...for example, as part of the JKU Science Holidays program, the Open Lab programs, or in support of the Young Kepler University program. There will be three award winners in this category.

... for example, by means of high-impact publications in the form of newspaper columns, other print media, interviews, on social media, as part of citizen science projects, the Ars Electronica Festival, etc. There will be three award winners in this category.

Those who do not fall into one of the above categories - but who have nevertheless been actively involved in science outreach/communications activities - may be nominated under this category. The jury will select three winners for this special award from among the submissions, each of which may also be presented in recognition of a particular area of involvement. Some examples include collaborative outreach/communications activities (such as a partnership between a JKU institute / JKU faculty member and a medium / a company / with artists), junior science communicator of the year (up to post-doc) / outreach/communication activities for special commitment on certain topics, such as sustainability, digitalization, STEM, gender, democracy, ... or a high degree of commitment as a JKU science/academic ambassador. The jury is at liberty to highlight certain aspects / categories as part of these special awards.

All JKU scholars are eligible to be nominated for the award (or may nominate themselves), providing

• they are currently employed at the JKU (as outlined n the call) - this also includes externally funded employees, and
• those who were involved in science outreach/communications activities during 2023 and 2024.

Any individual working in-house at the JKU, as well as externally, may submit a nomination (aside from jury members).

The JKU invites award submissions annually.

The Rectorate is responsible for announcing the call for nominations. The nomination period for 2025 is between February 5 to March 19. You may submit your nomination in German or in English.

The JKU Linz initiated the awards and is responsible for the nominations and selection process. A jury of experts consisting of university-internal and external experts will select the winners based on the outlined criteria. The jury has complete autonomy in rendering their decision.

The 2025 Kepler Awards for Science Communication jury members are

• Ursula Rami, JKU Senate Chair (jury chair)
• Wilhelm Bergthaler, Dean at the JKU Faculty of Law
• Cornelia Lehner, Artistic Director at the Kepler Salon
• Christine Haiden, journalist, author, and president of the Upper Austrian Press Club
• Alexandra Parragh, expert in reform communications, Austrian Ministry of Education, Science & Research (BMBWF), Higher Education Section
• Gabriel Felbermayr, WIFO Director (Austrian Institute of Economic Research)

The Works Council for Academic Employees and the Working Group for Equal Opportunites (AKG) are part of the jury in an advisory capacity.

The jury has complete autonomy in rendering their decision.and will select the winners as part of a separate jury session.

When selecting the winners, the jury will not focus on the candidate's research findings, but rather on how well he/she communicated information, as well as evaluating their respective science outreach/communication activities. The jury's selection will be based on the following criteria

• The Quality of Outreach/Communications Efforts:
  Were the outreach/communication activities high in quality (i.e. in terms of methodology)? Did the candidate approach the target group accordingly? Was the participants' feedback positive?
• Creativity in Outreach/Communications:
  Were the outreach/communication activities particularly original, innovative, and/or creative?
• Degree of Involvement:
  How high was the degree of involvement? For example, Was it a one-off workshop, or a long-term undertaking?