Competition Essentials
Everything you need to know, in one place—key details, guidance, and practical steps to help you guide your pupils to take part with confidence.
Competition essentials
At a glance
Who can enter: Pupils aged 14–16 in eligible UK schools (state-funded, non-selective). If you are in any doubt about whether your institution is eligible, please contact the Programme Director at [email protected]
Essay length: We ask pupils to aim for 800 words, with a 10% flexibility either side, meaning entries must be no shorter than 720 words and no longer than 880 words (excluding references). This range is deliberate: writing under 720 words rarely gives enough space to introduce the topic clearly, develop a line of reasoning, and support key points with evidence. Writing over 880 words tends to weaken the piece through repetition or unnecessary detail, and it often suggests the pupil has not had the opportunity to edit down to the strongest ideas. In short, the word limit is designed to reward strong planning, clear structure, and concise scientific communication—qualities that are central to excellent science writing.
File format: PDF only. This is essential for our judging process. If an essay is submitted in any other format, we will ask the pupil to resubmit it as a PDF. To avoid confusion and duplicate entries, please encourage pupils to submit one final PDF version only, ensuring it is in the correct format before uploading.
Deadline: The Young Science Writer Award opens for entries on Wednesday 7th January 2026 at 09:00 GMT. We will close the competition on Thursday 19th March 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
Judging focus: clarity, accuracy, evidence-use, originality, structure, and engagement.
Core expectation: Pupils should be able to show where their key facts come from, in a way that a reader can check. That means using sources responsibly and citing them clearly.
