ABSW Awards 2022: The Finalists

British Science Journalist of the Year

The winner of this award is automatically entered as the British entrant to the European Science Journalist of the Year Award

Clive Cookson, Financial Times 

Carlo Rovelli and the physics of lockdown: 'Not moving is paradise'

Global Covid surge creates fertile grounds for more dangerous variants

How widespread is Covid in animals and what are the risks to humans?

Judges Quote: A selection of pieces replete with style and authoritative sources.

James Gallagher,  BBC 

Inside Health: Covid vaccine side effects

Omicron: Why do boosters work if two doses struggle?

Covid: Trigger of rare blood clots with AstraZeneca jab found by scientists

Judges Quote: A podcast with common sense questions and great source for answers, along with two inventive online articles.

David Robson, Freelance

Alzheimer's: The heretical and hopeful role of infection

Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes wellbeing

Can lucid dreaming help us understand consciousness?

Judges Quote: Three features that explore novel and significant areas of research.

With thanks to the ABPI who support this award

The Dr Katharine Giles Award for best popular article written by a scientist or engineer

Vicky Bennett, University of Bath, Cranberry juice won't cut it: UTIs and the potential for repurposing drugs, The Observer 

Judges Quote: Good description of the context of her PhD and the realities of studying science at this level.

David Fairen Jimenez, University of Cambridge, Medical oxygen should not be a luxury, The Conversation

Judges Quote: A very new and interesting angle on medical oxygen during the pandemic.

Bonnie Waring, Imperial College London, There aren’t enough trees in the world to offset society’s carbon emissions – and there never will be, The Conversation 

Judges Quote: A well written piece about a complex and important topic.

With thanks to the Dr Katharine Giles Fund that supports this award.

Editor of the Year 

Kira Coley,  TSC Publishing 

eco, environment, coastal and offshore. Summer 2021

eco, environment, coastal and offshore. Special Edition

Judges Quote: Impressive redesign and refocus leading to a 431% increase in visits.

Helen Pearson, Nature 

‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists

Starting up in science: Two researchers. Three years. One pandemic.

Origins of SARS-CoV-2: window is closing for key scientific studies

Sequence three million genomes across Africa

How Nature’s COVID coverage has made a difference

Judges Quote: Impressive fight to maintain free access to Nature’s news, and innovative multi-part feature tracking the real lives of a pair of young scientists in their struggle for funding.

Nigel Praities, Pharmaceutical Journal 

A perfect storm: the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of young people

Antivirals for COVID-19: five questions that must be answered

Greener inhalers: are we setting the wrong targets

Microneedles: a new way to deliver vaccines

Judges Quote: Showed persistence and skill in getting a tough question to Boris Johnson which resulted in a promise the PM actually kept.

Sarah Richardson, Research Professional News

UKRI to cut support for aid-funded research projects

When trust is gone

MRC Chief apologises to staff after bullying probe

Myanmar: 'People are taken away at night, or now even in day'

Research funding: Forgotten promises

Judges Quote: On top of the professional success demonstrated, she also showed a unique and impressive integrity in investigative reporting.

With thanks to IBM Research Europe who support this award.

Feature of the Year – General

Zoe Flood, Inside the Botswana lab that discovered Omicron, Al Jazeera Digital

Judges Quote: An accessible feature that shines a light on the unknown scientists who identified Omicron at a time when countries were being stigmatised for detecting new Covid variants.

Oscar Schwartz, The alien hunter of Harvard, 1843 magazine 

Judges Quote: This in-depth piece on ‘Oumuamua’ has all the hallmarks of a good feature, weaving the science with a strong narrative, it develops characters and appeals to a broad audience.

Feature of the Year – Specialist

Rachel Brazil, Supercomputers face a cosmic challenge, Physics World

Judges Quote: A fascinating read, beautifully told from the starting point of a glitch in a Nintendo Super Mario game, panning out to explain the wide-reaching implications of the fascinating phenomenon of AI. A real eye opener.

Amy Maxmen, Inequality's Deadly Toll, Nature

Judges Quote: The feature takes us inside the meat packing plants and farms in California's San Joaquin Valley, and features numerous interviews with staff there about the pressure to carry on working despite the pandemic. A really important topic thoroughly dealt with through powerful, on-the-ground reporting, great images, and an engaging podcast to accompany it.

Kerri Smith, Heidi Ledford & Richard Van Noorden, Starting up in Science: Two researchers. Three years. One pandemic. Nature

Judges Quote: A powerful and intimate look at the struggles of two researchers as they navigate the pandemic, try to secure funding and raise a young family, presented in a stunning parallax design. It was a really innovative and compelling piece of journalism.

Newcomer of the Year 

Robin Bisson, Research Professional News 

UKRI to cut support for aid-funded research projects

Exclusive: ten more UK R&D funders have aid budgets slashed

MRC chief apologises to staff after bullying probe

Judges Quote: Impressive scoops on the cuts and research culture.

Rosa Furneaux, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism 

How Covax failed on its promise to vaccinate the world

'Held to ransom': Pfizer demands Governments gamble with state assets to secure vaccine deal

The next Covid crisis: A vaccine apartheid endangering us all

Judges Quote: Impressive investigative work with international impact.

Samuel Lovett, The Independent 

Second lab owned by scandal-hit testing company facing allegations of misconduct

'An absolute scandal’: UK threw away 600,000 vaccine doses after they passed expiry date

The ‘possibilities are endless’ – or are they? The evolutionary journey that Covid could take

Judges Quote: Impactful work on Covid-19 and great scoops.

News Analysis or Explanatory Reporting

Alok Jha, Surface to air, The Economist 

Judges Quote: A fascinating deconstruction of the first super-spreader event of the pandemic, this story managed to make the science of ventilation and aerosols crystal clear and accessible.

Matt Reynolds, A lone infection may have changed the course of the pandemic, WIRED.co.uk

Judges Quote: “Variant” is a word that everyone is suddenly familiar with, but this story is one of the best explanations about how they arise and why they present real challenges in the fight against Covid.

Paul Tullis, How ecstasy and psilocybin are shaking up psychiatry, Nature

Judges Quote: A very personal story was at the heart of this article which went well beyond anecdote and broke down current thinking about the use of psychedelics in treating mental disorders.

News Item of the Year

Robin Bisson & Sophie Inge, UKRI to cut support for aid-funded research projects,  Research Professional News 

Judges Quote: A genuine scoop based on original reporting from contacts that started out in trade publications but was then picked up the nationals and beyond, was cited in parliament, and led to resignations.

Gareth Iacobucci, Covid-19: FDA set to grant full approval to Pfizer vaccine without public discussion of data, The BMJ

Judges Quote: An important story that holds people to account and ensures scrutiny.

Samuel Lovett, Second lab owned by scandal-hit testing company facing allegations of misconduct, The Independent

Judges Quote: A timely important story that held people to account by exposing wrongdoing and drove a response.

Opinion Piece or Editorial of the Year

For this particular category the judges wished to add: An extremely strong field with a lot of well written and important pieces, it was very difficult to narrow down to the finalists.

Philip Ball, The big idea: Should scientists run the country? The Guardian 

Judges Quote: It’s a vital time to discuss the role of scientific advice in our country’s politics, and Philip does so in a very rigorous and impactful way.

Tom Whipple, Get angry about Cop26 but don’t be cynical, The Times (PDF of article below)

Judges Quote: This piece stood out for the entertaining and enjoyable perspective that makes a lot of sense of the chaos of the big annual climate negotiations.

Clare Wilson, An unscientific debate over breast milk is spilling into food banks, New Scientist

Judges Quote: It’s great to see Clare taking on this under-reported topic, challenging the assumptions that breastfeeding is free and its overstated benefits.  Given the cost of living is soaring, the role of food banks is going to become even more salient, and it’s important to shine a light on the need to consider formula baby milk in that equation.

Podcast of the Year - New Award for 2022

For this category the judges wished to add: Selecting the finalists was the result of some brutal decision making.  There were lots of strong entries in this category with lots to commend.  It really showed off the vibrancy of the medium, the ability to service niche audiences and the ability of smaller players to challenge established publishers through the strength of their ideas.

Karen Collins & Emma Brisdion, The science behind Killing Eve, Small Screen Science Podcast 

Judges Quote: Interesting and fun approach to cover a range of science questions through a popular lens.

Alok Jha, Jason Hosken, Hannah Marinho & Nico Raufast, Goodbye darkness, my old friend—satellite constellations are alarming astronomers, Babbage Podcast, The Economist

Judges Quote: Slick production, really well written and paced.  A topical programme that explored the implications of the SpaceX launches.

Timothy Revell, Rowan Hooper & Bethan Ackerley, Escape pod -episode 3 , New Scientist

Judges Quote: Short, sharp, fun, and informative, a smart idea to have a break from corona news.

Research Policy or Funding Story of the Year

Robin Bisson, MRC chief apologises to staff after bullying probe, Research Professional News

Judges Quote: A timely exclusive that will have needed a mountain of time, resources, persistence and courage.

Peter Doshi, Covid-19 vaccines: In the rush for regulatory approval, do we need more data? The BMJ

Judges Quote: Peter asked searching questions of pharma companies and regulators at a critical time in the pandemic.

Sophie Inge, Research funding: Forgotten promises, Research Professional News

Judges Quote: Important piece that expertly dug into the impact policy can have on key research.

Julianna Photopoulos, The future of sex in elite sport, Nature Outlook 

Judges Quote: Nicely written and really interesting insight into an important topic featuring key players influencing policy.

Royal Society Audio Award

Anand Jagatia, & Caroline Steel, If a tree falls in a forest… does it make a sound? BBC World Service

Judges Quote: An original story idea told creatively with plenty of good science and audio texture along the way.  This World Service strand is a jewel in the crown of radio science.

Andrew Luck-Baker & Jonathan Amos, Discovery - The James Webb Space Telescope, BBC World Service

Judges Quote: The definitive audio documentary on the biggest astronomy story of the year, expertly crafted.

Anne McNaught, Kate Molleson, & Thomas Hoey, The Blind Astronomer, BBC Radio 4

Judges Quote: A heart-warming human story of how enthusiasm can take a scientist beyond their physical limitations.

With thanks to the Royal Society who support this award.

Stephen White award for reporting of science in a non-science context

Slavea Chankova, You are what you eat, This year What If? Supplement to The Economist 

Judges Quote: This piece was outstanding with its highly creative, engaging look forward at the future of nutrition.

Karl Mathiesen, Giovanna Coi, Arnau Busquets Guardia & Kalina Oroschakoff, Droughts, fires and floods: How climate change will impact Europe, Politico.eu

Judges Quote: Reported in great depth, and partnered with well-chosen graphics, this piece not only summarises a vast report in a relatively short article, it gives a useful perspective on how this scientific issue will affect politics, recreating an old fracture between north and south Europe.

Helen McArdle, Variant has made herd immunity through vaccination 'mathematically impossible' in Scotland, Herald on Sunday (PDF of article available below)

Judges Quote: This excellent piece makes the maths of the pandemic easy to digest.  It is reported in detail and concerns a subject of great public interest and importance, highlighting the serious challenge face in seeking to attain ‘herd immunity’.

Steve Connor Award for Investigative Science Journalism

Crispin Dowler & Laurent Gaberell, The Paraquat Papers: How Syngenta’s bad science helped keep the world’s deadliest weedkiller on the market, Unearthed

Judges Quote: An outstanding story with a great narrative that kept you gripped as a reader.

Stephen Stapczynski, Akshat Rathi, & Godfrey Marawanyika, How to Sell ‘Carbon Neutral’ Fossil Fuel That Doesn’t Exist, Bloomberg News 

Judges Quote: A well-sourced and clearly written piece despite being based on incredibly complicated material.

Paul D Thacker, Covid-19: Researcher blows the whistle on data integrity issues in Pfizer’s vaccine trial, The BMJ

Judges Quote: A very good story on a sensitive issue that was reported responsibly, it very clearly spells out why the story mattered.

Video of the Year Award 

Dan Fox, Can CRISPR cure Sickle-cell Disease? Nature.com

Judges Quote: The video moves smoothly between the personal – a powerful interview with a lifelong Sickle Cell sufferer - and the science, which was well explained.

Richard Hollingham, & Jamie Partridge, LEO: The Story of the World's First Business Computer, YouTube (The Centre for Computing History) 

Judges Quote: An absorbing and textured piece with excellent evocative archive footage and good use of graphics.

Bethan Jinkinson, Cordelia Hebblethwaite, Hannah Madsen, & Robert Rutter, What would a world without vaccines be like? An Angel Sharp Media Production for BBC Ideas & Royal Society websites

Judges Quote: Using creative visuals and graphics the video raised and answered key points clearly, wrapping them within a story that was well-told due to strong interviews and informative narration.