Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize Winner
Dr Richard Stephens, Psychology, is one of the winners of the fourth Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize announced this week at a ceremony held at Wellcome Trust HQ in London.
The Wellcome Trust science writing prize, run in conjunction with the Guardian and the Observer, is an opportunity for aspiring science communicators to write about research that inspires them. There were 600 entries split into two categories – professional scientists (postgraduate and above) and non-professionals (including undergraduates). The entries are read by over 40 representatives from the Wellcome Trust, the Guardian and the Observer before a final shortlist is selected by a judging panel, this year headed up by materials scientist and broadcaster Mark Miodownik.
Richard’s piece on smiling – ‘Don’t say cheese, say cheeks’ – earned him the crown in the professional scientists category. Both winners were presented with prize money of £1,000 and the articles will appear in full in the Guardian/the Observer and on the Wellcome Trust blog in the coming weeks. Richard has for the last two years mentored interested students to apply for the writing prize and he intends to do the same next year, around March 2015, when the call goes out.