Press release

Nominate your favourite science commentator for the 2013 Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards

The Wellcome Trust and Editorial Intelligence this week launch the first ever Science Commentator award as part of the 2013 Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards. Nominations are now open for the awards.

The Comment Awards celebrate the achievements of the UK's finest and most influential print and online commentators, and their editors. Judges are made up of leading opinion formers from politics, business, culture, and society.

Mark Henderson, Head of Communications at the Wellcome Trust, said: "The insights and approaches of science and medicine have important implications for the great challenges of the day, from energy and the environment to healthcare and economic recovery. The Wellcome Trust's mission is not only to fund extraordinary research, but also to promote public engagement so that thought-provoking discussion of science is embedded in the national conversation.

"Challenging media comment, grounded in evidence, is an important part of that conversation. As well as celebrating those commentators who already write compellingly about science, we hope this award will encourage more writers to engage with science and encourage editors to commission more of these pieces."

Mark will be helping judge the science category together with: Professor Anne Johnson, University College London; Fiona Fox, Director of the Science Media Centre; and Dr Ewan Birney, Associate Director of the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute.

The year's awards will be chaired by BBC Children In Need's Chairman, Stevie Spring, Senior Independent Director at the Engine Group and business advisor to the Shadow Chancellor and The Big Issue Group.

The fifth consecutive annual awards, run by networking organisation Editorial Intelligence, will take place on 26 November 2013, where the 'who's who' of British journalism will see the awards presented to the finest UK commentators.

Nominations are open. The website includes details of all the categories.