Almost 30 poems were submitted for the ESOF2006 Poetry Competition that was generously supported by the Andrea von Braun Foundation. Candidates could choose among 3 languages - English, German or French. A separate jury for every language selected the following winning poems:

ENGLISH

Prof. Stevan Harnad

Moderator, American Scientist Open Access Forum

Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Sciences,

Université du Québec à Montréal

 and

Professor, Electronics and Computer Science,

University of Southampton

harnad@ecs.soton.ac.uk

Publish or Perish

    As Science is mere structured common sense,

    her means but trial-and-error made intense,

    the only virtue setting her apart,

    and raising her above (some think) mere Art,

        Is her convergence ever on consensus:

        collective, self-corrective her defenses.

    A flagellant, she boldly does defy

    Reality her schemes to falsify.

    And yet this noble jousting were in vain,

    and all this pain would yield no grain of gain

        if Science were content, a shrinking violet,

        her works from all the world 'ere to keep private.

        Instead, performance public and artistic,

        restraining all propensities autistic,

    perhaps less out of error-making dread,

    than banal need to earn her daily bread.

    For showbiz being what it is today,

    work's not enough, you've got to make it pay.

        What ratings, sweeps and polls count for our actors,

        no less than our elected benefactors,

        for Science the commensurate equation

        is not just publication but citation.

    The more your work is accessed, read and used,

    the higher then is reckoned its just dues.

        Sounds crass, but there may be some consolation,

        where there's still some residual motivation

    to make a difference, not just make a fee:

    the World Wide Web at last can make Science free.

FRENCH

Stéphanie Beauloye

sbeauloye@cost.esf.org