ABSW Young Science Writer of the Year Award
Celebration event and awards ceremony
At the beginning of 2022, the Association of British Science Writers invited students aged 14-16 years, attending non-selective state funded schools in Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham or the London Borough of Newham, to submit 800-word essays.
The competition was designed to get young people thinking and writing about the big questions in science, technology, engineering and maths, with a focus on how science impacts on policymaking and society. The response was overwhelming: we received over 150 essays running up to the April deadline.
Those essays have now been assessed by our panel of judges, and the winners will be announced shortly, and the winner and two runner ups will be presented their prizes at a celebration event on 27 June, hosted by the Royal Institution in London.
The Awards Ceremony, 27 June 2022
The ABSW, together with the Royal Institution and the BBC, invites you to this special celebration event at the Royal Institution, London on 27 June, from 14:00 - 16:00.
At this event we will present the award and hear from a range of science writers who will share what they enjoy about working as writers, how they got started and some exciting stories of their time as writers.
The ceremony will take place inside the historic Faraday Lecture theatre, the home of science communication and the place where countless ground-breaking scientific discoveries were announced, from the discovery of the electron to the invention of the electric motor.
This event is perfect for secondary age students who are interested in science writing, journalism, or science communication, and also for science writers keen to inspire the next generation.
WINNER
Zara Hussan
Plashet School, East Ham, London
Essay: 'Are fungi the answer to our climate crisis?'
RUNNER UP
Oisin Wagstaff-Dent
Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham
Essay: 'How has the introduction of Argentine ants affected ecosystems and human life?'
RUNNER UP
Sanjana Ahmed
Sarah Bonnell School, Stratford, London
Essay: 'Computational forensics: privacy or protection?'
The Young Science Writer Award has been generously funded by Alex and Jeff O'Brien, sponsored by DeepMind, and supported by the Royal Institution and the BBC.
The awards:
1st prize: £1000 + mentorship + 1 year ABSW membership
2nd & 3rd prizes: £250 + 1 year ABSW membership
Event details:
Venue: The Royal Institution, London
Date: 27 June 2022
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
The event will feature:
- Talks from science writers
- Panel of writers who will take questions from the audience
- Presentation of the awards
- Presentation of the essays by the winners (optional)
- Time for young people and established science writers to meet and chat over light refreshments
Who should attend?
- The winner and two runner-ups and their entire classes
- All other students who entered the competition and up to 3 guests each
- Secondary age students who are interested in science writing, journalism, or science communication
- Science writers with a particular interest in inspiring young people to follow a career in science writing
Please note that any young person under the age of 13 needs to be accompanied by an adult and will need to enter that person's name at the time of registering for the event. Young people 13 and older are allowed to attend the event without an adult, and will be allowed to leave unattended.