Prix Média of the Academies for two science journalists

The one in the NZZ on Sunday The article by Martin Amrein published in February 2021 traces how the newly emerging coronavirus variants have made the goal of herd immunity with the currently available vaccines a distant prospect. Nevertheless, the vaccines would free people from the grip of the pandemic because they protect the population from severe and long-lasting courses of the disease. The jury also recognized the extraordinary efforts made by science journalists during the ongoing pandemic, the academies announced.

In his article for the online magazine Arian Bastani, also published in February 2021 Republicwhether the stability of the electricity grid can be maintained despite the fluctuations in energy supplied by the sun and wind. His conclusion: in the long term, people will have to come up with something if they want to be supplied exclusively with renewable electricity - especially in regions that cannot use much hydropower. The jury praised the fact that Arian Bastani had succeeded in explaining a very underestimated topic to a lay audience in an understandable way and without technical jargon.

Audience award for data film

In the public vote, Simone Pengue won the Prix Média Newcomer, endowed with CHF 4000, for his film "Dati dimenticati: gli scarti della scienza / Forgotten data: the leftovers of science". He investigated what happens to unused biomedical research data and wondered whether it should be made publicly accessible and whether it can be used to answer new questions.

The awards will be presented to the winners at ScienceComm'21 on Thursday at the University of Freiburg. (SDA)

The Prix Média, endowed with CHF 7,000, is awarded annually for contributions to science journalism. With the Prix Média Newcomer, the academies support young authors aged 31 and under who are recognized for their creative ideas.