To help increase public awareness of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences, EGU’s Outreach Committee sponsors two annual competitions that recognise and promote excellence in science communication. The Public Engagement Grants fund EGU members interested in developing an outreach project for non-scientists, and the Science Journalism Fellowships provide funds for journalists to follow scientists on location to report on ongoing geoscience research.

Because both schemes usually rely on in-person contact, EGU has decided to shift the time frame of these activities by six months due to the ongoing pandemic. “This change will allow the current awardees more time to implement their projects, which means they’ll be able to engage with more people who are interested in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences,” says Mioara Mandea, the EGU Outreach Committee Chair. “The shift will also provide future awardees with additional time to develop new ideas and figure out how best to implement them.”

“As the recipient of a 2017 Public Engagement Grant, I know how satisfying it is to complete an outreach project as intended,” says Martin Archer, the committee’s deputy chair. “Extending the grant period will enable current awardees to realise their original vision.”

EGU plans to open applications for the Public Engagement Grants on 15 March 2021 and for the Science Journalism Fellowships on 3 May 2021. The deadline for both schemes will be 18 June 2021, with the winners announced by early September.

EGU’s Science Journalism Fellowships differ from other science journalism prizes. Rather than awarding a published piece of science reporting, the EGU funds innovative proposals to report on geoscientific research not yet in the public sphere by following geoscientists on location to develop an in-depth understanding of their research questions, approaches, and findings. The aim of the fellowship is to promote excellence in geoscience reporting. Current and past fellows and details of their proposals are available on the EGU website.

The EGU awards three €1500 Public Engagement Grants per year to help further develop ideas for outreach projects that aim to raise awareness of the Earth, planetary and space sciences outside the scientific community. The scheme was expanded in 2020 due to its popularity. Previous and present winners are listed here.

• EGU Outreach Committee
• Science Journalism Fellowships
• Public Engagement Grants