Deborah Oakley
Could you describe your research and explain why it matters to a non-scientific audience, and in no more than 800 words? If so, you could win £1,500 and have your article published on the BBC News website.
The MRC’s Max Perutz Science Writing Award was launched this week. The annual competition is open to MRC funded PhD students, and challenges entrants to write a compelling article that explains their research “in a way that is easy to understand”.
The award is named after the Nobel Laureate Max Perutz, who is known as ‘the godfather of molecular biology’. Perutz inspired scientists to use everyday language when communicating with the public. He died in 2002 but his legacy of molecular research lives on at the MRC’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, of which he was founder and chairman.
According to the MRC, the award “aims to encourage and recognise outstanding written communication among MRC PhD students”. Articles will be assessed on how convincingly they answer the question, ‘Why does my research matter?’
Shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend a science writing master class and the awards ceremony in London, where the winner will be announced.
Sharpen your pencils, switch on your laptops and tell us about your science
Find out more about the competition and boost your chances of success by browsing the MRC’s secrets of science writing. Submit your entry by Wednesday 22 July.
