One month left to enter the 2024 Lay Science Writing Competition!

Our partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is helping to train the next generation of researchers in transfusion science. An announcement about this competition also appeared on the Centre for Blood Research website in April 2024. 

The 2024 Canadian Blood Services Lay Science Writing Competition, offered in partnership with the Centre for Blood Research, is currently accepting submissions with a $500 prize for the top entry and an additional $500 prize purse available for disbursement to the two runners-up! 

The competition is open to research trainees in the broad Canadian Blood Services research network – including trainees that are directly funded by Canadian Blood Services, in laboratories that receive funding from Canadian Blood Services, and at the Centre for Blood Research in Vancouver.  

• For more details about the Lay Science Writing Competition eligibility criteria, please consult the competition Guidelines on blood.ca.

Communicating complex topics in a clear and interesting way is a valuable skill both in, and beyond, academia! This competition provides trainees an opportunity to exercise and enhance their science communication skills by sharing their research with lay audiences using the theme “Connecting science with society”. Selection of the winning entries will consider relevance to the theme, use of clear and accessible language, and the application of narrative techniques to tell a compelling, original story.  

Selected entries will also be disseminated through Canadian Blood Services’ and the Centre for Blood Research’s online platforms and social media channels. To learn more about successful entries from past competitions, check out our previous R.E.D. blog posts including:  

• 2022 Lay Science Writing Competition winner: What does it take to make a lifesaving drug? by Alexandra Witt:  

In my lab at the Centre for Blood Research, I spend my days (and nights) making proteins and testing them to see if they have what it takes to bust up a blood clot and save a life. It’s a long road to get from a test tube to a treatment, and it involves a lot of questions.

• 2022 Lay Science Writing Competition runner up: Queer identity and blood donation by Jaya Rastogi: 

My research, under the supervision of Dr. Jennie Haw and along with co-researchers Katie Baker and Sebastian Steven, seeks to understand what young adults think of these pieces of the [donor eligibility] questionnaire and if the rules impact their willingness to donate blood.

• 2022 Lay Science Writing Competition runner up: The greatest tool in research by Parth Patel: 

The public, unfortunately, only really sees the results of research. What goes on to create those results is often mysterious for the public and can understandably create mistrust in science. Rest assured though, the backbone of research isn’t some mysterious sci-fi piece of equipment; it’s members of the public, just like you. The people themselves are truly the greatest tool in the lab.

Applications for the 2024 competition will be accepted until Friday, June 14, 2024 at 11:59pm PT. We look forward to receiving your submissions! If you have questions about the competition, please email at centreforinnovation@blood.ca.

Canadian Blood Services has multiple competitive funding programs open to Canadian researchers interested in pursuing projects related to our research priorities. To learn more about other research funding opportunities, visit blood.ca.

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation 

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.  

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.