Cookson’s winning recipe

Given how many MJA members featured in shortlists for the Association of British Science Writers Awards, it’s probably no surprise that so many found their way into the winners’ circle.

Clive Cookson, from the Financial Times, was named British Science Journalist of the Year, for what the judges described as a “selection of pieces replete with style and authoritative sources”.

You can read them here: 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

Nature‘s Helen Pearson was  named Editor of the Year, alongside Sarah Richardson, from Research Professional News. The ABSW judges praised Helen’s, “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.”

Rising star, Rosa Furneaux from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism was named Newcomer of the Year, with judges highlighting the “impressive investigative work” displayed in her three Covid-related pieces:

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.

Alok Jha from The Economist, another MJA Awards’ winner, took the ABSW’s new award for Podcast of the Year  for Goodbye darkness, my old friend—satellite constellations are alarming astronomers, Babbage Podcast, The Economist. The judges’ verdict was: “Slick production, really well written and paced.”

Herald on Sunday‘s Helen McArdle, a previous winner of the MJA award for News Story of the Year (General Audience) took the Stephen White award for reporting of science in a non-science context.

Richard Van Noorden won Feature of the Year: Specialist, for Starting up in Science: Two researchers. Three years. One pandemic.  Judges described the article, written in collaboration with Richard’s Nature colleagues Kerri Smith and Heidi Ledford as: “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.”

The first round of judging in the MJA awards has now been completed, and judging panels will come together shortly to discuss their top picks. Winners will be announced on Thursday September 15, 2022 at the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in the City of London.

Thank you to our principal sponsors Bristol Myers Squibb and individual awards sponsors for supporting this celebration of excellence in health and medical journalism. We are also delighted to welcome new MJA supporters, the communications agency Mearns and Pike and fertility experts Ivi.