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New England Awards

Writing Awards

The New England Chapter is proud to sponsor the Will Solimene Awards for Excellence in Medical Communication, first presented in 1991. This writing awards competition, held every two years, recognizes outstanding work in medical, biomedical, and health communication by New England residents, whether or not they are AMWA members. Judging is based on accuracy of content, quality, originality, achievement of purpose, and overall impact, and every entry is judged on its own merits.

Works published in 2010 and 2011 are eligible for the 2012 competition. The entry deadline is January 13, 2012. To download a PDF of the submission guidelines and entry form, click here.

The winning entries in the previous competition are listed in the 2010 Awards Banquet brochure.

Membership Awards

In honor of our long-term membership director and chapter mentor, the chapter established the annual Judy Linn Membership Awards in 2001. These awards provide professional development and networking support to new medical and health communicators who live and work in New England, and who have less than three years of full-time experience as a medical writer. The awards include a complimentary one-year membership in AMWA and free registration for three chapter dinner or brunch meetings. Candidates may apply on their own or be nominated by a chapter member. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis, using the application provided here.

National Awards

AMWA sponsors two annual competitive writing awards – the Eric W. Martin Award and the Medical Book Awards.

The Eric W. Martin Award is open to AMWA members only and is given for excellence in medical writing in three categories:  monographs, articles for a lay audience, and articles for a professional audience. In 2007, New England Chapter members won in two categories: Debra Ruder for "Life Lessons," a lay article published in the January-February 2006 issue of Harvard Magazine; and Diane Shannon, MD, MPH, for "Helping Your Patients Decide: Making Informed Health Choices About Hormonal Contraception," a monograph published in the July 2006 issue of the Clinical Proceedings of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. Lonnie Christiansen won in 2005 for "Capturing the Potential: What Stem Cell Science Offers Diabetes," a lay article published in the fall 2004 issue of Joslin Magazine.

The Medical Book Awards were established more than 30 years ago to recognize the best of the best in medical writing. Awards are presented to the author(s) of the best English-language medical book published each year in each of three categories: books for public/healthcare consumers, books for physicians, and books for healthcare professionals (non-physicians). Authors need not be AMWA members to submit their books for consideration.

Learn more about the competitive awards, application deadlines, and previous winners.

For more than 50 years, AMWA has also presented a number of honorary awards for excellence in biomedical communication, teaching, and leadership. These awards are presented at the annual conference. Previous recipients include representatives from biomedical journals, academic institutions, US government agencies, medical associations, and national media outlets.

Learn more about the noncompetitive national awards and previous winners.