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John Maddox Prize 2020

John Maddox Prize 2020
14 May 2020
The John Maddox Prize is open for nominations


Nominations for the John Maddox Prize, the international award from charity Sense about Science and the leading international scientific journal Nature, close on 26 May. The John Maddox Prize is awarded every year to researchers who have shown great courage and integrity in standing up for science and scientific reasoning despite opposition and hostility. Each year there is one winner, and an additional prize for an early career researcher. Find out how to submit a nomination here.

The winners of the prize are awarded £3000 at an awards evening held at Wellcome Collection in the Autumn. The prize garners international media coverage, as well as what is often much needed attention and support for the winners from across the world. Earlier this year Anna McKie spoke to past winners for a cover feature in Times Higher Education about the importance of standing up for science, and the impact of the Maddox Prize on their work.

Don't miss this opportunity for deserving scientists who are working on important research, yet met with controversy or hostility. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the prize with someone from our team please send us an email at maddox@senseaboutscience.org.

It might inspire you to look at the past winners: from Bambang Hero Saharjo, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, who stood up against the illegal and destructive burning of peatland; to Elizabeth Loftus, University of California, USA, who published ground-breaking research in the field of human memory, despite personal attacks and attempts to undermine her research; to Terry Hughes, James Cook University, Australia, who won for his tireless and courageous efforts in communicating research evidence on coral reef bleaching to the public and for tackling the misrepresentation of coral reef science; to Susan Jebb, University of Oxford, UK, who tackled misconceptions about sugar in the media and among the public, and endured personal attacks and accusations that industry funding compromised her integrity and advisory capabilities yet continued to engage with the public and the media despite this.

To find out more about past winners, read the full list here.

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