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Planet Earth wins national award

6 July 2006

NERC'S Planet Earth magazine has just won the best external magazine award from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) publication beat off stiff competition from such organisations as the British Medical Association and the NSPCC.

Sheila Anderson, head of communications at NERC said, "We were surprised but thrilled when Planet Earth was called out as the winner. It is a great boost for both the communications team at NERC and our scientists who write the articles. Most of the credit must go to our designer Candy Sorrell and our former editors, Catherine Stott, Maggie Watson and Barbara Knowles."

Owen Gaffney, temporary editor for Planet Earth, added, "We want to show that environmental science is exciting and important to everyday life. Our feature articles are written in the first person, often with a 'day in the life' feel. We aim to persuade our academics that communicating their science widely is both do-able and important. We hope the finished product brings science to life for all our readers."

The judges for the awards ceremony felt that Planet Earth's strength was in its innovative approach to addressing the 'openness' agenda and that it successfully interprets original material into accessible copy without 'dumbing' down the content.

Until 2001, the magazine, originally called NERC News, was a largely internal newsletter, aimed at NERC's own community of academics. The repositioning has been gradual, and achieved without expanding the budget. Its audience now spans a huge range, from academics who want to keep up-to-date with the latest science (about 2,200 on the mailing list), to MPs, through to people who read Planet Earth purely for interest. The magazine is sent, free, to any UK resident who wants it, including about 600 schools and 300 universities.

In a recent interview for the magazine, Sir Gordon Conway, chief scientific advisor for the department for International Development (DIFD) said, "The issues that are published in Planet Earth are absolutely crucial for the future of the planet."

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. Planet Earth is the Natural Environment Research Council's quarterly magazine. You can request a copy by visiting the Planet Earth section of this website. News and articles in PDF format can also be downloaded.

2. NERC is one of the UK's research councils. It uses a budget of about £350m a year to fund and carry out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists. It is addressing some of the key questions facing mankind, such as global warming, renewable energy and sustainable economic development.

3. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the UK's leading public relations industry professional body. Founded in February 1948, it today has over 8000 members.

The CIPR is the largest association of its kind in Europe. They are a member of the European PR federation CERP (Confederation Europeenne des Relations Publiques) and a founding member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management. The Institute represents and serves the interests of people working in public relations in the UK and abroad. They offer access to information, advice and support, and provide networking and training opportunities through a wide variety of events, conferences and workshops.

Press release: 42/06

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