Meet The Jury for the 2024 EU Prize for Citizen Science

2024 is the second year that we honor the outstanding citizen scientists in Europe. Citizen Science, a collaborative approach involving volunteers from diverse backgrounds in scientific research, represents a trend and a key paradigm shift in contemporary science. At its core, Citizen Science embodies the democratization of knowledge. Inviting participants from all walks of life to participate in scientific discovery transcends traditional boundaries of expertise, inspires curiosity, catalyzes innovation across various disciplines, and empowers communities to actively contribute to our understanding of the world. This inclusive process fosters a sense of global citizenship, pride, ownership, empowerment, inclusion, and shared responsibility among participants. It enriches the scientific process with new perspectives, insights, and evidence-based decision-making while often driving social innovation, building capacity in local communities, and countering apathy and civic disengagement. Furthermore, Citizen Science is a powerful tool for scientific communication and education. It fosters a deeper appreciation of scientific methods and nurtures a society of informed, scientifically active citizens.

Citizen scientists contribute significantly to co-designing research methods, posing relevant questions, developing innovative tools, collecting data, collectively interpreting findings, and providing policy recommendations through hands-on research experiences and online platforms, performances, or workshops.  As a result, the reality of Citizen Science in Europe today transcends the consolidated idea of projects being a mere database of collected georeferenced points on a map: Citizen Science builds strong bridges between policies and societies in Europe. This collaborative approach helps to close the gap between scientific expertise and public understanding, leading to more effective and inclusive policy-making processes. Nowadays, this is a crucial aspect, given the nature of contemporary challenges such as political polarization, increased social marginalization of minority groups, anti-European sentiments, or anti-science narratives that pose risks to our democracy, collaboration, and trust in science. In an era marked by the proliferation of fake news, right-wing populism, and distrust in sciences, engaging different groups directly with science contributes to generating reliable data and results and to safeguarding democratic values. By empowering citizens to participate actively in the scientific process, these initiatives promote a culture of openness, accountability, and critical thinking —essential pillars of a healthy democracy. Through engagement in research activities related to issues that directly impact their communities, Citizen Science projects cultivate a sense of ownership and investment in the democratic process.

All of the projects we reviewed were inspiring. They also highlighted areas for further developments that would allow Citizen Science in Europe to be more impactful:

First, on the level of *citizen science methods*, we recommend more ambitious and inclusive approaches. Many Citizen Science initiatives could take inspiration from projects such as *SeaPaCS*, winner of the Diversity & Collaboration prize, and others, to allow and support citizens to engage in all project phases, from inception to completion. This is just one step that can improve collaboration and participation of citizens in science. Another step to overcoming extractive tendencies involves investing in a reciprocal, rather than one-way, relationship between citizens and scientists. This might entail designing a capacity building, educational outcomes, or accountability metrics into the project scope, ensuring that scientists give back to the communities whose participation and labour they heavily rely upon.

Second, on *the topical or thematic level*, we encourage more Citizen Science projects to address technological issues in society. While many projects use sensor technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and digital media as tools or means to study other issues, very few projects investigate technological problems as their topic of concern. Yet, Honorary Mention recipients such as *Intelligent Instruments in Citizen Science* and *Eco-Bot.Net* exemplify that Citizen Science has much to offer regarding our understanding of the implications of AI, Generative AI, surveillance systems, social media platforms, and other digital technologies, and in relation to democracy, environmental policies, urban planning, social justice, and other burning issues. Here, Citizen Science could help us challenge and address the biases in digital technologies, and their power and role in society.

Third, Citizen Science could evolve further by integrating artistic practices, reconfiguring *how *knowledge is produced and going beyond conventional, linear scientific data collection and analysis modes. The project *Dreamachine* exemplifies this potential by using artistic installations and drawing exercises to invite citizens to report about their sensory experiences in new ways, allowing for novel scientific research within cognitive science. This demonstrates that art and Citizen Science can inform and inspire each other, creating a Citizen Science that transcends traditional boundaries. While many Citizen Science projects currently focus on documenting their rigour in methods and data, the field could benefit from an increased focus on exploring what the integration of artistic practices could do to reconfigure knowledge production through creativity and playful research.

In line with European values, Citizen Science projects must consider their impact on all members of society. Citizen Science should both serve and meaningfully engage with groups and communities that have very little contact with science, in order to avoid excluding them. By bridging these gaps, Citizen Science can become more inclusive and impactful, breaking down barriers and fostering social justice.