Washington, DC (July 7, 2000) -- The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is seeking entries for the new online category in its Science Journalism Awards competition, sponsored by The Whitaker Foundation. The awards recognize science writers for outstanding reporting for a general audience and honor those individuals for their coverage of the sciences, engineering and mathematics.
The addition of the online news category for the 2000 competition reflects the growing media for science journalism. Since the creation of the competition 50 years ago, news reports have expanded to consist of analysis, commentary and features, while publishing, broadcasting and the Internet have produced new methods of information exchange, both local and global.
With an increasing number of Web sites devoted to disseminating information and the growing number of reporters who write for online sites, this new category will be an important one for reporters on the cutting edge of science journalism. The online category will lend support and recognition to those who seek to apply the same standards of journalistic excellence in this new and changing medium
The online news category will join its five counterparts--large newspapers, small newspapers, radio, television and magazine--in this year's competition. The rules governing the online awards will remain consistent with the rules already established for the science journalism awards. The award winners will be honored at the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., in February 2001.
Contest Rules