The Faculty Communicating Ideas Award recognizes excellence in communication about research and scholarship in the sciences and humanities and the study of creative, visual and performing arts to a general audience directly or via print and electronic media. Nominees must be the subjects or creators of original works that address their area of expertise for non-peer audiences in at least one of the following areas: Book; Film/Radio/TV; Magazine/Newspaper; Online; and Public Engagement.

Nominees need not have participated in the summer Communicating Ideas workshop sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) to be eligible.

Eligibility and Criteria

All current tenure-track, research-track, or clinical-track faculty members with a 50 percent or greater appointment are eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are not allowed. Deans, DEOs, department chairs/heads, supervisors, and other senior faculty or staff may serve as nominators. 

The work or activity submitted should:

• Be accessible and appeal to a broad, public audience;
• Demonstrate clarity, creativity, originality, and accuracy;
• Address issues and/or advances in science, engineering, medicine, the humanities, or the arts;
• Cover topics that have an impact on society; and
• Have occurred or been published, broadcast, or released within the last two years, in the United States, and in English.

In the case of public engagement activities, submissions should include evidence of the activity and its content (copy of public remarks, media coverage, etc.)

Material primarily intended for children, reference books, and textbooks are not eligible for consideration.

Nomination and Selection Process

Required Documentation:

• Letter of Nomination: Attach a brief description, no more than 750 words in length, describing the nominee’s qualifications and accomplishments.
• One confidential letter of endorsement from either a UI or non-UI (e.g., expert in the field) source.  The letter of support should be no more than one page in length and address the criteria listed above.
• Nominee's CV (up to 10 pages).
• Supporting materials: Copies of and/or links to materials (media clippings, excerpts or summaries of published books, videos, etc.) that serve as examples of effective, accessible communication related to the nominee's area(s) of expertise. 

Late materials will not be accepted. A selection committee comprised of leaders from within the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Office of Strategic Communication, and UI faculty will be appointed to evaluate nominations.

Submission Process and Deadline

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. Monday, February 12, 2024. Recipients will be announced in April.

CLICK HERE to begin the submission process.  Click "Apply" and sign-in with your Hawk ID and password through the blue "University of Iowa Login" button.  If you have problems or questions, contact Lauren Galliart (lauren-galliart@uiowa.edu) in the OVPR well ahead of the deadline.   

Award Details

• A prize of $1,000 and a commemorative gift.
• Recipients will be recognized at a celebration on April 30, 2024.