The Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 SWCC Book Awards.
For the children’s category:
Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom
- Written by Heather Tekavec, Illustrated by Susan Batori (Publisher: Kids Can Press)
- Purchase Link (Use code SCWW for 20% off until July 20, 2021)
For the general category:
Relax, Dammit!: A User’s Guide to the Age of Anxiety
- Written by Timothy Caulfield (Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada)
- Purchase Link
- This science-based approach to managing risk in our daily lives earned high praise from the judges. The writing is timely and informative, tackling current issues like social media and smartphone use with humour and originality. “Reading the book is a bit like binge-watching TV,” said Margaret Munro. “It’s hard to stop and put the book down.”
Honourable Mentions:
Uncertain Harvest: The Future of Food on a Warming Planet
- Written by Ian Mosby, Sarah Rotz, and Evan D.G. Fraser (Publisher: University of Regina Press)
- Purchase Link (Use code SWCC20 for 20% off)
Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives
- Written by Daniel J. Levitin (Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada)
- Purchase Link
This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias
- Written by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Illustrated by Drew Shannon (Publisher: Kids Can Press)
- Purchase Link (Use code SWCC for 20% off until July 20, 2021)
Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of
- Written by Helaine Becker, Illustrated by Kari Rust (Publisher: Kids Can Press)
- Purchase Link (Use code SWCC for 20% off until July 20, 2021)
SWCC would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Timothy Caulfield, Heather Tekavec, and Susan Batori. The two winning entries will each receive a $1,000 prize.
On behalf of the Book Awards Committee, we also want to acknowledge the volunteer judges for their time, effort, and thoughtful deliberations over the past five months.
We look forward to reviewing more outstanding examples of science writing when the competition reopens for submissions in September 2021.
TIMOTHY CAULFIELD is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and health policy issues has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Trudeau Foundation, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He contributes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness, and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. Caulfield also has a strong social media presence and is the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User's Guide to Cheating Death. (Source: Penguin Random House Canada, 2021)
HEATHER TEKAVEC discovered while working as a preschool teacher that children's books were a lot more fun than adult books. In addition to books, Heather enjoys writing short stories, articles and poems for children's magazines, such as CRICKET, Chirp, Highlights and Totline, and has delved a few times into writing scripts and directing live theater. Heather lives in Cloverdale, British Columbia.
SUSAN BATORI is a Hungarian illustrator, graphic designer, and character design addict. Watch out — no one, not even her boyfriend or cat, is safe from becoming a funny character in an illustration. If you aren’t careful, she just might use you as inspiration. (Source: Kids Can Press, 2021)
