The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) has been named Parliamentary Science Communicator of the Year in the Syngenta ABSW Science Writers' Awards for 2006. The award winners were announced this evening at a ceremony at The Royal Society, London , hosted by the Association of British Science Writers. Ex-ABSW chairman, Peter Wrobel hosted the event on behalf of the Association, with Michael Pragnell, Chief Executive Officer of Syngenta, the major sponsor of the awards.

The award for Parliamentary Science Communicator of the Year was introduced last year as part of the Syngenta ABSW Science Writers' Awards in recognition of the increasing importance of good science communication in and from Parliament. The inaugural award was presented to Lord Taverne.

The shortlist for Parliamentary Science Communicator of the Year 2006 was:

• Baroness Greenfield & Dr Martin Westwell

• Dr Adrienne Morgan

• Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (POST)

The Syngenta ABSW Science Writers' Awards seek to set standards of excellence in science journalism. Eight prizes of £2,000 each are made each year to the journalists and broadcasters who have produced the highest quality work and set the highest standards of science writing, judged by an independent panel. Launched in 1966 and run by the ABSW with sponsorship from Syngenta, a world-leading agri-business, with additional support from the Medical Research Council and The Royal Society, the prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious in science journalism. A new prize, supported by The BioIndustry Association (BIA) was introduced this year and presented for ‘the best writing on a healthcare bioscience subject'.