The Science in Society Journalism Awards have been presented annually by the American National Association of Science Writers (NASW) since 1972 to recognize "...investigative or interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact on modern society". Over the years, the particular categories for which they have awarded prizes has evolved, and in their words, they "seek to recognize science writing that is shaped by a variety of perspectives".
Past recipients
2024
*Books:
Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World's Most Vulnerable Places'
by Christopher Pollon (Greystone Books)
*Science Reporting:
Should beetles be named after Adolf Hitler? by Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, published by Science (journal), ''Science'' magazine
*Science Features:
In the Lab Oppenheimer Built, the U.S. Is Building Nuclear Bomb Cores Again by W.J. Hennigan, published by Time (magazine), ''TIME'' magazine
*Longform Narratives:
The Mining Industry's Next Frontier Is Deep, Deep Under the Sea by Vince Beiser, published in Wired (magazine), ''WIRED''
*Series: "Bleeding Out"
by Lauren Caruba and Ari Sen, co-published by ''The Dallas Morning News'' and the ''San Antonio Express-News''
*Commentary:
I Worked in Antarctica for Three Years. My Sexual Harasser Was Never Caught by Elizabeth Endicott, published in ''Scientific American''
2023
*Books:
When Children Feel Pain: From Everyday Aches to Chronic Conditions'
by Rachel Rabkin Peachman and Anna C. Wilson (Harvard University Press)
*Science Reporting:
How Indigenous Sea Gardens Produced Massive Amounts of Food for Millennia by Ashley Braun, published by ''Hakai Magazine''
*Science Features:
Thousands of Migrant Workers Died in Qatar's Extreme Heat. The World Cup Forced a Reckoning by Aryn Baker, published by ''Time (magazine), Time''
*Longform Narratives:
A Field at a Crossroads: Genetics and Racial Mythmaking by Ashley Smart, published by ''Undark Magazine''
*Series:
Fighting for Air by Talis Shelbourne, published by the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''
*Commentary:
We Can Fight Monkeypox Without Hysteria or Homophobia by Kai Kupferschmidt, published by ''The New York Times''
2022
*Books:''
''Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World,''ref name="Marris Wild"> by Emma Marris (Bloomsbury Publishing)
*Science Reporting:
How Heat Waves Warp Ecosystems by Julia Rosen, published by ''High Country News''
*Science Features:
Brazil Shows You Can Harvest Sugar Cane Without Polluting the Air: What Florida's Sugar Farmers Can Learn About Burning Cane by Nadia Sussman (reporting and production, cinematography), Joseph Singer (video editor), Joseph Singer (video editing), Mauricio Rodríguez Pons (graphics and animation), Letícia Klein (additional reporting, production assistance), with Lulu Ramadan (additional reporting) and Kevina Tidwell (archival producer), and executive producer Almudena Toral and series editor Michael Mishak, co-produced by WGCU (TV), WGCU and ProPublica
*Longform Narratives:
The Pain Was Unbearable, So Why Did Doctors Turn Her Away? by Maia Szalavitz, published by ''Wired (magazine), WIRED''
*Series:
Unsalvageable: Preventable Amputations Rise During COVID by Eli Cahan, published by WebMD/Medscape
*Commentary:
Why are Police Using a World War I-Era Chemical Weapon on Civilians? by Jennifer L. Brown, Roman Tyshynsky, Timothy Monko, Carlee Toddes, and Carey Lyons, published by ''Scientific American''
2021
*Books:
What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World'
by Sara Hendren (Riverhead Books)
*Science Reporting:
How to Dodge the Sonic Weapon Used by Police by Lynne Peskoe-Yang, published in ''Popular Mechanics''
*Science Features:
In Collecting Indigenous Feces, a Slew of Sticky Ethics by Katherine J. Wu, published by ''Undark Magazine''
*Longform:
America's Radioactive Secret by Justin Nobel, published by ''Rolling Stone''
*Series:
Where Will Everyone Go? How Climate Refugees Might Move Across International Borders by Abrahm Lustgarten, Meridith Kohut, Sergey Ponomarev (photographer), Sergey Ponomarev, Al Shaw (journalist), Al Shaw, and Lucas Waldron, published by ProPublica and ''The New York Times Magazine''
2020
* Book: Katherine Eban for her book
Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom'
(Ecco/HarperCollins)
* Science Reporting:
Cigarette Butts Are Everywhere. Is Banning Filters a Viable Solution? by Robin Kazmier published in ''Audubon''
* Science Features:
The Confession: A psychologist has shown how police questioning can get innocent people to condemn themselves by Douglas Starr, published in ''Science Magazine''
* Longform:
The Final Five Percent by Tim Requarth, published in ''Longreads''
* Series:
Polluter's Paradise by Tristan Baurick, Joan Meiners, Claire Perlman, Gordon Russell (journalist), Gordon Russell, Sara Sneath, Mark Schleifstein, Al Shaw (journalist), Al Shaw, and Lylla Younes, published by ''ProPublica'' and ''The Advocate(magazine), The Advocate''
2019
* Book: Carl Zimmer for his book
She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potentials of Heredity'
(Dutton)
* Science Reporting:
by Michelle Donahue published in ''The New York Times''
* Science Features:
Scientists think Alabama's sewage problem has caused a tropical parasite. The state has done little about it by Arielle Duhaime-Ross, published in VICE News
* Longform:
Surrendering to Rising Sea by Jen Schwartz, published in ''Scientific American''
* Series:
Poisoned Cities, Deadly Border by Ian James (journalist), Ian James and Zoë Meyers in ''The Desert Sun''
2018
* Book: Maryn McKenna for her book
Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats'
(National Geographic)
* Science Reporting - Short category:
The Mystery of the Wasting House-Cats by Emily Anthes, published in ''The New York Times Magazine''
* Science Reporting - Medium category:
Accidental Therapists: For Insect Detectives, the Trickiest Cases Involve the Bugs That Aren't Really There by Eric Boodman, published in ''STAT''
* Science Reporting - Long category:
The Detective of Northern Oddities by Christopher Solomon, published in ''Outside (magazine), Outside''
* Science Reporting - Series:
United States of Climate Change,
by the United States of Climate Change Reporting Team, published by The Weather Channel Digital
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
Doomed by Delay by Patricia Callahan, published in ''Chicago Tribune''
2017
* Book: Emily Voigt for her book
The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish'
(Scribner)
* Science Reporting:
Science for Sale by David Heath (journalist), David Heath and Jie Jenny Zou, published in ''Center for Public Integrity''
* Longform:
Choking to Death in Detroit by Zoë Schlanger, published in ''Newsweek''
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
When the Dust Settles by Eva Hershaw, published in ''Texas Monthly''
* Commentary or Opinion:
Not Just a Death, a System Failure,
by Barbara Moran published in ''The New York Times''
2016
* Book: Andrew Nikiforuk for his book
Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider's Stand Against the World's Most Powerful Industry'
(Greystone Books)
* Science Reporting:
How the Fight Against Ebola Tested a Culture's Traditions by Amy Maxmen, published in ''National Geographic''
* Longform:
Bees, Inc. by Josh Dzieza, published in ''Pacific Standard''
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
Leaving the Sea: Staten Islanders Experiment with Managed Retreat by Elizabeth Rush, published in ''Urban Omnibus''
* Commentary or Opinion:
Handle with Care by Emma Marris, published in ''Orion (magazine), Orion Magazine''
2015
* Book: Judy Foreman for her book
A Nation in Pain: Healing Our Biggest Health Problem'
(Oxford University Press)
* Science Reporting:
Why Nothing Works by Erik Vance, published in ''Discover (magazine), Discover''
* Longform:
Big Oil, Bad Air by Lisa Song, David Hasemyer, Jim Morris (journalist), Jim Morris, Greg Gilderman, and more than a dozen other colleagues, published in ''InsideClimate News''
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
Battle of the Ash Borer by Matthew Miller, published in the ''Lansing State Journal''
* Commentary or Opinion: No award was given
2014
* Book: Sheri Fink for her book ''Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital''
(Crown Publishing Group)
* Science Reporting:
A Race to Save the Orange by Altering Its DNA by Amy Harmon, published in ''The New York Times''
* Longform:
Uprising: The Environmental Scandal That's Happening Right Beneath Your Feet by Phil McKenna, published in ''Matter''
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
The Tree Coroners by Cally Carswell, published in ''High Country News''
* Commentary or Opinion:
23andMe is Terrifying, but Not for the Reasons the FDA Thinks by Charles Seife, published in ''Scientific American''
's SA Forum
2013
* Book: David Quammen for his book ''Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic''
(W.W. Norton)
* Science Reporting:
Witness to an Antarctic Meltdown by freelancer Douglas Fox (journalist), Douglas Fox, published in ''Scientific American''
* Longform:
Playing with Fire by Patricia Callahan, Sam Roe and Michael Hawthorne (journalist), Michael Hawthorne, published in the ''Chicago Tribune''
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
The Color of Bunny by freelancer Hillary Rosner, published in ''High Country News''
* Commentary or Opinion:
The Real Scandal by freelancer Christie Aschwanden, posted on the blog The Last Word on Nothing
2012
* Book: Seth Mnookin for his book
Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear'
(Simon & Schuster)
* Science Reporting:
Poisoned Places by reporters from the Center for Public Integrity (Jim Morris (journalist), Jim Morris, Chris Hamby, Ronnie Greene, Elizabeth Lucas (journalist), Elizabeth Lucas, Emma Schwartz) and NPR (Elizabeth Shogren, Howard Berkes, Sandra Bartlett, John Poole (journalist), John Poole, Robert Benincasa)
* Local or Regional Science Reporting:
Perilous Passages by Emilene Ostlind, Mary Ellen Hannibal, and Cally Carswell, published in ''High Country News''
* Commentary or Opinion:
Ban Chimp Testing by the Scientific American Board of Editors, published in ''Scientific American''
2011
* Book: Maryn McKenna for her book
Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA'
(Free Press (publisher), Free Press)
* Science Reporting: Katy Butler for her ''New York Times Magazine'' article,
My Father's Broken Heart
* Local or Regional Science Reporting: Barbara Moran for her ''Boston Globe Magazine'' article,
Power Politics
* Commentary or Opinion: Charles Homans, for his ''Columbia Journalism Review'' article,
Hot Air
2010
* Book: Susan Cohen (journalist), Susan Cohen and Christine Cosgrove for
Normal at Any Cost: Tall Girls, Short Boys, and the Medical Industry's Quest to Manipulate Height'
(Tarcher/Penguin)
* Science Reporting: Martha Mendoza and Margie Mason won for their Associated Press series "When Drugs Stop Working"
* Science Reporting: Charles Duhigg won for his ''New York Times'' series
Toxic Waters
* Local or Regional Science Reporting: J. Madeleine Nash for her article
Bring in the Cows,
which appeared in ''High Country News''
There was not an award in the Commentary or Opinion category in 2010.
2009
* Book: Alison Bass for her book ''Side Effects (Bass book), Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial''
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill)
* Science Reporting: Jason Felch and Maura Dolan for their series in the ''Los Angeles Times'',
Genes as Evidence
* Local or Regional Science Reporting: Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong (journalist), Ken Armstrong for their series in the ''Seattle Times'', "Culture of Resistance"
* Commentary: Pamela Ronald for
The New Organic,
which appeared on boston.com
2008
* Book: Liza Mundy for her book
Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Men and Women and the World'
(Alfred A. Knopf, Knopf)
* Magazine: Beth Whitehouse for her ''Newsday'' series "The Match"
* Broadcast: Stephen Lyons (journalist), Stephen Lyons and Llewellyn M. Smith for their docudrama
Forgotten Genius,
which appeared on PBS's NOVA television series.
2007
* Book: Nicholas Wade for ''Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors''
(Penguin Books)
* Broadcast: David Sington for his documentary
Dimming the Sun,
which appeared on PBS's ''Nova (American TV series), NOVA'' television series.
* Newspaper: Kenneth R. Weiss, Kenneth Weiss and Usha Lee McFarling for their ''Los Angeles Times'' series
Altered Oceans
2005
* Book: Robin Marantz Henig for
Pandora's Baby: How the First Test-Tube Babies Sparked the Reproductive Revolution'
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
* Broadcast: Craig Duff and Andrew Revkin for ''Arctic Rush'',
(a New York Times/ Discovery Channel/CBC Documentary)
* Magazine: Laurie Garrett for
The Next Pandemic ''Foreign Affairs'', July/August 2005
* Newspaper: Jim Erickson (journalist), Jim Erickson for "A Change in the Air" in ''Rocky Mountain News'', December 13, 2005
* Web: Daniel Grossman (journalist), Daniel Grossman for
Fantastic Forests: The Balance Between Nature and People of Madagascar',
WBUR
2004
* Book: Stephen S. Hall for
Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension',
(Houghton Mifflin)
* Magazine: Robin Marantz Henig for
The Quest to Forget in ''The New York Times Magazine''
* Newspaper: Alexandra Witze and Tom Siegfried for the "Science's Big Unknown" series in ''The Dallas Morning News''
* Broadcast: Noel Schwerin for
Bloodlines: Technology Hits Home',
Backbone Media
2003
* Book: Steve Olson (writer), Steve Olson for
Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins',
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
* Magazine: Kyla Dunn for
Cloning Trevor in ''The Atlantic Monthly''
* Newspaper: Dan Fagin for the "Tattered Hopes" series in ''Newsday''
* Radio: Joe Palca for the "Stem Cells" series, National Public Radio (NPR)
* Television: John Rubin (documentary producer), John Rubin for "Clone", ''MSNBC''-''National Geographic Explorer''
* Web: Margaret A. Woodbury for
A Doctor's Right to Choose,
Salon.com
2002
* Book: Jon Cohen (journalist), Jon Cohen for
Shots in the Dark: The Wayward Search for an AIDS Vaccine',
(W.W. Norton & Co.)
* Magazine: Shannon Brownlee for "The Big Fat Question" in ''Self (magazine), Self'' magazine
* Magazine: Charles W. Schmidt for
e-Junk Explosion in ''Environmental Health Perspectives''
* Newspaper: Rick Weiss for
Building a New Child: Embryo Screening Creates a Tool Against Disease — and Ethical Questions in ''The Washington Post''
* Radio: William S. Hammack for
Engineering and Life',
WILL-AM580 and Illinois Public Radio
* Television: Richard E. Hutton, Richard Hutton for
Evolution',
NOVA/WGBH-TV
* Web: Alan Boyle for "Genetic Genealogy", MSNBC
2001
* Book: David Dobbs for
The Great Gulf: Fishermen, Scientists, and the Struggle to Revive the World's Greatest Fishery',
(Island Press)
* Magazine: Gary Taubes for
The Soft Science of Dietary Fat in ''Science (journal), Science''
* Newspaper: Sabin Russell, Reynolds Holding, and Elizabeth Fernandez for
Breakdowns mar flu shot program and
Waiting for shots in the ''San Francisco Chronicle''
* Television: Betsey Arledge, Julia Cort, and Robert Krulwich, for
Cracking the Code of Life NOVA/WGBH-TV
* Web: David Tenenbaum for "Energy Crisis III?", ''The Why Files''
2000
*Book: No award given
*Magazine:
**Carol Ezzell for
Care for a Dying Continent,
published in ''Scientific American''
**Eyal Press and Jennifer Washburn for
The Kept University,
published in ''Atlantic Monthly''
*Newspaper: Kitta MacPherson for "Food Fight - What Hath Science Wrought", published in ''The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey''
*Radio: Michael Tymchuk for "Kennewick Man — Bones of Contention", broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
*Television: Jon Palfreman for
What's Up With The Weather,
broadcast on WGBH-TV's Frontline (American TV program), Frontline/PBS
*Web: No award given
1999
*Magazine: Gary Taubes for
The (Political) Science of Salt in ''Science (journal), Science''
*Newspaper: Jack Sirica, John Sirica, Charles Zehren, Jordan Rau, Lauren Terrazzano, and John Paraskevas for "Science Under Siege" in ''Newsday''
*Broadcast: Dan Falk for "Visions of the Apocalypse", broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
1998
*Magazine: David Stipp and Robert Whitaker (author), Robert Whitaker for
The Selling of Impotence in ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune''
*Newspaper: Robert Langreth for
Revolution in Genetics Arms Cancer Fighter With Potent Weapons in ''The Wall Street Journal''
*Broadcast: Jon Palfreman for
The Last Battle of the Gulf War,
broadcast on PBS's ''Frontline (American TV program), Frontline''
1997
*Magazine: Susan Cohen (journalist), Susan Cohen, for
Tangled Lifeline,
published in ''The Washington Post Magazine''
*Newspaper: Michael Waldholz and David Sanford (journalist), David Sanford, ''The Wall Street Journal''
*Broadcast: Kate King, CNN
1996
*Magazine: Gary Taubes for
Epidemiology Faces Its Limits,
published in ''Science (journal), Science''
*Newspaper: Ralph T. King Jr. for
Bitter Pill,
published in ''The Wall Street Journal''
*Broadcast: Jon Palfreman for
Breast Implants on Trial, broadcast on PBS's ''Frontline (American TV program), Frontline''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Science In Society Journalism Awards
Science communication awards
Science writing awards
American journalism awards
American science and technology awards
Awards established in 1972
1972 establishments in the United States