We’re excited to announce that the 2024 HDBuzz Prize opened this summer, seeking to find effective communicators to help us break down the latest and greatest Huntington’s disease research! This fall (or autumn, if you’re feeling fancy, or just British to be honest) we’ll be bringing you articles written by the selected prize winners, who bring a fresh voice to HDBuzz. Read on to learn about the who, why, what, when, where, and how of the 2024 competition.

Who and why

The HDBuzz Prize sought to diversify the voices that bring you content on HDBuzz. Huntington’s disease (HD) researchers come from many different scientific backgrounds with varied training, and they don’t all interpret data in exactly the same way. Having multiple viewpoints represented across our writers ensures that HD families are getting content that spans what the HD field is thinking.

The HDBuzz prize was open to anyone with an active involvement in any aspect of HD-related research. Our goal was to find young scientists with a gift for communicating research news clearly and imaginatively.

We’re particularly keen on the fresh take that your trainees, such as PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, provide and are actively seeking researchers with clinical experience. So if that’s you, hit us up!

What

The HDBuzz Prize is an opportunity for early-career HD researchers to get involved in communicating HD science to the global community, see their work published here, and win $200 US dollars!

Public engagement is important for every scientist’s training, so apart from the cash, this would enhance the CV of any eager young HD researcher.

When and where

The 2024 HDBuzz prize was first announced at the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) conference in August, where HDBuzz live-tweeted from the front row. If you missed our live summaries, you can still catch the amazing science that was shared at the meeting by reading our tweet compilations.

While at the HDF conference, we took advantage of having the ears of almost 300 of the world leaders in HD research. We announced the 2024 HDBuzz Prize, calling on young HD researchers to put their writing talents to good use and make a difference for HD family members by showcasing science in the field.

How

Applicants submitted summaries of prospective articles, detailing what they wanted to write about and why they thought it was important for HD families to know about. Then we excitedly watched the applications roll in. Those who passed the first round were invited to submit full articles and we’re excited to share those with you over the next few months!

Even though the 2024 competition is over, we’re always looking for talented writers. Whether you’re a Principal Investigator (that’s ‘head honcho’ in laboratory-speak) or an HD family member, chances are you know a young scientist with a neat turn of phrase and a gift for communication. If so, please put them in touch with us or send them to this article.

So, to all our fellow science nerds - get in touch and get cracking!