If You Are an MRC-Funded Phd Student with an Interest in Communicating Your Science To

If you are an MRC-funded PhD student with an interest in communicating your science to a wider audience, the Max Perutz Science Writing Award competition is for you.

We want you, in no more than 800 words, to tell us about your research in a way that would interest a lay audience. Why is it important? Why does it interest you? and why should it interest the reader?

The 2011 Max Perutz Science Writing Award will open on Wednesday 4 May. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 1 June.

· The rules

· Judging criteria

· Key tips

If you are an MRC-funded PhD student with an interest in communicating your science to a wider audience, the Max Perutz Science Writing Award competition is for you.

The winning article is published in the Guardian newspaper. The winner and runners-up also receive cash prizes and all the shortlisted students are invited to a master class with professional writers.

The prize is named after the eminent scientist and Nobel laureate Dr Max Perutz, an accomplished and natural communicator, who died in 2002. Since the competition started in 1998, hundreds of students have submitted entries and taken their first steps in communicating their science to the public.

The rules

· The 2011 Max Perutz Science Writing Award competition will open on Wednesday 4 May. You can register your interest by emailing us:

· All current PhD students funded by the MRC are eligible to enter and may submit one essay in each year of the competition.

· The article should be no more than 800 words, including the title - anything significantly longer will be disqualified. The essay should be text only: no diagrams or tables should be included.

· The judges’ decision will be final.

· The 2011 judges are MRC chief executive Sir John Savill; Guardian science and environment correspondent Alok Jha; science writer, author and broadcaster Georgina Ferry; author Andrew O'Hagan; director of the MRC Clinical Trials Unit Professor Mahesh Parmar; and last year's Max Perutz winner Nicola Harris from Newcastle University.

· Articles should be submitted as part of a completed entry form and emailed to

Entry form for the Max Perutz Award

Judging criteria

The article must be based on the research you are doing. This could be on the whole of the project or on one aspect only, but it should not be a general review of the area.

The piece should be aimed at a non-specialist audience and written at a level that an interested lay person could understand while conveying the significance of your research. Some key tips are provided below, previous years’ winning entries are available to give you an idea of what we’re looking for, and you can find top tips from past judges in ‘The secrets of good science writing’.

The judging criteria will be:

· Is the essay easy to understand?

· Is it a compelling read?

· Has the writer made a convincing case that the science is important?

Key tips

Active sentences are better than passive ones.

“When addressing her troops before they faced the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth I identified the exceptional ability of women to overcome their natural disadvantages.” (From The best a man can’t get by Jackie Maybin, 2009 winner.)

is better than:

“When her troops were addressed by her before the Spanish Armada was faced, the exceptional ability of women to overcome their natural disadvantages was identified by Elizabeth I.” (With apologies to Jackie.)

If you use any technical terms, do so sparingly and consistently and provide explanations if necessary.

“I use capsaicin to increase pain sensitivity temporarily in research volunteers. Capsaicin is a chemical that comes from the chilli pepper. When applied to the skin, it activates heat sensors found on nerve endings under the skin. These nerves generate signals that pass like electricity along a wire, up through the spinal cord and brainstem before entering the brain. As a result, pain is experienced.” (From Pain: it’s all in your head by Michael Lee, 2008 winner.)

Use first names rather than titles to help personalise the research.

“Today Anna is blind. In the last two weeks, the trajectory of her life has ricocheted off at right angles to the world of sales targets and everything else she has ever worked for.” (From Blind ignorance by Alastair Dennington, 2009 runner-up.)

The first paragraph is vital – you need to capture the reader’s interest so that they want to read further.

“Your nose is more congested than the M25 on Friday night. Your partner has kicked you out of bed for snoring. Running for the bus feels like an Everest ascent with a backpack. Your favourite pasta tastes like boiled cardboard. Innocent signs? Or is something more sinister creeping up, about to take over your life?” (Opening paragraph from The cold that never goes away by Sophie Farooque, 2008 runner-up.)

The rules

· The 2011 Max Perutz Science Writing Award competition will open on Wednesday 4 May. You can register your interest by emailing us:

· All current PhD students funded by the MRC are eligible to enter and may submit one essay in each year of the competition.

· The article should be no more than 800 words, including the title - anything significantly longer will be disqualified. The essay should be text only: no diagrams or tables should be included.

· The judges’ decision will be final.

· Articles should be submitted as part of a completed entry form and emailed to

Entry form for the Max Perutz Award

Rules and judging criteria

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Rules

· a single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description)

· no additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted

· no additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted

· presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified

· the decision of the adjudicating panel is final

Judging Criteria

1. Communication style: was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?

2. Comprehension: did the presentation help the audience understand the research?

3. Engagement: did the oration make the audience want to know more?

Registrants Agreement

By entering this competition with Griffith University, students agree that should they be the recipient of either the Griffith finalist prize, or the Griffith runner-up prize, these monies will go towards research degree-related expenses, and also agree to abide by any terms and conditions the University of Queensland may place on entrants. By registering, students also agree to Griffith's model release conditions, as parts of the competition maybe filmed or photographed.

Judging criteria

The article must be based on the research you are doing. This could be on the whole of the project or on one aspect only, but it should not be a general review of the area.

The judging criteria will be:

· Is the essay easy to understand?

· Is it a compelling read?

· Has the writer made a convincing case that the science is important?