Nominations have opened for some of the UK’s most prestigious awards recognising excellence in the use of official statistics.
The Royal Statistical Society and the UK Statistics Authority have invited government statisticians to put forward their best work producing and presenting statistics for the public good, in the hope of winning the 2019 Campion Award for Excellence in Official Statistics.
“Particular attention will be paid this year to entries from users that show how statistics have helped to make a decision, inform a debate or bust a myth,” the society's announcement seeking entries said.
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“Credit will also be given to entries showing an excellent communication of results, innovative statistical development and work that goes beyond normal expectations.”
John Pullinger, national statistician and former RSS president, added that in year’s awards, he would be looking for nominations that “showcase the work of professional statisticians who are innovatively and efficiently helping users make sense of the world around them and mobilising the power of data for better decisions”.
“The need for evidence to inform policy and democratic debate across the UK is urgent and important,” he said.
Last year the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs scooped the coveted award for a data-based snapshot of the UK’s agriculture sector.
When Defra received the accolade last July, deputy national statistician Iain Bell said the judges had been impressed by the impact of 68-page document, The future farming and environment evidence compendium, on policy.
Nine submissions were shortlisted in last year’s awards, which Bell said were “testament to the high-quality work being produced by government statisticians”.
The Campion Award, for which Civil Service World is media partner, is named for former RSS president Sir Harry Campion, who in 1941 became the first director of the Central Statistical Office – which later became the Office for National Statistics.
There will also be a second award for excellence in journalism using statistics. The deadline for submissions to both awards is 31 March.