Information for Applicants

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing seeks an individual with strong administrative and fundraising skills to run an organization dedicated to advancing science journalism. This multifaceted job involves a wide range of duties and offers opportunities to create and support innovative training programs for science journalists. Applicants may apply for this US-based position at either an 80 percent or full-time level.

If you would like to be considered for the position of CASW Executive Director, please use the form below to upload a cover letter and résumé. You will need a free Submittable user account to access the form. We are accepting applications through May 15.

Important attributes for applicants include fundraising acumen, demonstrated management skills and deep connections to the science-writing community. A full job description and other documentation can be found in this folder. For more information about CASW and its leadership and programs, visit the CASW website.

CASW's latest Financial Statements are available on request to people who have applied for this position. Please contact search committee chair Richard Harris.

CASW, an equal opportunity nonprofit employer, values diversity and equity and is committed to maintaining an inclusive and collegial work environment. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristics.

The Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award, given annually since 2022, recognizes and supports reporting and writing that embodies the high standards embodied by Sharon Begley (1956–2021), an exceptionally skilled science journalist of unflinching dedication, moral clarity, and commitment to mentoring. 

The Sharon Begley Award comprises a career prize, recognizing the accomplishments of a mid-career science journalist, and a grant of at least $20,000 to enable the winner to undertake a significant reporting project.

Eligibility

Candidates should have been working journalists for at least 8–10 years, including significant experience in science journalism, or provide equivalent evidence of commitment to the field. Time spent as an editor counts toward eligibility.

CASW aims to consider a highly competitive and highly diverse pool of candidates and encourages all mid- or later-career journalists to consider entering. There is no entry fee, and applications will be accepted online. Staff and independent journalists living and working anywhere in the world are eligible if their work has appeared in news outlets that are available to international audiences. Although the award can be won only once, there is no limit on the number of years one can enter.

For the 2024 award competition, submitted work samples must have been published in English.

Current CASW board members, staff, and contractors, as well as members of their households, are ineligible. Journalists who have served on the Sharon Begley Award Advisory Committee become eligible three years after their service ends.

Submitting Your Entry

The submission window for the third Sharon Begley Award will be open from January 1 to April 30, 2024.

Each entry consists of work samples, a résumé, supporting documents, and a project proposal, which may include a letter of interest from an editor at a prospective publication.  Applicants should create a Submittable.com account and follow form instructions carefully. Detailed advice and more information about the award itself may be downloaded from the CASW website or viewed at https://casw.org/awards-fellowships/sharon-begley-science-reporting-award/.

You may begin the entry process at any time, save your work, and return to edit and complete your draft submission later, but all materials must be submitted by midnight (ET) April 30.

Questions? Contact Laura Dattaro. Please feel free to contact us if you need clarification or further detail on the submission requirements. If you currently work in a staff role for a news outlet that would serve as publisher of your project, please contact CASW for advice on the commitments we expect from employers.

CASW established the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting in 2000. The prize, given annually, honors a writer for a body of work published or broadcast within the last five years which, for reasons of uncommon clarity, accuracy, breadth of coverage, enterprise, originality, insight and narrative power has made a profound and lasting contribution to public awareness and understanding of critical advances in medical science and their impact on human health and well being.
Work appearing in digital media is eligible. If an entry includes work that cannot be submitted but must be viewed online, the nominee should arrange access for the judges and explain the arrangement in the submission form.
Editors, colleagues, scientists and others familiar with the candidate's body of work may proffer nominations. Individuals may nominate themselves, but are encouraged to send at least one letter of support from a knowledgeable colleague. Nominators may submit up to five examples of the candidate's journalistic endeavors, all published or aired since January 2019. Books are not eligible. Letters of nomination should include an assessment of the nominee's body of work  along with a biographical sketch.
Deadline for nominations: June 30.
An account is required to submit. After you click "Create Account and Continue," you will be able to access the submission form.
For further information about the prize, see this page.
If you are a nominator or supporter wishing to submit only a letter in support of a candidate, use the Letter of Support submission form.
If you have been nominated in a previous year and would like to update your nomination materials, you may use this form to do so. In place of the nomination letter, simply enter text explaining that you are submitting an update.
NOTICE: In July 2016 CASW launched Showcase, an online collection of award-winning science writing. We expect the winner of the Victor Cohn Prize to allow us to include a sample of the winning work in this database or to assist us in securing the necessary permission to do so. See the "terms and conditions" section of the form for details.
Questions about the nomination process? Contact Laura Dattaro.

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 2024 Award will be limited to those applicants whose 31st birthday is July 1, 2024 or later.
Applicants may submit a single article or series, or up to four individual pieces. Articles must be published between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. 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, 2024.
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, 2024.
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.