WCSFP Sets $10,000 Award for Digital Science Shows

The World Congress of Science and Factual Producers (WCSFP) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have launched a $10,000 award honoring excellence in digital science storytelling.

Open to creators worldwide, the award invites submissions from those with a proven track record of impactful science storytelling. The inaugural Sloan Buzzies Award is a brand-new category in the WCSFP’s Buzzies Awards.

In addition to the award, Sloan’s support will enable three digital creators to join WCSFP’s Global Career Accelerator at Congress ’25, a program designed to spotlight the next wave of standout factual storytellers. Each selected participant will receive full accreditation, a travel bursary, personalized mentorship and curated networking to help fast-track their careers in the global science and factual content industry.

“This new award reflects our belief that great science storytelling can thrive across platforms, and that digital creators are playing an increasingly vital role in how global audiences engage with complex ideas,” said Adam Kirkham, director of partnerships for WCSFP. “We’re grateful to the Sloan Foundation for supporting the Congress’s commitment to amplifying these voices.”

“We are excited to launch the inaugural Sloan Buzzies Award in partnership with World Congress of Science and Factual Producers and to recognize YouTube and TikTok as creative powerhouses in the media space,” said Doron Weber, VP and program director at the Sloan Foundation. “These awards are part of Sloan’s new program to support and honor talented creators on YouTube, TikTok and other non-traditional digital platforms who engage with science and technology and reach expanded audiences of all ages.”

“With Sloan’s support, we’re recognizing the vital role digital creators play in today’s media landscape,” said Paul Lewis, conference director for WCSFP. “Congress affirms that creators on YouTube, TikTok and other digital platforms are as vital to the future of factual storytelling as their linear counterparts. Powerful science stories can thrive just as well on a smartphone screen as on a television screen.”