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.

To mark the Young Science Writer Award’s five-year anniversary, we are introducing five entry categories, which we are calling the Five Frontiers. When you submit your essay, you will choose one Frontier. These categories are designed to help you orient your topic within a broad area of modern science and technology, spot the key scientific ideas your reader will need, and shape your piece around a clear central question.

Use your chosen Frontier as a starting point for brainstorming, then narrow your essay to one specific question, discovery, debate, or real-world application. Your topic can sit anywhere within science, engineering, medicine, or technology, as long as your writing is evidence-based and clearly explained for a general reader.

Remember, your essay must include at least one quotation from a relevant source. This could be an expert, a researcher, a clinician, an engineer, or someone with real-world experience of the topic. Including a quote helps you go beyond repeating what you have read online. It shows you have investigated your topic, weighed up different viewpoints, and thought critically about what the evidence and opinions suggest. Your job is then to explain what you learned from that quotation and how it shaped the conclusion you reached. Please note, that you should only email people if you have included your parent/guardian or teacher in the email. This is to ensure safety. Please check with your teacher or parent/guardian if you are unsure of the best way to contact someone you would like to speak to.

🧬 Frontier 1. Life Reimagined

Bioengineering | Genetics | Neuroscience | Medicine

Expanded scope ideas: immunology, synthetic biology, ageing science, reproductive science, regenerative medicine, microbiomes, prosthetics and assistive tech, public health, disability science, mental health science, personalised medicine, drug discovery, bioethics.

Possible essay-driving questions (examples):

What counts as “normal” when medicine can increasingly alter bodies, brains, and lifespan?
Could lab-grown organs realistically solve transplant shortages, and what new risks would they create?
How might advances in immunotherapy change cancer care, and who might be left behind?
Are “anti-ageing” interventions scientifically plausible, and what would longer lifespans mean for society?
Should we trust brain–computer interfaces for restoring movement or communication, and what data rights should users have?
Can the microbiome be “engineered” to treat disease, or is it too complex and individual?
What ethical problems arise when AI is used to diagnose illness, predict risk, or allocate treatment?
Should fertility and embryo technologies be regulated differently as they become more precise and accessible?

Image Credit: Human colorectal cancer cells treated with a topoisomerase inhibitor and an inhibitor of the protein kinase ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related), a drug combination under study as a cancer therapy. Cell nuclei are stained blue; the chromosomal protein histone gamma-H2AX marks DNA damage in red and foci of DNA replication in green. Created by Yves Pommier, Rozenn Josse, 2014

🤖 Frontier 2. The Digital Brain

AI | Computing | Robotics | Data Ethics

Expanded scope ideas: machine learning, cybersecurity, human–computer interaction, social media and information ecosystems, surveillance and privacy, algorithmic bias and fairness, explainability and accountability, autonomous systems, digital health, AR/VR, education technology, labour and automation, governance and regulation, energy use of computing.

Possible essay-driving questions (examples):

When an algorithm makes a harmful decision, who is responsible, and how should accountability work?
Should there be limits on facial recognition and biometric surveillance, and if so, what limits?
Can AI be “fair,” or does it inevitably reproduce social inequalities present in training data?
How reliable should an autonomous car or medical AI be before it is deployed, and what counts as “safe enough”?
How might robotics change care for older adults, and what human needs might robots fail to meet?
What is the environmental cost of modern computing, and how could “greener AI” be achieved?
How could cyberattacks on hospitals, transport, or power grids be prevented, and what are the ethical trade-offs?

Image Credit: Growtika on Unsplash

🌍 Frontier 3. Planetary Futures

Climate | Energy | Sustainability | Ecology

Expanded scope ideas: biodiversity, food systems, agriculture, water security, pollution and toxicology, environmental justice, climate adaptation, extreme weather resilience, circular economy, geoengineering, conservation technology, sustainable cities, transport systems.

Possible essay-driving questions (examples):

Which climate solutions scale fastest: renewables, nuclear, storage, efficiency, or behaviour change, and why?
Can carbon capture make a meaningful difference, or does it distract from reducing emissions?
What would a truly sustainable food system look like, and what technologies could enable it?
Are “nature-based solutions” (reforestation, wetlands) sufficient, and how do we measure their impact honestly?
Should geoengineering be researched, and what governance would be needed to prevent misuse?
Can biodiversity be restored at scale, or are some losses irreversible?
Which materials and design choices matter most in a circular economy?
How can we reduce plastic pollution when plastics are so embedded in medicine and safety?

Image Credit: Survey launch from NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER in the pack ice about 40 miles west of Point Barrow.

🧫 Frontier 4. Invisible Worlds

Chemistry | Microbiology | Quantum Physics | Materials Science

Expanded scope ideas: nanotechnology, catalysis, atmospheric chemistry, radiation, structural biology, pharmacology, semiconductors, batteries, superconductors, emergent properties, measurement science, microscopy and imaging, scientific uncertainty.

Possible essay-driving questions (examples):

Why is antimicrobial resistance accelerating, and what scientific strategies might slow it?
What makes some chemicals “forever chemicals,” and what would a realistic solution look like?
How do microbes shape human health beyond infection, including immunity and metabolism?
What does quantum physics actually enable in technology, and what is hype versus reality?
How do scientists “see” the invisible, and how do measurement limits shape what we think we know?
Are nanomaterials a breakthrough for medicine, or a new class of poorly understood risks?
What can atmospheric chemistry tell us about pollution, health, and climate feedback loops?
Why does uncertainty matter in science communication, and how should it be handled responsibly?

Image Credit: Yellow Fever Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Vero E6 Cells in culture infected with Yellow Fever Virus particles found within distended regions of the endoplasmic reticulum. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/51738868585/

🌌 Frontier 5. Cosmic Perspectives

Space | Physics | Astronomy | Big Questions

Expanded scope ideas: planetary science, astrobiology, cosmology, satellites and Earth observation, space debris, radiation biology, fundamental physics, mathematics, time, origins, philosophy of science, ethics of exploration, commercial space.

Possible essay-driving questions (examples):

What is the strongest evidence we could realistically get for life beyond Earth, and what would count as “proof”?
What can exoplanets teach us about Earth’s future, climate stability, and habitability?
How do satellites transform life on Earth (climate monitoring, navigation), and what vulnerabilities do they create?
What are the risks of space debris, and who should be responsible for cleaning orbit?
Are we close to detecting dark matter, and why is it so hard?
What do black holes teach us about the limits of physics?
Should we mine asteroids or the Moon, and how could space resources be governed fairly?
What ethical obligations do we have if we send probes to potentially habitable worlds (planetary protection)?

Images Credit: Abstract Art Found in the Orion Nebula Caption Close inspection of the 2006 Hubble Space Telescope color mosaic of the Orion Nebula (M42) reveals numerous treasures that reside within the nearby, intense star- forming region.