At least, vote for your favorite science blog post!  Voting is now open on the the 171 (yes – 171!) blog posts nominated for this year’s Quark award for science – being run by 3 Quarks Daily…

This is a great opportunity to support quality science blogging.  But you’ll need to hurry to get your say in, as the poll closes on June 7th – with the top 20 contenders being posted on the 3QD site on June 8th.

Links to the 171 nominees are listed here – this in itself is a great list of science blogs, and is worth perusing whether or not you cast your vote.  But of course, the aim is to get as many people as possible to identify their favorite piece of science writing from the past 12 months.

So please do add your voice to those who have already voted – there’s something to suite every taste in the list.  There are even a couple of 2020 Science posts there – should you feel the desire to express your appreciation

Cheers!

[Note: polling has now ended.  The shortlist of blogs selected is posted here]

Science bloggers sometimes have a tough time being heard through the incessant chatter and endless distractions endemic to the web. Which is a shame, as there is a wealth of top-knotch writing out there to be digested and enjoyed, if only more people knew about it.  The good news is that a new award from the folks at 3 Quarks Daily could help raise awareness of some of the best writing out there.

On Monday, 3 Quarks Daily announced The Quarks – four annual prizes for blog posts in the areas of science, arts & literature, politics, and philosophy.  The prizes will be awarded four times a year on the two solstices and equinoxes, starting with the science prize on June 21, and ending with the philosophy prize on March 10.

This is where you come in.  Nominations for the science blog prize opened May 24th, and close June 1st. If you want to support quality science blogging, simply post the link to a blog you want to nominate in the comments here.  But make sure you do so before June 1st…

The rules are simple:  Anything written between May 24 2008 and now is eligible for nomination.

Between June 1st and June 8th, you will have the chance to vote for your favorite nominations.

Then on June 21st, Stephen Pinker will select the winning entry from six finalists.

This is a great way to raise the profile of science blogging.  But it does depend on people nominating blogs and – more importantly – voting.  So please don’t be shy, and add your suggestions to the list of nominations.

If you are unsure where to begin, check out the science blogs listed to the right of this page.  Science writer Carl Zimmer has even simplified your task by listing some of his favorite posts on his blog The Loom.

And if, by some whim, you feel like nominating something from 2020 Science but want some inspiration, here are seven of my favorite posts from the last year:

Synthetic biology, ethics and the hacker culture

Geoengineering: Does it need a dose of geoethics?

Darwin, evolution, and the genesis of intelligent design

Science, society and the Second Enlightenment

Blogging the demise of science journalism

Cultural smokescreens

The long shout

Whatever you do though, make sure you nominate a science blog post from someone – and then vote!

Thanks