On Tuesday, Apr. 20, NIH will again celebrate the talented writers employed here who were selected to receive awards by the plain language coordinating committee in the fourth annual competition. Open to all staff, the ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10.

NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni will host the occasion honoring the winners of this year's competition. Approximately 170 nominations, including web sites, news releases, fact sheets, newsletters, manuals, posters and other written products were submitted in response to Zerhouni's call for entries. The submissions were evaluated by members of the committee, which includes representatives from every institute, center and OD office.

Joe Palca, senior science correspondent for National Public Radio, will be the guest speaker at the ceremony. Palca joined NPR in 1992 and covers a wide range of science topics including biomedical research. He has won numerous awards for his journalism, and has a Ph.D. in psychology. He is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers.

The event will conclude with light refreshments. Sign language interpretation will be provided. For other reasonable accommodation, call (301) 496-1461. For more information about the plain language initiative, visit www1.od.nih.gov/execsec/plainlanguage.htm.