Newswise — The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is extending the deadline for submissions for its Excellence in Research Journalism Award from March 1, 2010 to March 8, 2010. The GSA encourages journalists or their media organizations to take advantage of this extended deadline to submit online or print articles or television or radio broadcast reports for this award.

The Excellence in Research Journalism Award is designed to honor those journalists who provide outstanding coverage of basic genetic research including studies of model organisms that link to human biology. Nominees do not have to be science beat journalists, but the piece being nominated must be on research that employs a non-human model organism, such as fruit flies (Drosophila), roundworms (C. elegans), mice, yeast, fungi or other organisms. Articles on human genetics testing or disease risk will not be considered.

International entries will be accepted, but all entries must be in English and produced for the first time during the 2009 calendar year. There is no fee or limit to the number of entries that may be submitted.

For an entry form, award criteria, and entry guidelines see http://www.genetics-gsa.org/pages/journalism_award.shtml. Deadline for entries is March 8, 2010.

Nominees and their nominators will be notified about the award in May. The award ceremony will take place in Boston, Massachusetts on June 15, 2010.

ABOUT THE GENETICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for geneticists and science educators. Its more than 4,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through the Genetics Society of America Conferences including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms. GSA publishes GENETICS, the leading journal in the field. For more information about GSA, please visit www.genetics-gsa.org.