Submissions are now being accepted for the 2023 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications, given by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in partnership with Schmidt Futures.

This application cycle marks the second year of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications which honor top science communicators, journalists, and research scientists who have developed creative, original work to communicate issues and advances in science, engineering, and/or medicine for the general public. 

These prestigious awards recognize excellent science communicators and strive to build a diverse community of science communicators, science journalists, and research scientists. Submissions are encouraged from individuals who have developed high-quality communications and demonstrated the potential or ability to communicate the spectrum of science, engineering, and/or medicine — issues and complexities, beauty and societal benefits, and shortcomings and controversies. This second cohort of winners will be supported as they continue to demystify complex issues related to science, engineering, and health effectively, helping society meet the challenges and realize opportunities posed by complex issues such as climate change, future pandemics, human genome editing, and artificial intelligence.

The program will confer 24 awards totaling $640,000. These awards go to individuals who were working at the front lines of science communication or journalism, with nine awards for research scientists, nine awards for science journalists, and, new to this year, six awards for science communicators. Schmidt Futures will additionally partner with journalists and renowned journalistic institutions to create ongoing training and professional development opportunities for the talented communicators recognized through the awards program. 

Submissions will be accepted from April 4 until May 5, 2023. Leading scientists and experts in all aspects of science communication and journalism — from the academic, nonprofit, corporate, and other sectors — will review the nominations and select the winners. The winners will be announced in fall 2023. For more information, see nationalacademies.org/awards/excellence-in-communication.