BSCB Science Writing Prize 2010

This autumn, the BSCB will again be running its Science Writing Competition for BSCB members. The BSCB Science Writing Prize is open to all BSCB student and postdoctoral members; please note that BSCB membership is a requirement for entry. We will particularly be looking for articles which cover topics of key relevance to biomedical science. You might like to try to communicate your own project in a clear and concise way to a non-specialist audience but essays need not be limited to research per se. Other topics should be relevant to cell biology in its broadest context; examples could include the implications of stem cell research on therapy, a piece on an important disease condition, a bioethical issue, or  a wider science policy issue  - such as government funding of basic versus translational science.

Articles should be limited to 1000 words but can include images id deemed necessary and  relevant (note that these will be reproduced in black and white only in the newsletter).

The winner will receive a prize of £300 and the winning entry will be published in the BSCB newsletter and online both on the BSCB website and the Lablit.com (www.lablit.com) website. Normally the prize is presented before one of the main plenary talks at the annual BSCB conference.

We are very pleased to announce that shortlisted essays will be judged by Vivienne Parry, Science Writer and Broadcaster (www.vparry.co.uk).

Entries should be sent to David Stephens (david.stephens@bristol.ac.uk) as electronic files (preferably Word format with any illustrations or images sent separately as TIFF or JPG).

The deadline for entries is 16th December 2009

Winner 2009

Untangling the string, by Emily Pritchard, MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh

We are very pleased to announce Emily Pritchard as the winner of the 2009 BSCB Science Writing Prize. Her essay, “Untangling the String” was judged to be the winner by Tim Radford, a freelance science writer and former science editor of The Guardian newspaper.

Emily completed her undergraduate degree in Genetics in 2006 at the University of Edinburgh. She then enrolled in the Masters by Research programme at the MRC Human Genetics Unit. This led to a PhD place in the lab of Professor Wendy Bickmore where Emily is currently in the second year of her PhD working on chromatin condensation in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. In assessing Emily’s essay, Tim made a particular note of the post-modern homage to the late Douglas Adams in the opening sentence. In addition Tim highlighted the fact that the opening section really defined the problem very well, sustained this promise in the second and maintained the momentum in the third. Tim also praised the nicely clipped final sentence – a conclusion is an important thing. Emily will be presented with her prize before the Hooke Medal Lecture at the BSCB Spring meeting in Edinburgh, in April.

Judging was very difficult but Tim dissected each shortlisted entry with the same vigour. He also raised some useful points for future entrants to our competition (and those communicating science in any way) – many entries included unfocussed and often somewhat random imagery, maintaining the theme was often an issue, and the use of “unforgiving” language meant that some entries didn’t have the clarity needed for a general readership. Some clear advice was also evident – if you use a metaphor or a parallel you have to maintain it through the argument, or it is meaningless. We must thank Tim for his efforts in judging the entries and look forward to the next cohort of entries. Look for details in the Autumn 2009 newsletter, on the BSCB website (www.BSCB.org) and remember that unfortunately only BSCB members are eligible to enter.

Runners up (no particular order)

• Shaping the proteins that cause blindness. by John Bett, Division of Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London
• To Ub or not to Ub: how a cell manages its resources. by y Sebastian Hayes, Department of Physiology, University of Liverpool
• Competition in science: driving science forward or a waste of resources? by Alexis Barr, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge
• The Gut Barrier: Protecting You From Invasion. by Caroline Weight, Institute of Food Research, University of East Anglia
• The Immune System: The hidden emergency service. by Sophie Hidden, University of Birmingham