There are no problems, only unfound solutions – sounds like you? If you are still at the beginning of your research career, but already want to change the world with cutting-edge science and research, then the Young Scientist Award is just right for you!

The award is aimed at the next generation of scientists, i.e. students, doctoral candidates, and young postdocs (up to six years after their doctorate) who want to share their research with as many people as possible. Whether you are new to the world of social media, or have already made twenty videos – the important thing is that you explain your work in an exciting way and convincingly demonstrate why your research is relevant for the society of tomorrow.

The German Future Prize is the partner of the Young Scientist Award. The German Federal President’s Award for Technology and Innovation honours outstanding research achievements in the fields of technology, engineering, and natural sciences as well as software and algorithm-based innovations that have the potential to become ready-to-use products and to create jobs.

You’ve never been a believer in the infamous ivory tower and you want to share your research outside the lecture hall? A shared passion for the lab and social media is not a contradiction for you? Then it’s time to submit an entry to Fast Forward Science!

The Scientist & Research Institution Award is aimed at all those who communicate their own research in the form of videos – in a comprehensible, precise and entertaining way. Teamwork is explicitly allowed, because this category also welcomes submissions from entire research centres and university institutes!

Which camera do I use for my video shoot, how do I light the room and are my graphics easy to understand? Filming, editing and scripting contributions can be a considerable challenge for scientists immersed in their everyday research work.

YouTubers, Instagrammers and the like, on the other hand, are often faced with the problem that they have a newsworthy topic but first have to find an expert who can support them in terms of content.

Science publications can therefore only benefit from cooperation between the two groups. Luckily, we’ve now launched the Tandem Award, which celebrates the collaboration between the worlds of science and social media!

Contributions can be submitted by all participants; the important thing is that everyone has made a contribution that corresponds to their respective expertise and that this is mentioned in the submission and in the credits.

Please make sure to clearly state who’s responsible for the scientific and for the multimedia part in your entry. The prize money will be split equally between the two parts.

Exciting multimedia contributions are not only to be found in German. The Short & Crisp Award focuses on internationality. Only submissions of English-language or foreign-language contributions with English subtitles with a lentgh of up to 15 minutes are permitted here. They can be published on all social media platforms.

The submission deadline for the Short & Crisp Award is the 30th of April 2023. It was launched together with the SILBERSALZ Science & Media Festival in Halle. The award ceremony for this prize (which, by the way, is the first international prize for scientific multimedia contributions in social media) will also be held there.

Please note the special deadlines and conditions of participation! Entries can be submitted via the platform filmfreeway.com, which is maintained by SILBERSALZ. An entry fee of 15 to 20 € is charged.

For this special prize, you can give free rein to your creativity beyond the focus on video, as in the main competition. An entertaining photo essay from your field research, a website for your lab-bacteria, a performance on TikTok or, best of all, something that didn’t exist when these lines were written. Everything is allowed, on all platforms, that does not fit into the three awards of the main competitions – i.e. the Young Scientist Award, the Scientist & Research Institution Award, or the Tandem Award – and therefore does not fall into the category of video formats explaining your research.

In addition to the scientific content, Open Box Spezial focuses above all on the content of the entry and its comprehensibility. Show us where- and how-else science communication can take place online!

A podcast, radio play, or radio feature – audio formats with scientific content have long been a popular companion for many people while cleaning, in the underground, or while lounging on the sofa. They tell interesting stories every day and get people excited about science.

The Audio Special Award recognises interesting, comprehensible and target-group-oriented contributions that don’t use any visual material. Scientists, media professionals, and all audiophiles interested in science are encouraged to submit an entry!