Hello Brian,

I am trying to gather feedback in a survey to determine the feasibility of a new science writing contest called, “BioIdeas.” BioIdeas is under consideration to launch in 2008, pending the interest-level from prospective applicants. The brief survey should only take about 5 minutes – all answers completely anonymous – to determine the level of interest in this type of contest.

The Premise: The goal of BioIdeas is to bridge the gap in communication between the scientific community and people outside the scientific community, with the assumption that there are scientists and lay people alike who hold a piece of a scientific puzzle that could greatly benefit/accelerate scientific discovery; all that is needed is a forum – the contest – to bridge this gap.

The Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DI_2bjvuQ2TQQ_2bkr_2b4EUd4Rw_3d_3d

The Contest: Applicants will be asked to submit a novel biological idea in 500 words or less. The BioIdeas writing contest will be open to anyone 18 years or older, and does not require any prior education or experience in the sciences, only good ideas. All entries will receive feedback within 30 days by industry professionals with Ph.D.s and postdoctoral experience in the biological sciences.

The Awards: The suggested awards for the top 10 winners are as follows: – First place: $10,000, gold trophy, certificate, interview posted on contest website – Second place: $3,000, silver trophy, certificate, interview posted on contest website – Third place: $1,000, bronze trophy, certificate, interview posted on contest website – Fourth-Sixth places: certificate, interview posted on contest website – Seventh-Tenth places: interview posted on contest website.

All feedback is welcome and considered valuable for selecting the important factors to include in a writing contest that will best serve the science writing community.

Thank you in advance for any input you and other members of this forum would like to offer, either through the survey or in direct response to this message. Your contributions are much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Mancebo, Ph.D.

Web: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DI_2bjvuQ2TQQ_2bkr_2b4EUd4Rw_3d_3d