17 ABSW members finalists in the Medical Journalists' Association Awards

Picture credits: The Medical Journalists’ Association

And the Science Explained award goes to... an ABSW member. We don't know who the winner is yet, but all finalists are ABSW members: David Cox, Andrew Gregory, Katharine Lang, Michael Peel, Amanda Ruggeri, and Tom Whipple. (Find other finalists below.)

13 out of 16 categories in the Medical Journalists’ Association Awards (MJA Awards) include ABSW members. In total, we have spotted 17 ABSW members amongst the finalists – congratulations to them all. An ABSW member is guaranteed to win at least two awards, the Science Explained and Feature of the Year (specialist audience), where all finalists are ABSW members.

The winners will be announced at the MJA Awards Ceremony on 17 September 2025 at the News Building, London. On that date, the winner of the MJA's premier award – the Outstanding Contribution to Health and Medical Journalism Award supported by AstraZeneca – will also be announced. The full panel of independent judges chose the winner of this award by a majority vote.

Starting with the Case Study of the Year, ABSW member Jessica Hamzelou is a finalist for her work: "Motor neuron diseases took their voices. AI is bringing them back", published in MIT Technology Review. Jessica won the ABSW Award for News Item of the Year 2024 and was a finalist for News Analysis of the Year 2025.

ABSW member David Cox is a finalist in two categories: Science Explained and The Dr Delvin Award for Sex and Sexual Health Journalism, supported by Christine Webber. For the latter, he was selected for his article in Wired, "This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout". David was a finalist for the ABSW Award for News Analysis or Explanatory Reporting of the Year 2024. 

Jennifer Richardson is an ABSW member and a finalist for Editor of the Year, supported by The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). Jennifer submitted three pieces of work, including Sophie Borland's piece "UK government’s nutrition advisers are paid by world’s largest food companies, BMJ analysis reveals". Sophie Borland was awarded the Steve Connor Award for Investigative Science Journalism by ABSW in 2025.

Three ABSW members are finalists for the Feature of the Year (general audience), supported by Genolier Patient Services: Andrew Gregory, writing for The Guardian, Natasha Loder, writing for The Economist, and Tom Whipple, writing for The Times. ABSW awarded the Royal Society Audio Award 2025 to Natasha Loder and Sandra Kanthal. Tom won Opinion Piece or Editorial of the Year 2024 and News Analysis or Explanatory Reporting of the Year 2021. 

ABSW member Andrew Gregory is also a finalist for Mental Health Story of the Year, with "NHS referrals for anxiety in children more than double pre-Covid levels", The Guardian, for the Podcast of the Year (together with Michael Safi, Alex Bishop, Joel Cox) – "A golden age for cancer treatment?", The Guardian, and in the Science Explained category.

An ABSW member is guaranteed to win the Feature of the Year (specialist audience) award supported by the Doctors' Association UK, as all finalists are ABSW members. Will it be Simar Bajaj, writing for Nature, Jessica Hamzelou, writing for MIT Technology Review, or Deborah Cohen, writing for The BMJ (together with Margaret McCartney)?

Simar Bajaj is also a finalist for Freelance of the Year, supported by Pharma Nord, together with another ABSW member, Anjana Ahuja, writing for the Financial Times. Anjana was an ABSW Award finalist for Opinion Piece or Editorial of the Year in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025; Simar Bajaj was awarded the Newcomer of the Year 2023.

The Gordon McVie Award for Reporting Cancer Research, supported by Claudia McVie, has amongst its finalists two ABSW members, Liam Drew and Clare Wilson. Liam was selected for "Faecal transplants can treat some cancers — but probably won’t ever be widely used", Nature Outlook, and Clare Wilson for "What the cervical cancer vaccine success could mean for the future of smear tests", The i Paper. Liam won the ABSW award for Engineering or Technology Story of the Year in 2020.

ABSW members Hristio Boytchev and Michael Peel are finalists for the Health and Climate Change Award, supported by Haleon. Hristio Boytchev (together with Natalie Widmann and Simon Wörpel) published "How much does the fossil fuel industry fund medical research?" in The BMJ, and Michael Peel (together with Ian Bott, Steven Bernard and Charlie Bibby) published "The race against time to defeat mosquito-borne diseases" in the Financial Times. Hristio was European Science Journalist of the Year 2021.

ABSW member Hannah Barnes is a finalist for News Story of the Year (general audience), with "Hundreds of doctors are challenging the BMA’s stance on puberty blockers", published in The New Statesman. Hannah was a finalist at the ABSW Awards 2025 for Feature of the Year (general audience) and Opinion Piece or Editorial of the Year.

The News Story of the Year (specialist audience), supported by Real Chemistry, has two ABSW members as finalists: Rebecca Coombes with "Danone’s use of midwives to give branded infant feeding advice in supermarket sparks anger", The BMJ, and Emma Wilkinson with "NHS spends £430m on inhalers linked to Philip Morris since Vectura takeover", Pharmaceutical Journal.

Among the Science Explained finalists (already mentioned), Amanda Ruggeri won the ABSW Stephen White Award for reporting of science in a non-science context in 2023.

Congratulations to all ABSW members and all other finalists in this year's MJA awards.