Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for a young science journalist

Now in its 35th year, CASW’s Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award was created to recognize the contributions to journalism of both Ev Clark and Seth Payne.

The Award

The award is intended to encourage young science writers by recognizing outstanding reporting and writing in any field of science. The 2024 winner will receive $1,000 and expenses to attend the ScienceWriters2024 conference to receive the award.

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. We welcome donations to the Evert Clark Fund.

Submissions are judged by a panel of science writers and scientists selected by CASW and the award is presented at the annual ScienceWriters meeting along with other awards given by CASW and the National Association of Science Writers.

Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award Recipients

  • 2023 – Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post
  • 2022 – Sabrina Imbler, for stories published in The New York Times
  • 2021 – Nicholas St. Fleur, STAT
  • 2020 – Katherine J. WuThe New York Times
  • 2019 – Ryan Cross, Chemical & Engineering News
  • 2018 – Joshua Sokol, freelance, for stories in Quanta Magazine, Mosaic, Nova Next and The Atlantic
  • 2017 – Eric BoodmanSTAT
  • 2016 – Natalie WolchoverQuanta Magazine
  • 2015 – Madhumita Venkataramanan, freelance, for stories in Wired and on the BBC
  • 2014 – Azeen Ghorayshi, freelance, for stories in the East Bay Express and Newsweek
  • 2013 – Megan Scudellari, freelance, for stories in MATTER, The Scientist, Discover and DoubleXScience
  • 2012 – Gayathri Vaidyanathan, freelance, for stories in Nature, Greenwire, and Energywire
  • 2011 – Christine Peterson, Casper Star-Tribune
  • 2010 – Amber Dance, freelance, for stories in the Los Angeles Times, Nature Medicine and Nature
  • 2009 – Alicia Chang, Associated Press
  • 2008 – Elizabeth Svoboda, freelance, for stories in Popular Science, Discover, Psychology Today and Salon
  • 2007 – Jia-Rui Chong, The Los Angeles Times
  • 2006 – Combined with 2005
  • 2005 – Nicholas Zamiska, The Wall Street Journal  [Award for 2005-2006 because of change from AAAS to the ScienceWriters meeting]
  • 2004 – Kara Platoni, East Bay Express
  • 2003 – Jennifer Couzin, Science
  • 2002 – Lila Guterman, The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • 2001 – Evan Ratliff, Wired
  • 2000 – Joel P. Engardio, San Francisco Weekly
  • 1999 – Kathryn S. Brown, freelance
  • 1998 – Nell Boyce, New Scientist
  • 1997 – David Kestenbaum, freelance
  • 1996 – Michael Milstein, Billings Gazette
  • 1995 – Richard Stone, Discover
  • 1994 – Carl Zimmer, Discover
  • 1993 – Robert Langreth, Popular Science
  • 1992 – Elizabeth Corcoran, freelance
  • 1991 – Karen Wright, freelance
  • 1990 – Malcolm Gladwell, The Washington Post
  • 1989 – Leslie Vreeland, Money

Rules and eligibility

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.) Entries may be submitted from outside the United States; however, CASW cannot reimburse expenses that exceed the cost of a domestic roundtrip.

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.

Applications for the 2024 award will be accepted beginning January 1, 2024. Entries must be submitted online through Submittable and received by JUNE 30, 2024.

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, but an entire 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.

Contact us with any questions.


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