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The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Nature, the leading international scientific journal, are pleased to announce a competition aimed at fostering scientific reporting skills and experience for an English-speaking Canadian journalist.

 

Up to CA$60 000 will be available for travel, living expenses and administrative costs for the winner of the IDRC–Nature Science Journalism Award. It is aimed at either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has at least three years experience as an English-language journalist either in print, broadcast media, or online. The successful applicant will work in the London, England, office of Nature starting in March 2007 and he or she will travel to Melbourne, Australia, in April 2007 to make a presentation at the World Conference of Science Journalists. The winner will also spend between two to four months in one or more developing countries as a science reporter.

 

The intention is that the body of work produced by the winning applicant will be published by Nature which could include online or print publication, podcasts, or all of the above.

 

Applicants will be evaluated according to their current abilities and perceived promise; previous work on scientific topics and a proven interest in development issues will be taken into account. Candidates should provide samples of their work, a CV, and a covering letter, as well as a research proposal. A clear and compelling plan for the use of reporting time will be rated very highly. 

 

Applicants should contact Oliver Morton, Chief News and Features Editor of Nature, by December 15, 2006. Email o.morton@nature.com with "IDRC–Nature Award" in the subject line.

 

IDRC supports applied research in the developing world to help developing countries acquire the knowledge, skills, and technologies they need to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

 

This is the final journalism competition being sponsored by IDRC this year. It has already handed out awards to two Francophone journalists (one from Canada and the other from Cameroon) and one Anglophone journalist (from Zambia) aimed at promoting the development of reliable, critical, and contextual reporting on scientific issues. 

 

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