Richael Forson of Eastlea Community School in London, the winner of ABSW's Young Science Writer of the Year Award 2023 has had her essay on Ghanaian environmental challenges published by the BBC.
Richael was awarded first place at an awards ceremony held in The Royal Institution’s world-famous Theatre on the 26th of June by Victoria Gill, BBC Science Correspondent. Richael’s emotive and impactful essay on ‘Cocoa farming: a story of struggle resistance and hope for change’, highlighted the challenges facing communities of cocoa farmers in Ghana.
Along with a £1000 prize to help nurture her talent for writing, Richael was also invited to BBC Cardiff to receive mentoring from science correspondent Victoria Gill and to learn more about science journalism.
Following the successful launch of the competition in 2022, the ABSW once again collaborated with the Royal Institution (Ri) and the BBC on the award. Students who are aged 14-16 years of age are invited to submit an essay on any subject in in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), helping them to cultivate their passion for writing. 2023 was the first year the competition was opened nationally to include schools across the entire UK.
Andy Extance, Chair of the ABSW, said: "I'm delighted that by opening up the Young Science Writer Award to the entire country, we got great entries on a wide range of interesting subjects. It's wonderful to see our runners up telling fascinating stories about cloning and the nature of infinity, and the winner taking on the way climate change and other environmental issues affect cacao farms like her grandfather's."
In attendance at the awards ceremony were runners-up Syeda Mahdiya Suraiya from Harlaw Academy in Aberdeen and Owain Ruddy of Ysgol Gyfun GWYR in Swansea (pictured). Their essays explored storytelling through mathematics and the ethics of cloning respectively, both highly engaging and timely pieces of writing, both receiving praise from the panel of judges. Both runners-up received £250 to support their science writing and future development.
The award’s organisers were delighted to see the talents of so many aspiring writers and science communicators shining through. Submissions highlighted some of the most pressing issues facing society today. For example, one explored the quantum realm and its impact on medicine. Another explained some of the wicked problems that AI poses for policymakers and our society.
This year the partners introduced ten highly commended awards for those thought-provoking entries which impressed our judges. The winners were Haleema Khan, Arina Zarubina, Hang Ming Zheng, Sarma Hassan, Taya Cooksey, Tiffaney Thirukumar, Sabrine Zamit, Avril Lansangan, Zayd Shaikh and Reda Pathan.
Jeff and Alex O’Brien who founded and generously sponsored the awards again this year shared. Alex O’Brien, who is also ABSW vice-chair, commented: “We also were excited to hear that 10 commendation prizes would be awarded, as we know there is so much quality in the submissions that more students deserved recognition .”
Also in attendance were award-winning science writers, journalists and broadcasters including Isabel Thomas, Shivani Dave, Helen Scales, Victoria Gill and Hephzi Angela. The winner and runners-up were supported by the classmates, and all had the opportunity to network in the Ri’s famous library.
Daniel Glaser, Director of Science Engagement at the Royal Institution, said: “The Young Science Writer’s Award is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the potential of our young people. In meticulously researching and crafting these original works, our winner and runners-up have each showcased the relevance of science to everyday life and, I hope, will help inspire others to have a future with science. Many congratulations to Richael, Owain and Syeda.”
The Young Science Writer Award will open again in Winter 2024 where the ABSW will be seeking more submissions from talented students with a passion for science writing. More details will be available here in the coming weeks. The winning entry has been published on the BBC News website.
For more information, please contact Maisie Keogh at the ABSW: [email protected] or Robert Davies in the Ri press office: [email protected]
