This spring, creative minds throughout America will have the opportunity to show off their artistic and comedic talents in support of independent science by entering the third annual Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest.

Federal government science has played a large role in the policies that keep us safe and healthy and protect our environment. It has brought us to space and to the depths of the ocean. Science helps clean our air, protects us from unsafe products, and improves our quality of life. Where would we be without independent federal science?

Unfortunately, recent investigations and surveys show that political interference in science threatens the unprecedented scientific legacy that the United States has worked so hard to create.  With the presidential election only six months away, we are at a critical point in our campaign to protect federal government science from manipulation, suppression, and distortion.  While guarding against last minute attacks from the outgoing administration, we need to build a foundation to guide the next president.  
 
Now, concerned scientists, citizens, and cartoonists, can join together against the corruption, distortion, and censorship of federal government science!

Your mission
The next president and Congress must renew the independence of science at federal government agencies and create a thriving scientific enterprise. We must protect the ability of scientists to do their jobs.  We must open up the way the federal government makes decisions to shine the light on abuses of science. We must change the culture of many federal agencies to value open scientific communication. We must protect scientists who report the distortion, manipulation, and suppression of their work. 

Defend science with your art!
We're looking for your creative take on the issue of political interference in science and the tasks that await our next president. Submit one-panel or multi-panel print cartoons that address the misuse of science on a specific issue or in general, the affects of this abuse on our society, or your hope for the new administration.  This year, we are looking for cartoons that fit into one of three specific categories, so before you put pen to paper, please check out the contest guidelines to make sure you're on the right track.  You can also view last year's finalists for inspiration. 

Whether you are a scientist, an artist, a college student or professor, or a high school student, your cartoons will help us restore scientific integrity to federal policy making. (For tips on incorporating editorial cartooning into a high school or middle school lesson plan, click here.)  
Last year's contest educated hundreds of thousands of people about how our health, safety and environment suffer when scientists are censored, reports are suppressed, and scientific documents are altered. Thousands of calendars featuring last year’s winning cartoons are displayed in universities, government labs, and even in the United States Capitol!

Entries are due by June 11, 2008. Click here to read the contest guidelines and submit your art.

How Else Can You Defend Science from Political Interference?
In addition to entering the Science Idol Cartoon Contest, there several other ways you can get involved. 
• Do you have talented friends who would like to know about Science Idol? Click here to tell them.
• Hang up flyers advertising the contest at your public library, university campus, in local book stores, and coffee shops.   
• If you're a scientist, engineer, or health professional with an advanced degree, speak out against political interference in science by joining 15,000 of your colleagues in the Restoring Scientific Integrity Network. You'll show your support for independent science and have the opportunity to be kept informed about this vital issue.
• If you're a non-scientist, join the UCS Action Network to help us defend science from manipulation, distortion, and suppression and to work for a healthier environment and a safer world.