30/08/2021

IMPA Journalism Prize opens registration on Monday (6)

Rarely has society discussed and valued science as much as during the new coronavirus pandemic. All efforts were concentrated on studying the disease and developing vaccines and medicines. And every step taken in these advances was widely publicized by the press. Amid this scenario, the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) launches the Wednesdays edition of the IMPA Journalism Prize , which will award reports on Mathematics, Science and Technology. Registration begins next Monday (06) on the institution's website and runs until October Wednesdays.

The Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, highlighted the importance of the award in expanding knowledge on the subject. “The IMPA Journalism Prize values the role of the media in disseminating scientific knowledge in society, while also promoting collaboration between scientists and journalists in this dissemination.”

Divided into the categories "Mathematics" and "Science Communication," the award aims to encourage the publication of relevant journalistic reports on Mathematics, Science, and Technology to bring these topics closer to society. Submissions are accepted for articles published in any media outlet, such as newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, television, and radio.

Reports published between October 2020 and September 2021 are eligible to participate. The main judging criteria are: journalistic relevance of the topic, originality, depth, clarity, and quality of execution of the report. For the second consecutive year, the winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony scheduled for November 2Mondays. The winning journalists will be invited to participate in webinars in December on the topics of their reports on IMPA's YouTube channel .

Winners in each category will receive R $ 10,000.

The prize money is the same in both categories. First place receives R $ 10,000, second place R $ 3,000, and third place R $ 2,000. The judging committee will also award two honorable mentions in each category. All winners will also receive a certificate from the IMPA Journalism Award. Check the regulations .

In the first three editions of the Award, more than 380 journalistic works were submitted. In 2020, first place in the "Mathematics" category went to the report "Was Mathematics discovered or invented?" , by Bruno Vaiano for Superinteressante Magazine. In the "Science Communication" category, first place went to the story "The first image of a black hole" , from GloboNews.

About the IMPA Journalism Prize

Launched in 2018 to bring mathematics closer to society and encourage scientific dissemination in Brazil, the award recognizes journalistic reports that present mathematics, science, and technology in an interesting and original way, provoke reflection on these areas of knowledge, and stimulate their popularization in the country.