The SciCom SACOMM Prize
A new SACOMM Prize for Best “Science Communication for Social Justice” themed paper at the annual conference
Please note that entries for the award have now closed and will reopen in 2025.
The SA Research Chair in Science Communication is pleased to announce the establishment of a new prize for the annual SACOMM conference.
The prize will first be awarded at SACOMM 2024 in Stellenbosch. The prize will be for the best conference paper related to the theme, “science communication for social justice”.
We are pleased to announce the shortlisted abstracts after a rigorous initial selection process:
- Azhagan Chenganna (University of Mauritius) – Presentism and the Reporting of Floods in Mauritius
- Chelsea Holland (Stellenbosch University / CTCA) – Ethnobotanic Hauntology: Slangbos, a grey area in the Cape Winelands
- Jacqueline Cochrane (WWF Khetha) – Navigating the proximity paradox: Reconfiguring local voices in communication around Greater Kruger’s conservation efforts
- Leana van der Merwe (UNISA) – Reading the ‘Present Time’ as Queer Feminist Utopia in Lien Botha’s Eco-apocalypse
Next steps:
- The shortlisted authors must submit a draft paper (a fully-referenced essay in the style of a journal article) by 30 August 2024. The winner will be chosen from the draft papers submitted.
- The judging committee will convene and will include one SACOMM ExCo member and a representative from the LOC. Together the committee will decide on the winner of the award.
In addition to these, the following conditions apply:
- At the time of the conference, the author must be a fully-paid up member of SACOMM and have paid their conference registration fee.
- The paper entered for the prize should have been accepted for presentation by the Local Organising Committee.
- The author must attend the conference in person to present their paper.
- A full paper should have been submitted by the required deadline.
The SciCom SACOMM prize is to the value of R5,000. One award only will be made to the winning author. The inaugural 2024 prize will be announced and awarded on the evening of Wednesday 11 September 2024 at the SACOMM conference in Stellenbosch.