Author: SJAA

The Science Journalists Association of Australia aims to support and foster the professional interests of practising and aspiring science journalists in Australia, and to champion and advocate for independence and excellence in science journalism.

Categories
News

SJAA welcomes Swinburne University as a Champion of Science Journalism

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to welcome Swinburne University as its latest Champion of Science Journalism.

The Champions of Science Journalism program was established for institutions, businesses and research organisations to financially contribute to the mission of the SJAA by providing donations that facilitate editorially independent reporting, travel and professional development opportunities for the Association’s membership. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Swinburne University for this generous support, which will enable the SJAA to deliver more new funding opportunities for our members in 2025,” said Jackson Ryan, President of the SJAA.

“To have another leading university in Australia commit to our Champions program is an acknowledgment of the importance of science journalism in a world grappling with misinformation and a science media landscape under extreme pressure.”

Swinburne’s support will enable the SJAA to offer several student and early-career journalism grants, independent reporting grants and a grant for travel or professional development.

“Swinburne researchers are answering some of the biggest questions our world is asking today, and it is science journalists who keep the public informed of these breakthroughs” said Matt Macklin, Swinburne’s Director of Communications and Media.

“We recognise the critical role SJAA plays in advancing the work of science journalists and ensuring our community hears from the real experts, like those at Swinburne, and not those who use their social platforms to spread mis- and disinformation.”

Grant applications are expected to open in April 2025. Previous recipients have used funding to develop award-winning reporting, travel to Columbia and get published in The Guardian, Cosmos and MIT Tech Review.

***

Swinburne University of Technology is a dual-sector institution, defined and inspired by technology and innovation, and renowned for strong industry and community engagement. With a vision of people and technology working together to build a better world, Swinburne’s people are driven by a shared purpose: to create tomorrow’s technology and the human capital and talent required for a digital, tech-rich future.

The Science Journalists Association of Australia was founded in 2019 and has a short but storied history of supporting science journalism in Australia, providing more than $45,000 in grants and funding for science reporting and training, with support from the likes of The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, STEM Matters and Influencing. It continues to actively seek partnerships with universities, donors and philanthropists to accelerate this support and help build a sustainable ecosystem for Australian science journalists. 

Looking to join SJAA’s vibrant, supportive community? You can find all the details to sign up here. Questions and media requests can be directed to contact@SJAA.org.au.

Categories
Awards News

Life Membership Awarded to SJAA Founding President, Bianca Nogrady

Founding president, freelance science journalist and long-time proponent of the Australian science journalism ecosystem Bianca Nogrady has been named the first Life Member of the Science Journalists Association of Australia.

Nogrady served as president of the SJAA from inception in 2019 until September 2023, jumping over all the administrative hurdles and through the regulatory hoops to build the Association from scratch. 

During her tenure, she spearheaded the creation of the Association’s hugely successful grants program, which has now awarded $23,000 in funding to Australian science journalists.  

“Helping make SJAA a reality and seeing it grow into such a fantastic and supportive group has been hugely rewarding and I reckon is one of the best things I’ve done in my career. So getting made a Life Member is just the icing on an already fabulous cake,” Nogrady said.

The origins of the SJAA can be traced back to conversations that began more than a decade ago at the Strawberry Hills Hotel in Sydney. In 2018, at the Quantum Words science writing festival, things properly started to click into place.

“We realised that actually, we did need an organisation that focused on the interests and needs of science journalists, because when we got together as a group it was damn fun and interesting,” Nogrady said.

By November 2019, and with the help of the founding committee, the SJAA was born. Of course, then COVID – or “that spiky little viral bastard”, as Nogrady calls it – showed up. 

As the SJAA approaches its fifth year, the current Committee voted to recognise Nogrady’s achievements in building and steering the Association through that tumultuous period, establishing its wildly successful Grants program and securing partnerships with our Champions of Science Journalism. 

“I’m thrilled to name Bianca as a Life Member in recognition for her role in shaping the SJAA’s formation and creating an environment that allowed a supportive and engaged membership base to thrive,” said Jackson Ryan, President of the SJAA. 

“And to be honest, making her a Life Member is actually a little bit selfish! In practical terms, she never has to pay for membership again… but really it’s just a way to make sure she never leaves us and continues to provide guidance, mentorship and friendship to our members for the rest of her life!”

Nogrady stepped down from the presidency in September 2023. She remains on the Committee in 2023-24 and her invaluable experience continues to help guide the Association as it looks to grow and strengthen its support for voices, old and new, in the community.

The Science Journalists Association of Australia supports and fosters the professional interests of practising and aspiring science journalists in Australia, and advocates for independence and excellence in science journalism. If you’d like to join, visit our membership portal right here.

Categories
News Resources

SJAA partners with Australian literary powerhouse, Griffith Review

The SJAA logo and the Griffith Review logo shaking hands

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to announce its partnering with esteemed Australian literary quarterly, Griffith Review, to provide discounted access to digital and print editions of the magazine. 

Griffith Review has a long and storied history of publishing award-winning science essays, non-fiction writing and reportage by some of the nation’s most accomplished writers including Ceridwen Dovey, James Bradley and Alice Gorman. In 2022, it published Jo Chandler’s ‘Buried treasure’, which was awarded the 2023 Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. 

Jackson Ryan, President of the SJAA, said “Griffith Review is an icon of the Australian literary scene and the type of science reporting found within its pages is published nowhere else. I’m so thrilled to partner with the team at GR and make it easier for our members to devour those stories.”

This is the first partnership of its kind for the SJAA and will see all the Associations members provided access to the digital and print editions of Griffith Review‘s quarterly magazine at significantly reduced prices.

“I look forward to seeing the ideas, initiatives and stories this partnership will help foster and fully expect the talented membership of the SJAA will grace the pages of GR in the future.” 

Carody Culver, the editor of Griffith Review, said, ‘We’re delighted to be partnering with the SJAA, which plays such an integral role in supporting and championing outstanding science journalism. This collaboration is an invaluable way for GR to strengthen connections with science writers at all stages of their careers; I have no doubt that the partnership will generate exciting new ventures for both our organisations.’

Founded in 2003, Griffith Review publishes four times a year in print and digital formats. Each edition explores a different theme, bringing together long-form critical and analytical non-fiction and creative writing from the finest emerging and established writers from Australia and overseas.

The Science Journalists Association of Australia was founded in 2019 to support and foster the professional interests of practising and aspiring science journalists in Australia, and to champion and advocate for independence and excellence in science journalism. It has provided more than $20,000 in grants to the Australian science journalism community, with support from the likes of The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and STEM Matters. 

Looking to join SJAA’s vibrant, supportive community? You can find all the details to sign up here. Questions and media requests can be directed to contact@SJAA.org.au.

Jackson Ryan
— President, SJAA

Categories
Grants News

Winners of the 2024 SJAA Science Journalism Grants Announced

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 SJAA Grants Program. 

This year’s program features four winners across three categories, each receiving up to $1000 in funding, with the opportunity for mentorship. It was another difficult year for our judging committee, with the quality of entries exceedingly high. The SJAA extends its congratulations to this year’s recipients and can’t wait to see the work produced.

Freelance science and technology journalist Petra Stock has been awarded a travel grant to attend the annual ANZCCART conference in Christchurch, NZ, from 10-12 September. The conference, which delves into ethical, social, cultural and scientific issues relating to the use of animals in research, will provide Petra with an opportunity for reporting, professional development, and networking. She will use the grant to cover travel expenses and conference fees partially.

Perth-based writer and science communicator Michelle Aitken has been awarded an independent reporting grant to examine the push by an Australian mining magnate to make akoya oyster aquaculture a sustainable alternative to wild-caught seafood. The grant will support Michelle’s travel to Albany to report this story, which captures the tension between innovation, big business and the environment, in a West Australian community.

We also awarded two student and early-career grants this year. The judging committee made a specific note of the high quality of entries for these grants this year.

The first grant goes to Antimony Deor to develop a long-form story on the science behind trans healthcare, blending reporting with unique personal experience, while the second grant is awarded to Thomas Phillips for his pitch to make a short radio documentary that explores the progress of the Australian Acoustic Observatory, a network of more than 300 solar-powered sensors capturing the sounds of various ecosystems since mid-2018.

The SJAA Grants Program is now in its fourth year and has awarded over $20,000 in funding to support international travel, in-depth science feature writing and professional development programs. The program has been supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas and SJAA’s Champions of Science Journalism: the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and STEM Matters.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the judging committee, who took the time to provide feedback to all applicants and were impressed by the depth, clarity and quality of this year’s proposals. We’d also encourage those who missed out on this year’s grant funding to apply again in the future. 

Get those pitches ready for SJAA’s Grants Program which we expect to open in April 2025.

If you’d like to support the SJAA, we’d love to hear from you! External support would help supercharge this program and provide opportunities to Australia’s vibrant science journalism ecosystem. Contact our executive team at contact@sjaa.org.au about how we might partner together.

Categories
Grants

SJAA Launches 2024 Grants Program to Support Australian Science Journalism

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is thrilled to launch its 2024 grants program, to support SJAA members to realise a science reporting project in print, online, audio or visual; undertake travel for a reporting project or to encourage professional development.

This year, the SJAA grants program is offering three grants: A student and early-career journalism grant, an independent reporting grant and a grant for travel or professional development opportunities. Each grant is worth $1000 each. The SJAA may also award an additional $1000 grant for an exemplary application or use the additional funds to bolster a winning applicant’s proposal.

Applications for the 2024 grants are due 11:59pm, Friday May 17, 2023. Details are here.*

If you’re not currently an SJAA member, we encourage you to join up. Your membership fee goes to supporting the grant program and strengthening science journalism in Australia. All those details are available here.

Any questions about grants or membership can be emailed to contact@sjaa.org.au.

*Updated May 1: Deadline extended by two weeks
*Updated May 20: Grants applications are closed. We hope to be running the program again in 2025.

— Jack Ryan
President

Categories
News

Jackson Ryan elected SJAA president

Science journalist Jackson Ryan has been elected president of the Science Journalists Association of Australia, taking over from founding president Bianca Nogrady.

Following the AGM and election yesterday, SJAA welcomes its executive and committee for 2023-24:

Secretary: Sara Phillips

Treasurer: Felicity Nelson

Committee: Jacinta Bowler, Manuela Callari, Richard Haridy, Suzannah Lyons, Bianca Nogrady, Lyndal Rowlands, Carl Smith, and Clare Watson.

A big thanks to outgoing committee members Neena Bhandari and Ruby Prosser Scully.

Categories
News

Winners of the 2023 SJAA grants program announced

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 SJAA Grants Program. 

This year’s program features eight winners across four categories, each receiving up to $1000 in funding, with the opportunity for mentorship. The SJAA extends its congratulations to this year’s recipients and can’t wait to see the work produced. 

Two travel grants were awarded to explore environmental issues. Freelance journalist Alessandra Bergamin will be investigating the environmental and cultural impact of Australian mining companies and Rachel Williamson will use her grant to produce in-depth stories on how climate change is impacting rural communities in South Australia.

This year’s student/early career grants were awarded to Amalyah Hart and Alysha Huxley. The former will use the funding to develop a longform story about insect cognition and consciousness, the latter will explore how biodiversity is threatened in the face of a warming planet. 

Ivy Shih is the recipient of an independent reporting grant for her pitch on cochlear implants and why they can’t detect subtle shifts in tonal languages. Lydia Hales will also receive an independent reporting grant to explore the difficulties in diagnosing and treating body dysmorphic disorder.

A professional development grant was awarded to Lyndal Rowlands to help her undertake the UnionDocs Pod Pod residency program in the US. She hopes to produce a narrative podcast series on religious beliefs during her time in the US. The final professional development grant went to Manuela Callari, who made a strong pitch to upskill in data journalism, visualisation and storytelling. She will undertake a course to understand, interpret and present data – a much-desired skill in modern newsrooms.

The SJAA Grants Program is now in its third year and has awarded over $20,000 in funding to support international travel, in-depth science feature writing and professional development programs. The program is supported by SJAA’s Champions of Science Journalism: the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and STEM Matters.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the judging committee, who took the time to provide feedback to all applicants and were impressed by the depth, clarity and quality of this year’s proposals. We’d also encourage those who missed out on this year’s grant funding to apply again in the future. 

Get those pitches ready for SJAA’s 2024 Grants Program which we expect to open in April 2024.

Categories
Grants

SJAA launches 2023 grants program

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to launch its 2023 grants program, to support SJAA members to realise a science reporting project in print, online, audio or visual; travel for a reporting project; or undertake professional development.

This year, the SJAA grants program is offering eight reporting, travel or professional development grants worth $1000 each, for student/early career and established freelance or in-house science journalists.

Applications for the 2023 grants are due 5pm, Sunday 30 April 2023. Details are here, and questions can be emailed to contact@sjaa.org.au.

Categories
News

Champions of Science Journalism

The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to welcome its two inaugural Champions of Science Journalism – the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and STEM Matters – as financial supporters of SJAA.

SJAA is enormously grateful for their support, which will enable us to continue and expand our grants program, develop our mentoring and internships program, and host more in-person events in 2023 to build science journalism in Australia.

Categories
News

SJAA’s 2022-23 committee

After the recent AGM, SJAA is delighted to present the committee that will steer the organisation for the next year:

President: Bianca Nogrady

Secretary: Sara Phillips

Treasurer: Felicity Nelson

Vice President: Carl Smith

Committee:

Neena Bhandari

Jacinta Bowler

Rich Haridy

Clare Watson

Ruby Prosser Scully

Jackson Ryan