Solar Physics Division Popular Writing Awards:

The Solar Physics Division (SPD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) holds an annual competition for two Popular Writing Awards to be awarded to authors of popular or semi-popular articles on the Sun or its effects on the Earth's environment. The purpose of these awards is to encourage scientists, science writers, and journalists to write about the Sun and thereby educate and excite the public about solar research.

Awards will be made in two categories, one for scientists (students, professionals, and retired) and another for science writers and journalists. One award will be offered in each category. Any living scientist, science writer, or journalist, not currently serving on the panel, is eligible to receive the award without consideration of race, sex, or nationality (SPD or AAS membership not required).

Awards will be made for articles which are published the previous calendar year and which, in the judgement of the selection committee, best communicate the results from contemporary scientific studies of the Sun and heliosphere. The articles will be judged based on the following criteria: relevance of the article to solar astronomy or solar physics, or space physics directly associated with the Sun; educational value; accuracy in describing the scientific issues involved; clarity of presentation; and number of readers who would likely have seen the article. The article must be in English, and must have been published in a North American newspaper, magazine, or popular science journal. Books, book chapters, and electronic publications are not eligible.

The cash amount of each award is $500. Awards will be accompanied by a certificate. In the case of a winning article with multiple authors, each author will receive a certificate, but a check for $500 will be issued only to the lead author.

The articles will be judged by the SPD Popular Writing Awards committee, which consists of four solar scientists and a fifth member from outside the science community. Nominations for the awards may be submitted to the address below; self-nominations are most welcome. Nominations should give the title of the article, the name(s) and address(es) of the author(s), where and when the article was published, the category for which the article is nominated (scientist or science writer/journalist), and in case of a newspaper article, a copy of the article. The committee reserves the right to nominate articles itself. The decisions of the committee are final.

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