Wanted: excellent citizen science research!

Brain City Berlin

Scientists from all disciplines can still be nominated for the "Wissen der Vielen – Forschungspreis für Citizen Science" (Knowledge of the Many research award) until 25 September. Own and third-party nominations are possible. The prize, worth a total of 35,000 euros, is being awarded for the first time this year by the "Bürger schaffen Wissen” (Citizens Create Knowledge) initiative. It honours outstanding scientific achievements in the field of Citizen Science.

The first organised citizen science project took place in 1900. Back then, the National Audubon Society called on Americans to participate in the “Christmas Bird Count”. Since then, the national bird census has taken place every year at Christmas. Today - in the age of the internet and social media - citizens can participate in research projects around the world. This year, for the first time, the "Bürger schaffen Wissen” (Citizens create knowledge) platform is awarding the “Wissen der Vielen – Forschungspreis für Citizen Science" for special scientific achievements made possible by Citizen Science.

The goal is to find "outstanding research papers that illustrate the added value of participatory approaches in research in a special way". The prizes are 20,000 euros for 1st place, 10,000 euros for 2nd place and 5,000 euros for 3rd place. The prize money is intended to support the winners in further expanding their Citizen Science projects.

Who is eligible for nomination?

Scientists from all disciplines can be nominated. Own and third-party nominations are possible.

Conditions for self-nomination:

The adult is the first author of the submitted work.
The person is affiliated with a German research institution (university, technical college or non-university research institution, confirmation from the institution needs to be submitted).

Additional condition External nomination:

The nominated person must be informed about the nomination and agree to the conditions of participation (in the nomination tool, German only).

What will be awarded?

Awards are given for outstanding scientific works in text form that were made possible through the use of Citizen Science.

The work must

be accessible for evaluation (through open access or uploading to the nomination tool),
be written in English or German,
be in a scientific text form,
have been peer-reviewed or assessed by an independent expert.

Furthermore, the publication of the work must not date back more than 5 years. The evaluation takes particular note of the professional quality of the submitted works and the added value of Citizen Science for research. Other criteria include the social dimension of the research and the quality of the research process.

How are the award winners selected?

The award winners are selected over two stages: First, all submissions are evaluated in an online process. The jury then selects the winner and the runners-up from the ten best entries. The award ceremony will take place on 29 November 2023 as part of the Forum Citizen Science at the University of Freiburg. The project is being implemented by Wissenschaft im Dialog together with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; it is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). (vdo)

Nominations for “Wissen der Vielen – Forschungspreis für Citizen Science” can be submitted here until 12 noon on 25 September 2023