WASHINGTON -- The National Academies today announced the recipients of its 2006 Communication Awards. Part of the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative, these prestigious awards recognize excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public. This is the fourth year the National Academies have given the three $20,000 prizes. The winners will be honored during a ceremony on Nov. 9 at the Academies' Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif.
Selected from 252 print, radio, and broadcast entries, the recipients of the awards for works published or broadcast in 2005 are:
Book
Charles Mann, author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (Alfred A. Knopf), for his engaging and thought-provoking rediscovery of the early human history of our continent.
Newspaper/Magazine/Internet
Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer, The New Yorker, for her authoritative treatment of the science and politics of global climate change in the three-part series "The Climate of Man."
TV/Radio
Nic Young, director, Anna Thomson, producer, and Bill Locke, executive producer, for Lion Television's "Ape to Man," an accurate and entertaining overview of human evolution made accessible to broad audiences.
"It is an honor to recognize the achievements of these individuals, and the vital role they play in improving the public's understanding of science, engineering, and medicine," said Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences. "We hope these awards inspire many others to report clearly and creatively about the world we live in."
A list of finalists for the awards follows.
Book finalists: