the ocean and its ecosystems. The related scientific concepts — including hypoxia, ocean acidity and isotope analysis — are explained in a way a general audience can understand and as part of a compelling overall narrative."
In addition, the judges note, “the institution behind the research and its diverse scientists were woven into the article subtly and well."
Marilyn Perkins
"Marilyn Perkins’ vivid story brought us along to Curaçao for field work to save Caribbean green sea turtles battling tumors," the judges said. They congratulate Perkins on engaging and informative writing that avoids jargon. "Diving into the messy parts of field work without overexplaining — we felt like we were tagging turtles with Dr. Tripepi and the Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao volunteers."
In addition to the 2024 EIWA winners, the judges recognized two other entries in the long-form category and one other entry in the short-form category with honorable mentions:
In the long-form category:
- "Equality for African Americans in Alzheimer’s Disease" by Tamara Bhandari, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
- "Special Delivery from Outer Space" by Christian Elliott, NASA’s Curious Universe podcast
In the short-form category:
- "Which Skin Care Products Do We Really Need?" by Christina Hernandez Sherwood, UCSF magazine
Jill Sakai
First granted in 2018, the NASW Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards were established to recognize high-caliber, publicly accessible science writing produced on behalf of an institution or other non-media organization. Entries for the next awards cycle, recognizing material published or broadcast in 2024, are due February 1, 2025. Nomination forms will be available at https://www.nasw.org/awards/excellence beginning in December 2024.
All NASW awards strive to showcase timely coverage and exemplary work, particularly those by underrepresented creatives tackling diverse, overlooked issues and communities. Judges especially consider diversity in topics, sources, audience, and authors to be a critical component of excellence. Nominations are not limited to the NASW membership, and science writers are encouraged to submit entries on behalf of peers, colleagues, and mentees.
The winners of the 2024 NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards
Photos courtesy of awardees. Image credits: Fernando Lessa, Kelly Fretwell, Tyee Bridge, Jeremy Latham; Lucy Le Lièvre; Marilyn Perkins
Media kit for awardee institutional use is available at: https://bit.ly/sciwriawards2024; media representatives can request access via Google Drive. For assistance on this and other media requests, contact editor@nasw.org
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~2,400 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org and follow NASW on LinkedIn and Bluesky. And join us in celebrating #NASW90th.
