The Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) is an initiative to publish Indian research stories for the public in a format that’s easy to understand and interesting for an ordinary reader. The AWSAR initiative envisages bridging the gap in communicating research to ordinary people by utilising the potential of PhD scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs).
The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) Division, Department of Science and Technology (DST), conceptualises and supports the AWSAR programme. The NCSTC division is actively engaged in developing various outreach programs for the scientific fraternity.
Under the AWSAR initiative, PhD and postdoctoral scholars in technology and science streams are encouraged to write at least one popular science story and participate in this national competition during their scholarship tenancy. The top stories/entries are awarded at the AWSAR award function held on the National Science Day, i.e. 28 February, every year.
The following is the eligibility criteria for submitting the science and technology stories/article under the AWSAR initiative:
However, past winners of the AWSAR awards are not eligible to submit a research story again in the same category.
The applicants must follow the below guidelines while submitting articles under the AWSAR programme:
An expert panel of media persons, science communicators, subject experts and practitioners constituted by the DST will evaluate the submitted science stories. The following is the criteria for judging the entries and selecting the top articles received from PhD scholars and PDFs:
The following are the awards given to PhD scholars and PDFs under the AWSAR initiative.
AWSAR awards for PhD scholars:
AWSAR awards for Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs):
The AWSAR awards will be announced and given on 28 February every year at the National Science Day event. All the awardees are given an opportunity to attend the science film training workshop organised by the Vigyan Prasar.
The workshops conducted under the AWSAR programme aims to provide tips for noteworthy writing and effective communication in popular science writing format. The identified group of experts will organise a few workshops yearly. The tentative theme of the workshops cover the following points:
The AWSAR initiative by NCSTC and DST encourages Indian PhD scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows to write popular science stories for public understanding. Top entries win cash prizes and awards annually on National Science Day. Guidelines and eligibility criteria ensure original content and simplicity in writing. Workshops provide writing tips and communication skills for effective storytelling.