
The Foundation has chosen the winners in the third eNgage competition organized as part of the SKILLS project*. The main purpose of the eNgage competition is to foster the development of skills in popularising science or presenting the results of scientific research to different audiences who are not scientists, especially school and university students. The competition entrants are not restricted as to their choice of popularisation method ? they may prepare a series of lectures or meetings, design a smartphone app that helps popularise science, create a board game or design a website.
A total of 73 entries were submitted in the third eNgage competition. Twenty scientists qualified for stage two in which they presented their innovative science popularisation projects to the competition committee. Based on the committee?s recommendations the Foundation Board chose 11 prize-winners, who received prizes worth a total of almost 460,000 zlotys. Thanks to the winning projects we will learn some secrets from the life of cells, visit the extraordinary world of ants and find out about an archaeologist?s tools and methods.
The eNgage competition is open to SKILLS project participants, i.e. persons who have been involved in the project (e.g. by taking part in training courses) and therefore have signed a declaration of participation in the SKILLS project and a statement regarding their personal details.
The competition is open to scientists representing any field of research:
- research workers residing in Poland and employed under an employment contract at a research unit based in the Republic of Poland,
- PhD students from Polish research units who reside in Poland.
As its integral part, every project must include a minimum of 4 meetings with young people aimed at popularising science and a research career as a worthwhile development path. These meetings do not have to be the project?s primary aim and they can also serve to present the project?s results.
The authors of the best ideas receive a prize of up to PLN 45,000. The prize comprises a subsidy (80% of the prize money) and individual support for the winner (maximum 20% of the prize money; recipients may also choose to spend 100% of the prize money on their projects).
Applications in the fourth eNgage competition are being accepted until 31 March. The regulations no longer contain a provision that obliged the competition prize-winners to finish their projects by 31 October 2015. Under the new regulations, prize-winners will have 12 months to complete their award-winning projects.
For more information, visit the competition website or contact the coordinator: Emilia Wojewoda, tel.: (+48) 728 344 250, e-mail: emilia.wojewoda@fnp.org.pl.
* The SKILLS project is co-financed with European Union funding from the European Social Fund.
Picture: Methylene Bridge by Incidenncematrix, Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)