Winners of the David N. Schramm Award

19th HEAD meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 2022

The 2020 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Steve Nadis for his article entitled "Ripple Effect," which appeared in the May 2019 issue of Discover Magazine. The award was announced via a press release issued on May 13, 2020.

17th HEAD meeting in Monterey, California, March 2019

The 2019 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Joshua Sokol for his article entitled “Star-Swallowing Black Holes Reveal Secrets in Exotic Light Show”, published  in Quanta Magazine on August 8, 2018.  The award was announced via a press release issued on January 15, 2019.

16th HEAD meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, August 2017

The 2017 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Nadia Drake for her article entitled "Found! Gravitational Waves, or a Wrinkle in Spacetime", published on the National Geographic’s website on February 11, 2016.

The award was announced via a press release issued on April 17, 2017.

HEAD meeting in Naples, Florida, April 2016

The 2016 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Dr. Phil Plait, widely known as "The Bad Astronomer", for his article entitled “A Supermassive Black Hole’s Fiery and Furious Wind” which appeared on Slate.com on February 25, 2015.

The award was announced via a press release issued on January 28, 2016.

HEAD meeting in Chicago, August 2014

The 2014 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Dutch freelance astronomy writer Govert Schilling. Schilling, the author of dozens of popular astronomy books and the first non-English writer to receive the prize, was awarded this year’s Schramm prize for his article, “The Frozen Neutrino Catcher,” which appeared in the January 2014 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.

The award was announced via a press release issued in June 2014.

HEAD meeting in Monterey, March 2013

The 2013 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Liz Kruesi of Astronomy magazine for her article entitled “How we know black holes exist,” which appeared in the April 2012 issue of the magazine.

HEAD meeting in Newport, September 2011

The 2011 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Dennis Overbye from the New York Times for his article entitled “A Costly Quest for the Heart of the Dark Cosmos,” which appeared on the front page of the newspaper on November 17, 2010.

The award was announced via a press release issued on September 8, 2011.

HEAD meeting on Hawaii's Big Island, March 2010

The 2010 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to freelance journalist Robert Irion for his article entitled “Homing In on Black Holes,” published in the April 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine.

HEAD meeting in Los Angeles, March 2008

The 2008 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Ron Cowen for his article entitled "Bang! The Cataclysmic Death of Stars," published in the March 2007 issue of the National Geographic magazine.

The award was announced via a press release issued on March 12, 2008.

The award was presented to Cowen in absentia during the High Energy Astrophysics Division meeting that was held from March 31 to April 3, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA.

HEAD meeting in San Francisco, October 2006

The 2006 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Trudy E. Bell for her articles “When Stars Collide” published in the August-September 2005 issue of Air & Space and “Engineering Gutsy Science on a Shoestring---Testing Einstein," published in the summer 2005 issue of The Bent.

The award was announced in a press release on July 20, 2006.

The prize was presented at the meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division held in San Francisco from October 4 to October 7, 2006.

HEAD meeting in New Orleans, September 2004

The 2004 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism has been awarded to Oliver Morton for his article "Moonshine and Glue" published in the Spring 2004 issue of "The American Scholar".

The award was announced in a press release on August 9, 2004.

Presentation of the award : Roger Blandford presents the prize to Oliver Morton.

HEAD meeting in Mt. Tremblant (Canada), April 2003

The 2003 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism was awarded to Ron Cowen for his article "Jet Astronomy" published in Science News (November 9, 2002) and Robert Irion for his article "Ashes to Ashes" published in Science (September 27, 2002). Both authors were recognized for their work and their commitment to make High Energy Astrophysics understandable to the general public. The prize was presented to the two winners at the meeting banquet by Josh Grindlay (Chair of the HEAD Executive Committee.)

The award was announced in a press release on March 04, 2003.

Presentation of the award : Josh Grindlay presents the prize to Ron Cowen and Robert Irion (standing at the left).

Banquet (L to R) Robert Irion and Ron Cowen at the HEAD banquet.

HEAD meeting in Albuquerque, April 2002

The 2002 David N. Schramm Award for high-energy astrophysics science journalism was awarded to Robert Naeye for an article published in the journal California Wild, entitled Superman's Telescope . The award was announced in a press release on March 15, 2002.

Presentation of Schramm 2002 Award: HEAD Press Officer Lynn Cominsky hands the prize to Robert Naeye while HEAD Chair Josh Grindlay looks on. (L to R, Robert Naeye, Lynn Cominsky and Josh Grindlay)

HEAD meeting in Honolulu, November 2000

The award was presented to Robert Zimmerman for his article entitled "There She Blows" published in "The Sciences" in January/February 2000 (Volume 40, Number 1, Page 25) and to Kathy Sawyer for an article entitled "Flash" published in "The Washington Post" on March 29, 1999 (Page A9).

Presentation of Schramm 2000 Award: HEAD Chair Alice Harding presents the first David N. Schramm Award for High Energy Astrophysics Journalism to Kathy Sawyer and Robert Zimmerman while HEAD Press Officer Lynn Cominsky looks on. (L to R, Lynn Cominsky, Kathy Sawyer, Alice Harding, and Robert Zimmerman.)