Distinguished Award for Communication

This award aims to recognise ESPID members and other distinguished individuals who have excelled in public communication of science in relation to paediatric infectious diseases to the general public. 

A maximum of one award will be made in any one year but the award will only be made in years when a nomination judged to be of sufficiently high calibre is received.

A joint award may be made to two or more nominees where the work under consideration was evidently collaborative and the partnership and contributions more or less equal amongst the joint nominees. The award will not normally be given jointly to two or more nominees in the same year for separate, unrelated bodies of work.

This award seeks to recognise those who have achieved success in promoting public awareness and understanding of issues of importance to public health in relation to paediatric infectious diseases. The society is particularly keen to recognise innovation and reach, including but not limited to authorship and publication of books for both specialist and non-specialist readerships, effective use of electronic media and social networking and engagement with written and broadcast journalism.

Although not limited by age or qualification (the award could, for example, be made to a journalist or author without medical or scientific degrees), the award is intended to recognise unusually effective, sustained or committed efforts and, in general, to be seen as a mark of high achievement and honour.

The winner(s) will give a short presentation of her/his/their work at the ESPID annual meeting.

• Free registration, travel (per ESPID rules) and accommodation for the upcoming ESPID annual meeting.
• The ESPID Distinguished Award for Communication medal.
• A citation in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal.

+ APPLICATION PROCEDURE (CLICK TO OPEN/CLOSE)

• All members are usually emailed in the last quarter of the year asking them to make a nomination for this Award. A deadline for nominations will be specified and, if possible, members should be allowed 3-4 weeks to respond.
• Nominations should be made by at least one ESPID member "in good standing" (click here to download the ESPID "good standing" member criteria)
• Nominations need a formal letter from the nominator illustrated with appropriate examples of the nominee's or nominees’ communication work. 
• Nominations will be considered by the ESPID Board who will make the final decision. When the Board has decided to whom to offer this award, the awardee(s) is/are informed by the ESPID Secretary by email.

A list of previous recipients of this award is published here