I am thrilled to announce that I have won the 2025 AAAS – The American Association for the Advancement of Science Kavli Science Journalism Silver Award in the Magazine category for my Canadian Geographic story, “The Magic in the Mud: Sandpipers’ Migration Superfood.”
These prestigious global awards recognize distinguished reporting on science by professional journalists. This year’s program received more than 1,100 entries from 67 countries—and I am humbled to be the only Canadian winner.
Winning the AAAS Kavli Award is deeply meaningful. I hope this recognition helps shine a light on the global decline of shorebirds and the ecological importance of mudflat habitats—especially Roberts Bank on the Fraser River estuary in B.C., which faces imminent risk from a port expansion project threatening not only millions of migrating shorebirds, but also Pacific salmon and the endangered southern resident killer whales.
Heartfelt thanks to the Canadian Geographic team for believing in this story from the beginning, to the Sitka Foundation and the Science Media Centre of Canada for supporting the reporting through a Messengers of Biodiversity Grant, and to my sources—especially Robert Elner , whose discovery of biofilm has been key to understanding these extraordinary ecosystems.
For more details, read the official announcement on the AAAS website.
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