The National Academies (the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine) announced the recipients of their 2010 Communication Awards today. Part of the Keck Futures Initiative, these awards recognize excellence in reporting and communicating science, engineering, and medicine to the general public. With support from the W.M. Keck Foundation, these $20,000 prizes have been awarded since 2003.   This year's winners will be honored during a ceremony on Oct. 22 at the Keck Center in Washington, D.C.

Winners:

Richard Holmes for his book "The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science", a look at the links between the worlds of science and literature in the Romantic era.

Charles Duhigg for his New York Times series “Toxic Waters,” and its investigative environmental reporting.

Carole and Richard Rifkind (co-producers and co-directors) for “Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist,” portraying the excitement and challenges young scientists face in and out of the lab (WNET).




Ed Yong for his blog “Not Exactly Rocket Science,” multimedia storytelling about science in the digital age.

The Keck Futures Initiative was created in 2003 to encourage interdisciplinary research and is funded by a 15-year, $40 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Nominations for next year's awards will be accepted beginning Jan. 10, 2011, for works published or broadcast in 2010.