Some very neat news today for Carl Zimmer, author of The Loom - the American Association for the Advancement of Science has honored him as one of just six winners of their annual Science Journalism Award.

It's a wonderful tribute to his writing and, we'd guess, a first-ever for blog media: a major writing/journalism award. Says Carl, who won in its online category: "it's gratifying to see that it's possible for a little blog to swim with the big online sharks."

Said one of the judges, of Carl's essays: "[They were] the closest thing to Stephen Jay Gould I've read in ages."

The Press Release from the AAAS:

Six Reporters Reach the "Pinnacle of Excellence" — 2004 AAAS Science Journalism Award Winners Named

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Online
Carl Zimmer's three-part series appeared on Corante.com, a leading news and business intelligence service on technology and science. "Hamilton's Fall," "Why The Cousins Are Gone," and "My Darwinian Daughters" provide a microcosm of the world that sparks an interest in science and leads his readers to question assumptions. He took everyday science and conveyed topics with a strong voice. One of the judges said that Zimmer's essays were "the closest thing to Stephen Jay Gould I've read in ages."

About the Awards:
Since their inception nearly six decades ago, the AAAS Science Journalism Awards have honored more than 300 journalists for their achievements. The awards recognize outstanding reporting for a general audience and honor individuals (rather than institutions, publishers or employers) for their coverage of the sciences, engineering and mathematics. To ensure the utmost objectivity and the highest possible standards of integrity, all entries are assessed by independent screening and judging panels, explained Weisman, sponsor of the AAAS Science Journalism Awards.

For this reason, winners report that the awards program offers significant career visibility and acknowledgement of achievement. Past winner Natalie Angier of The New York Times, for example, has likened her 1992 AAAS award to the Pulitzer Prize, which she has also received. "With the AAAS award," she wrote in an essay on her prize, "I knew that I would be judged by the crème de la cognoscenti, one panel composed of working scientists and another of science journalists … I was delighted to win the AAAS award."

Kudos to Carl - it is much deserved acknowledgement of the wonderful writing and storytelling he does at The Loom. Tune in if you get a chance as well as point friends and colleagues who'd enjoy it in its direction.