Society · · 1 min read

A week of awards

The Nobel Prize’s integrity is a reminder that excellence still prevails over politics. Amid funding cuts and cynicism, the MacArthur Fellows highlight America’s diversity and brilliance - an antidote to the relentless noise and despair of the news cycle.

A week of awards
© Matt Black

Like most of the thinking world, I was delighted to see that the Nobel prize maintained integrity and did not kowtow to Trump and the US administration's disdainful circus of a campaign. The act of vandalism that was cutting USAID alone (and the consequential effects) should guarantee Trump's name is never uttered in anything but contempt.

Maintaining positivity is the MacArthur Foundation who announced their 2025 fellows this week. While US centric, the list is diverse and impressive - a prescient reminder of the great diversity and undeniable talent that America has. Awards like the MacArthur fellowship are particularly important for the continuation of scientific work when you consider the impact of US government funding cuts which has contributed to the exodus of US scientists.

The next time you find yourself in a doomscroll spiral or are suffering from news fatigue, check out the work of any of the fellows, I promise it'll be worth your time.

Read next

Suntan Lotion & Semiotics
Resilience ·

Suntan Lotion & Semiotics

Every heatwave, the cameras find the same shot: ice cream, paddling pools, sunbathers in the park. In May and June that imagery sat alongside 2,700 estimated heat deaths in England and Wales. Representation doesn't just describe risk - it decides how seriously we take it.

Benton End, Suffolk
Art History ·

Benton End, Suffolk

Benton End, once home to Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines and the Colchester–Ipswich art school they ran from it, has reopened its Walled Garden — renewed in collaboration with Sarah Price.