CASW welcomes applications from professional journalists wishing to attend the November 8 workshop "Living and Working on a Hot Planet" (details on the CASW website). The goal of the workshop is to enable journalists to build expertise, connections, and skills to improve their reporting on this topic. Interested reporters with experience covering climate science, public health, and environmental topics are invited to apply using this form. 

The full-day workshop, held in conjunction with the ScienceWriters2024 conference, will include interactive sessions and discussions drawing on your reporting work. So that we can ensure a lively mix of perspectives and experiences, we ask you to document your work on these topics in your application. 

If you would like to attend only the afternoon sessions on the workshop day, there is no need to apply. Those sessions will be open to general conference attendees. Simply sign up as part of your conference registration. Registration will open August 21. Information will be posted at sciencewriters2024.org.

Eligibility and Application Guidelines

Who Is Eligible: Reporters, freelance writers, and producers with at least three years' experience covering topics in climate, environmental science and policy, public health, and health disparities for independent media outlets. Preference will be given to journalists whose work samples and resume document their experience covering climate science and policy, public health, or the intersection of these topics. International applications are welcome, but travel and lodging support is capped at $1,200 US. International attendees must have permission to visit the US and a source of funds for the remainder of their expenses.

Application Deadline: August 12, 2024 (midnight ET)

Estimated Notification Date: August 19, 2024

Required Application Elements:

• Resume/CV
• Work samples: 3-5 examples of journalistic work published or aired in independent media. URLs may be submitted if the work is accessible online. A translation must be provided if the work is not in English. The workshop will be given in English.
• A letter of interest explaining why you wish to attend, how you might contribute to the workshop discussions, and what you hope to do with what you learn.
• If you are a staff journalist, a letter or email from your editor supporting your participation.
• An estimate of travel expenses that will need to be reimbursed (see below).

Workshop Date: November 8, 2024

Workshop Location: Raleigh Marriott City Center, Raleigh, North Carolina

Expense Calculation

We ask for an estimate of your travel expenses so that we can stretch our travel funding to cover as many attendees as possible. We know that you cannot know exactly what your costs and other funding sources will be, and so there is some flex built into the process. If you are selected, we will work with you to adjust your grant to reflect actual expected costs.

Use these numbers in your calculation:

Roundtrip economy-class airfare to Raleigh-Durham Airport. If you choose another travel mode, roundtrip airfare from your local airport will be used to calculate the maximum reimbursement. We ask you to choose the lowest-cost airfare within your constraints. For example, you need not price a 6 am departure if that is not possible for you, and we do not require the use of cut-rate airlines. A carry-on bag and seat reservation may be included.

Ground transportation, parking. Use $35 as the cost of a ride to or from RDU Airport to the Marriott Raleigh City Center. Estimate the cost of (a) driving to and from your local airport or rail station and parking while away, or (b) a shared ride or taxi fare to and from your local airport, or auto mileage if a companion will drop you off and pick you up. Use whichever total is less.

Lodging. Use $210 as your nightly lodging cost estimate at the Marriott. Your required hotel nights will depend on your location, your conference participation, and the constraints of the $1,200 cap. Guidelines for hotel nights:

• All workshop participants should plan to arrive at the hotel by 6:30 pm Thursday and leave no earlier than 5:30 pm Friday. 
• See note below about conference registration. If you do not plan to attend the conference, you will be limited to one hotel night Thursday, unless the cost of a second night would be offset by airfare savings (see next item). Conference attendees may request complimentary lodging for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights within the total cap of $1,200.
• An extra hotel night may be added if the cost of the extra night is more than offset by savings from a budget airfare.
• Expected tips may be added to your lodging estimate.

Meals. Estimate the cost of meals during your travel. Provided meals on site include dinner Thursday, breakfast and lunch during the workshop, and an evening conference reception. Do not include meals during the workshop or the conference. Your conference registration will include additional receptions and provided lunches.

Conference registration. Participation in this workshop does not require full ScienceWriters2024 conference registration. However, all funded participants are eligible for complimentary conference registration (enabling participation in "Early Access" virtual sessions as well as the in-person conference).  Related programming will be offered Saturday and Sunday, and preference for workshop attendance will be given to conference attendees.

We view workshop participants as valued contributors to conversations about covering climate and health that will continue through the conference. Conference registration is required for admission to the Friday evening reception as well as tours, field trips, and regular sessions Saturday through Monday.

Other travel support options for ScienceWriters2024

CASW and the National Association of Science Writers provide a number of travel fellowships to support attendance at ScienceWriters conferences. Applications for those fellowships will be taken August 1-26. More information is available at sciencewriters2024.org.

Questions? Contact Ros Reid, CASW executive director.
 

Now in its 34th year, the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award was created to recognize the contributions to journalism of both Ev Clark and Seth Payne.
   The Award is intended to encourage young science writers by recognizing outstanding reporting and writing in any field of science. The winner will receive $1,000 and expenses to attend ScienceWriters2024 in November. Entries may be submitted from outside the United States; however, CASW cannot reimburse expenses that exceed the cost of a domestic roundtrip.
   The award is given in memory of Ev Clark, a veteran journalist at Business Week, The New York Times, and Newsweek; and Seth Payne, his long-time friend and colleague at Business Week and a founder of the Award. It is designed to carry on the work of both men, who offered friendship and advice to generations of young journalists.
Rules
   The award is limited to non-technical, print and online journalism. Articles published in newspapers (including college newspapers), magazines, newsletters and websites are eligible. Both freelancers and staff writers are eligible. (Books, as well as articles in technical journals and trade association publications, are not eligible).
   Science writing includes, but is not limited to, writing in the biological, physical, environmental, computer, and space sciences, along with technology, mathematics, health, and science policy.
   Entries will be judged on the basis of accuracy, clarity, insightfulness, fairness, resourcefulness, and timeliness.
   Applicants must be age 30 or younger. The 2025 Award will be limited to those applicants whose 31st birthday is July 1, 2025 or later.
   Applicants may submit a single article or series, or up to four individual pieces. Articles must be published between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. A series will be accepted if most parts are published between those dates. Applications may be submitted by the author or on the author's behalf. All entries must be submitted in English.
   All applications and submissions must be received by June 30, 2025.
  Please note that judges consider only the candidate's submitted work when making their selection. Do not upload any materials (such as a recommendation letter or resume) other than journalism produced by the candidate.

Judges
   The award will be judged by a panel of science writers selected by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. The award will be announced by August 30, 2025.
How to Enter
   You may access the nomination form after you create an account and click "Create Account and Continue" below.
   Questions about the process? Contact Laura Dattaro.

This form may be used to upload:

• a letter of support for a candidate for the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award
• a letter of support for a candidate for the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting (to submit a nomination package, please use the Victor Cohn Prize form) 
• a recommendation of an applicant for a Taylor/Blakeslee University Fellowship or Taylor/Blakeslee Project Fellowship
• a recommendation of an applicant for a New Horizons travel fellowship

To access the form, you will need to create a Submittable account.

For further information about deadlines, requirements for recommenders and nominators, and about the prizes and fellowships, see the CASW Awards and Fellowships page or contact Laura Dattaro, ldattaro@casw.org.