From the Nominator

"In October 2021, the University of Cambridge launched a campaign to highlight the impact of its research. We began a film series, Radical Thinkers, which aimed to showcase some of the brilliant, innovative thinkers at our institution.  

The Vaccine for Fake News features Dr. Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology and an expert in countering disinformation and misinformation. His research has used games to teach people how to identify fake news and has been dubbed by the media ‘a vaccine.'

Appropriately for the vision of the series, the style of this film is a radical departure from our usual approach and, arguably, from that of the majority of higher education institutions. It has a propulsive pace and style (supported by a wealth of archive footage), uses wit and intelligence, and includes stark, black and white interviews with Dr. van der Linden. Dr van der Linden is a dynamic and engaging speaker, and his passion comes across in the film.  

The film has been very widely viewed: 22,000 views on YouTube, 13,600 on Twitter, 4,200 on Facebook, 9,100 on LinkedIn, and 12,400 on Instagram. It led to Dr. van der Linden being featured on a BBC podcast and the BBC website and being invited to write an op-ed for the Guardian (which linked back to the film)."

From the Judges

The Cambridge team produced a dynamic and captivating style on a topical subject. The video was thoughtful and well-done. The judges appreciated the seriousness of the topic and the way the expert clearly and compellingly explained an important subject, particularly at this moment.