ABSW Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Clive Cookson

Picture: Pallab Ghosh, BBC News science correspondent, hands the Lifetime Achievement Award to Clive Cookson, senior science writer at Financial Times. Credits: Mark Lewis Photography

After over 30 years as science editor at the Financial Times, Clive Cookson was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 ABSW Awards ceremony at the Royal Institution in London on Wednesday, 9th July.

Clive’s reporting has covered the full spectrum of scientific research, from health and medicine to astronomy and artificial intelligence. In 2022, the ABSW named Clive British Science Journalist of the Year. The judges selected Clive for this award because of his consistent high-quality work, as well as his significant contributions to the science journalism community.

“Being a science journalist for the whole of my working life, this honour means a huge amount to me,” said Clive.

Clive’s colleague and friend Pallab Ghosh, BBC News science correspondent and former honorary president of the ABSW, presented him with the award on the night. Pallab said, “I've known and worked alongside you throughout my entire career. You don't get to be science editor of the Financial Times for 30 years without being a fantastic journalist. But what really stands out to me is the kindness of your gentle soul. Throughout the years that you've been a science editor, it's inspired many journalists, including me. So, this is a richly deserved award.”

In his acceptance speech, Clive told how, in his final year of studying chemistry at the University of Oxford, he realised that he might prefer writing about science more than actually doing it. His university careers service advised him that he had little chance of getting into science journalism. However, after graduating, he found a job at the Luton Post and then went on to work at The Times and BBC Radio. Then, in 1987, Clive began working for the Financial Times, where he has been ever since.

ABSW Chair Andy Extance said, “The lifetime achievement award is not just for journalism, and Clive has made key contributions to good relationships and understanding between scientists and the media through support for the ABSW Media Fellowships scheme for more than 10 years.”

Many of Clive’s colleagues agree that he has done a great deal to foster a warm and friendly working environment during his career. Anj Ahuja, contributing writer at the Financial Times, said, “He is everything one could wish for in a colleague: calm, vastly knowledgeable, generous, wise and supportive. I cannot tell you how much I valued his razor-sharp judgment during the pandemic. I am so thrilled to see Clive’s talents and achievements justly recognised with this prestigious award.” 

When asked what he was most proud of, Clive said, “There isn't a single individual story that I'm most proud of. It's just keeping going and consistently having done what I think is good science journalism in a way that's been appreciated by colleagues and, most importantly, readers over many years.” 

Towards the end of his speech, Clive jokingly said that “one downside of a lifetime achievement award is the implication that you're approaching the end”. However, Clive assured us that he would continue writing for the Financial Times in his role as senior science writer, which suits him very well.