Editing Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (section)

=== Robert P. Balles Prize ===
<gallery class="center" widths="225px" heights="200px">
Nickell Balles Prize.jpg|Frazier awards author [[Joe Nickell]] the Balles Prize for his book ''The Science of Ghosts'' – 2013.
Julia Belluz receives CSI Balles Award for 2016 from Paul Fidalgo.jpg|Julia Belluz receives 2016 Balles Award from Paul Fidalgo.
Tim Callahan Balles Award CSICon.webm|Tim Callahan receives 2018 Balles Award.
Paul Fidalgo introduces 2019 Balles Award Winner.webm|Paul Fidalgo from Center For Inquiry introduces 2019 Balles Award Winner ''A Deal with the Devil''.
</gallery>
CSI awards the Robert P. Balles Annual Prize in Critical Thinking annually. The $2,500 award is given to the "creator of the published work that best exemplifies healthy skepticism, logical analysis, or empirical science".<ref name="Sept-Oct Issue">{{cite journal|last1=Fidalgo|first1=Paul|title=CSI's Balles Prize in Critical Thinking Awarded to Julia Belluz of Vox.com|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=2016|volume=40|issue=5|page=6}}</ref> Robert P. Balles, "a practicing Christian", established this permanent endowment fund through a Memorial Fund. Center for Inquiry's "established criteria for the prize include use of the most parsimonious theory to fit data or to explain apparently preternatural phenomena."<ref name="Novella Balles"/><ref name="2018 p11">{{cite journal |title=Balles Critical Thinking Prize Awarded to Authors of UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |date=2018 |volume=42 |issue=4 |page=11 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Person
! Media
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=1|2005
|[[Andrew A. Skolnick|Andrew Skolnick]], [[Ray Hyman]] and [[Joe Nickell]] 
|''The Girl with X-ray Eyes''
|Shared the first award for their 2005 reports on CSICOP's testing of [[Natasha Demkina]], a girl who claimed to have X-ray eyes.<ref>{{cite journal|title=CSICOP announces winners of the first Robert P. Ballez Prize|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|volume=26|issue=3}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2006
|[[Ben Goldacre]]
|For his column in ''[[The Guardian]]'' U.K. newspaper, ''Bad Science''<ref name="Offit Balles"/>
|Columns include "Dyslexia 'cure' fails to pass the tests", "Bring me a God helmet, and bring it now", "Kick the habit with wacky wave energy", "Brain Gym exercises do pupils no favors" and "Magnetic attraction? Shhhh. It's a secret"<ref>{{cite journal|title=CSI's Robert P. Balles Award Goes to 'Guardian 'Bad Science' Columnist Ben Goldacre|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=2007|volume=31|issue=5|page=13}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2007
|[[Natalie Angier]]
|''The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science''
|"[S}he thoughtfully explores what it means to think scientifically and the benefits of extending the scientific ethos to all areas of human life."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bupp|first1=Nathan|title=CSI's Robert P. Balles Award Goes to New York Times Science Writer Natalie Angier|url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/csirsquos_robert_p._balles_award_goes_to_new_york_times_science_writer_nata|website=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=CSICOP|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917143248/http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/csirsquos_robert_p._balles_award_goes_to_new_york_times_science_writer_nata|archive-date=September 17, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2008
|[[Leonard Mlodinow]]
|''The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Karr|first1=Barry|author-link=Barry Karr|title=CSI's Balles Prize Goes to Physicist/Author Leonard Mlodinow|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csis_balles_prize_goes_to_physicist_author_leonard_mlodinow|website=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=CSICOP|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731194238/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csis_balles_prize_goes_to_physicist_author_leonard_mlodinow|archive-date=31 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|
|-
|rowspan=1|2009
|[[Michael Specter]]
|''Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives''<ref name="Offit Balles"/>
|
|-
|rowspan=1|2010
|[[Steven Novella]]
|Body of work including ''[[The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe]]'' podcast, ''Science-Based Medicine'', ''Neurologica'', ''Skepticial Inquirer'' column ''The Science of Medicine'' and the "tireless travel and lecture schedule on behalf of skepticism" 
|"The truly most amazing thing is he does this all on a volunteer basis."<ref name="Novella Balles">{{cite web|title=CSI Awards Balles Prize|url=http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/csi_awards_balles_prize|website=Skeptical Inquirer|date=June 13, 2011 |publisher=CSICOP|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917141343/http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/csi_awards_balles_prize|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Barry Karr]] "You may be the hardest worker in all of skepticism".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lavarnway|first1=Julia|title=CSICon New Orleans 2011 – Where Meeting Awesome Skeptics Is As Easy As Saying 'Hello'|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csicon_new_orleans_2011_-_where_meeting_awesome_skeptics_is_as_easy_as_sayi|website=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=CSICOP|access-date=19 August 2016|archive-date=October 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010184704/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csicon_new_orleans_2011_-_where_meeting_awesome_skeptics_is_as_easy_as_sayi|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2011
|[[Richard Wiseman]]
|''[[Paranormality (book)|Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There]]''
|"Wiseman is not simply interested in looking at a claim... He is interested in showing us how easy it is for us to be deceived and how easily we can be fooled and fool others."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Karr|first1=Barry|author-link=Barry Karr|title=CSI's Balles Prize Goes to Richard Wiseman for Paranormality|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csis_balles_prize_goes_to_richard_wiseman_for_paranormality|website=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=CSICOP|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-date=August 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801012015/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csis_balles_prize_goes_to_richard_wiseman_for_paranormality|url-status=live}}</ref> 
|-
|rowspan=1|2012
|[[Steven Salzberg]] and [[Joe Nickell]]
|Salzberg's column for ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine, ''Fighting Pseudoscience'' and Nickell's book ''The Science of Ghosts – Searching for Spirits of the Dead'' 
|"Salzberg regularly shines the light of reason on the false or dubious claims ... with a clear and accessible voice, and with a healthy dose of humor." And "Accessibility and humor, along with unmatched rigor and curiosity, are what famed Joe Nickell, ... has been bringing to his work for decades."<ref name = "Tacoma 2013">{{cite web|title=Skeptic Authors Steven Salzberg and Joe Nickell to Receive Balles Prize in Critical Thinking|url=http://www.csicop.org/news/show/skeptic_authors_steven_salzberg_and_joe_nickell_to_receive_balles_prize|website=Skeptical Inquirer|date=June 14, 2013 |publisher=CSICOP|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-date=September 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907205355/http://www.csicop.org/news/show/skeptic_authors_steven_salzberg_and_joe_nickell_to_receive_balles_prize|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2013
|[[Paul Offit]]
|''Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine''
|"Offit is a literal lifesaver... educates the public about the dangers of alternative medicine, may save many, many more."<ref name="Offit Balles">{{cite web|last1=Fidalgo|first1=Paul|title=CSI Announces Paul Offit As Winner of the 2013 Balles Prize|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csi_announces_paul_offit_as_winner_of_the_2013_balles_prize|website=Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=CSICOP|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917073325/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/csi_announces_paul_offit_as_winner_of_the_2013_balles_prize|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2014
|[[Joseph A. Schwarcz|Joseph Schwarcz]] and to the creators, producers, and writers of ''[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]''
|''Is That a Fact?'' and ''Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey''
|"''Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey'' opened the eyes of a new generation to humanity's triumphs, its mistakes, and its astounding potential to reach unimagined heights.... ''Is That a Fact?'' unflinchingly takes on all manner of popular misinformation."<ref>{{cite web|title=Cosmos, Joe Schwarcz Win Skeptics' Critical Thinking Prize|url=http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/cosmos_joe_schwarcz_win_skeptics_critical_thinking_prize|website=Skeptical Inquirer|date=July 2, 2015 |publisher=CSICOP|access-date=18 August 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403104503/https://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/cosmos_joe_schwarcz_win_skeptics_critical_thinking_prize|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2015
|[[Julia Belluz]]
|[[Vox (website)|Vox.com]]
|"We need more people in the media doing what Julia Belluz does... "<ref name="Sept-Oct Issue"/>
|-
|rowspan=1|2016
|[[Maria Konnikova]]
|''The Confidence Game''
|"''The Confidence Game'' could not have come at a more crucial time, as the general public is overwhelmed day in and day out by attempts to play on their biases and prejudices[.]"<ref name="Balles_Winner_2016">{{cite web|title=Maria Konnikova Wins Critical Thinking Prize from CSI for "The Confidence Game"|url=http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/maria_konnikova_wins_critical_thinking_prize_from_csi_for_the_confidence_ga|website=CSICOP.ORG|date=May 18, 2017 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry|access-date=19 May 2017|archive-date=May 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523052929/http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/maria_konnikova_wins_critical_thinking_prize_from_csi_for_the_confidence_ga|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2017
|[[Donald Prothero]], [[Tim Callahan (academic)|Tim Callahan]]
|''UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens''
|This book "not only refute(s) false claims and misguided beliefs ... but more importantly they also arm readers with the tools they will need to fairly evaluate any extraordinary claim they come across"<ref name="2018 p11"/> 
|-
|rowspan=1|2018
|Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken
|''A Deal With The Devil''
|"Investigative reporters Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken exposed the complex inner workings of a case of psychic fraud that spanned several decades and bilked over $200,000,000 from the mostly elderly victims."<ref name="Balles_Winner_2018">{{cite web|title=CNN Reporters Awarded Balles Critical Thinking Prize for A Deal with the Devil|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/cnn-reporters-awarded-balles-critical-thinking-prize-for-a-deal-with-the-devil|website=CSICOP.ORG|date=September 5, 2019 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry|access-date=27 September 2019|archive-date=September 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927182055/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/cnn-reporters-awarded-balles-critical-thinking-prize-for-a-deal-with-the-devil/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fidalgo |first=Paul |date= September 2019 |title=CNN reporters awarded Balles Critical Thinking Prize for A Deal With The Devil|magazine=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |location=Amherst, NY |publisher=Center for Inquiry}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2019
|[[Susan Gerbic]]
|''The Psychic Stinger''
|"Over the course of dozens of meticulously executed stings, tests, and exposés, Gerbic has uncovered the fraud underlying the claims of several celebrity psychics. She has assembled a team of dedicated volunteers who assist her in planning and research for elaborate and rigorous undercover operations that reveal the tricks employed by psychics and mediums."<ref name=SI2022>{{Cite journal |last=Fidalgo |first=Paul |date=April 2022 |title=Timothy Caulfield, Susan Gerbic Awarded Balles Prizes for Critical Thinking |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/02/timothy-caulfield-susan-gerbic-awarded-balles-prizes-for-critical-thinking/ |url-status=live |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |volume=46 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919142024/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/02/timothy-caulfield-susan-gerbic-awarded-balles-prizes-for-critical-thinking/ |archive-date=19 September 2022}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=1|2020
|[[Timothy Caulfield]]
|''A Booster Shot for Science''
|"Caulfield's clear, accessible, and hopeful advocacy of science and evidence were invaluable for a public desperate to navigate their way through the infodemic during the pandemic."<ref name=SI2022/>
|}