The John Maddox Prize rewarded two individuals in 2012: Professor Simon Wessely and Shi-min Fang.

Read more about the winners and watch a short film on the judges' deliberation for the John Maddox Prize 2012.

Professor Colin Blakemore, one of the judging panel, wrote about the Prize in an opinion piece in the Times on 5th November 2012: "If scientists are silent, loony ideas will win"

The prize is open to nominations for any kind of public activity, including all forms of writing, speaking and public engagement, in any of the following areas:

•Addressing misleading information about scientific or medical issues in any forum.
•Bringing sound evidence to bear in a public or policy debate.
•Helping people to make sense of a complex scientific issue.

The prize: £2000. An announcement of the winner will be published in Nature.

Sir John Maddox, whose name this prize commemorates, was a passionate and tireless champion and defender of science, engaging with difficult debates and inspiring others to do the same. As a writer and editor, he changed attitudes and perceptions, and strove for better understanding and appreciation of science throughout his long working life.

The prize is a joint initiative of Nature, where Sir John was editor for 22 years, and Sense About Science, where he served as a trustee until his death in 2009. It is supported by a contribution from the Kohn Foundation.

Candidates for the John Maddox Prize must be nominated. The nominator should be an individual who is familiar with the work of the candidate. Self-nomination will be considered in exceptional circumstances, which should be described in the nomination letter. People from and in any country can be nominated.

The judging panel consisted of Tracey Brown (Sense About Science), Phil Campbell (Nature), Brenda Maddox and Professor Colin Blakemore.