Nominate Someone for the BNA Brenda Walker Award for Neuroscience Communication

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19/10/2026

Do you know someone outside the lab who helps people understand the brain? A carer who writes about life with a neurological condition, a teacher or artist who brings neuroscience to new audiences, or someone with lived experience who speaks up about it? The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Brenda Walker Award for Neuroscience Communication is a chance to put them forward, and nominations close on 31 October 2026.

The award recognises people who have made an outstanding contribution to how the public understands, accesses or sees neuroscience represented. It covers a lot of ground: storytelling, advocacy, sharing lived experience, creative projects and public engagement all count. The common thread is communication that reaches beyond the scientific community.

Who was Brenda Walker?

The award is named after Brenda Walker, a BNA Associate Member and a champion of accessible neuroscience communication. After she was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, she wrote and campaigned about neuroscience, helping others make sense of the science behind the condition.

Who can be nominated

This one isn’t for professional researchers. It’s open to BNA Associate Members, and to non-members who would meet the Associate criteria: people with an interest in neuroscience who don’t work or research in the field professionally. Nominees should also fit at least one of these:

Non-scientists and science communicators, such as teachers, artists or people working in the media.
People with lived experience of neurological or psychiatric conditions, including patients, carers and family members.
Anyone who has clearly influenced how the public communicates, represents or understands neuroscience.

The BNA lists these criteria as proposed, so check the award page for the latest before you nominate.

For dementia researchers, it’s a great way to say thank you to someone who has helped your work reach people: a member of your PPI group, a lived experience researcher, or a carer who shares their story so others can learn from it. If you need a reminder of why their contribution matters, read our blog on the importance of lived experience in research, or this one on getting science communication out of the bubble.

What the winner receives

The winner gets a featured profile on the BNA website, and their work will be promoted through BNA newsletters and social media. The award will be presented at the BNA Festive Symposium in December, which this year is on the theme of the brain’s construction of reality.