Recognizing excellence in promoting the public understanding of science by a Canadian organization.

Nominations for the William Edmond Logan Award should be submitted by June 30 2024. The nomination should include a description of the organization’s work, and make a clear argument how it has impacted the public understanding of science across Canada.

Where possible, please provide at least two letters supporting the nomination.

Nominations and questions can be emailed to: information@rciscience.ca

More Details

Eligibility

  • Any registered non-profit organization, post-secondary institution, museum, science centre or company within Canada may be nominated for the award.

  • Nominees will have made a successful and sustained effort to communicate science to the public to increase understanding of the broader area of natural sciences, social science, multi-disciplinary sciences, medicine, engineering, math and technology [“science”] across Canada. 

  • Consideration will be given to those nominees who have demonstrated an ability to speak about a broad range of scientific topics.

  • The organization must engage a general adult population (not K-12).

  • Organizations affiliated with current RCIScience Board members are not eligible for nomination.

  • Past winners of a Logan Award are not eligible to be nominated a second time.

Nomination Process and Selection Criteria

  • Anyone with direct knowledge of an organization’s contribution to science communication may nominate that group for the Logan Award. 

  • Nominators may be colleagues or people who have benefited from the nominee’s contributions, such as teachers, parents, community members or administrators.

The nomination package must include:

  • A completed, signed Science Communication Nomination Form submitted to the Executive Director, RCIScience, by the nomination deadline.

  • A letter or document (two pages maximum) that describes, or summarizes, the nominee’s:

    • efforts and involvement in inspiring public understanding of science; 

    • the content, originality and scope of the nominee’s activities;  

    • approach to science communication, including creativity in public engagement; 

    • recent successful science communication or engagement activities demonstrating a diversity of audiences including, if possible, the impact and duration of the nominee’s activities (Note: Nominators are encouraged to include specific measures of impact)

  • Two signed letters of recommendation (no more than two pages each), or as deemed appropriate by the Awards Committee.

  • Supporting documentation (such as promotional material, participant feedback, media coverage, publications, awards) (no more than five pages).

Selection Process

  • Nominations are reviewed by the Awards Committee of the RCIScience Board of Trustees.  

  • The Chair of the RCIScience Board of Trustees is the Chair of the Awards Committee, or a member nominated by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

  • It is recognized that occasionally members of the Awards Committee will know applicants or have other conflicts of interest. They will be expected to declare all such knowledge and conflicts of interests.

  • In the case of knowing an applicant the Chair of the selection panel will rule if this is significant enough for the Committee member to stand down for that applicant. 

  • The Committee will not enter into any correspondence concerning its deliberations. All inquiries should be directed to the RCIScience Executive Director. Note that information on matters such as ranking, or names of unsuccessful nominees, will not be disclosed.

  • Nominations will be kept active for two years following submission to the RCIScience.

  • If no nominations are deemed suitable, no award will be made.

Award Process

  • The award recipient will be announced publicly in a co-ordinated press release. 

  • The recipient will be invited to receive their award at an appropriate in-person or virtual RCIScience event.

Past Recipients: