john-maddox-prize

Application Deadline: May 16, 2022

The John Maddox Prize is a joint initiative of the charity Sense about Science and the leading international scientific journal Nature. The Prize has been awarded annually since 2012 to researchers who have shown great courage and integrity in standing up for science and scientific reasoning against fierce opposition and hostility. Each year there is one or two winners, and an additional prize for an early career researcher.

The prize brings into the spotlight the difficulty faced by many who fight to share the results of research evidence, and inspires and encourages people the world over to do the same. The 2021 John Maddox Prize received 136 nominations from 33 different countries.

Sir John Maddox, whose name this prize commemorates, was a passionate and tireless champion and defender of science, engaging with difficult debates and inspiring others to do the same. As a writer and editor, he changed attitudes and perceptions, and strove for better understanding and appreciation of science throughout his long working life.

Requirements:

The John Maddox Prize:

Recognises individuals who stand up for science and evidence, advancing the public discussion of difficult topics despite challenges or hostility
Brings to attention the difficulty faced by many who fight to share the results of research evidence, and inspires and encourages people the world over to do the same
Represents the fact that we don’t yet live in a world where it is safe for researchers to speak out openly and honestly about research findings
Advocates positive change towards an environment in which researchers can engage society in difficult conversations about scientific evidence without fear of professional or personal consequences.

The prize is a joint initiative of Sense about Science and the science journal Nature. The late Sir John Maddox, FRS, was editor of Nature for 22 years and a founding trustee of Sense about Science. His daughter Bronwen Maddox is the patron of the prize.

The Maddox Prize is funded by the work of the organisations concerned and by public donations.

Contact [email protected]

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the John Maddox Prize 2022

Application Deadline: June 4th 2021

The John Maddox prize is a joint initiative of the charity Sense about Science and the leading international scientific journal Nature. The Prize has been awarded annually since 2012 to researchers who have shown great courage and integrity in standing up for science and scientific reasoning against fierce opposition and hostility. Each year there is one or two winners, and an additional prize for an early career researcher.

The prize brings into the spotlight the difficulty faced by many who fight to share the results of research evidence, and inspires and encourages people the world over to do the same. In 2019 there were over 200 nominations from 38 countries.

Nominations illustrate a wide variety of circumstances faced by researchers and communicators around the world, and judges consider these in the round. They also consider:

The significance of an individual’s effort to advance the discussion of sound science in the public sphere.
The nature of the challenge(s) faced by the individual, whether they persevered and whether those challenges were beyond what would be expected in their position.
How well they placed the evidence in the wider debate and engaged others.

The John Maddox Prize awards evening is hosted at Wellcome Collection, London in November. Winners receive £3000 (winners in public office usually waive this).

Candidates for the John Maddox Prize must be nominated.

This is a global prize: people from any country and in any field can be nominated.

The winner is chosen by a judging panel, not by Sense about Science or Nature.

The 2021 judges are:

Professor Lord Martin Rees – Astronomer Royal
Ms Natasha Loder – Health Policy Editor, The economist
Professor Sir Colin Blakemore – Yeung Kin Man Professor of Neuroscience and Senior Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study
Ms Tracey Brown OBE – Director, Sense about Science
Dr Magdalena Skipper – Editor-in-chief, Nature
Professor Terrence Forrester – Chief Scientist & Managing Director, UWI Solutions for Developing Countries at the University of the West Indies
Professor Dennis Lo – Director, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
Ms Anin Luo (judge for the early career award) – Princeton University.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the John Maddox Prize 2021

John Maddox Prize 2022 for individuals promoting science (£3000 prize)

John Maddox Prize 2021 for individuals promoting science (£3000 prize)