YSWA 2025 gets a record number of entries
The competition meant for young students engaged over 600 writers across the country, with submissions from all four nations. By Maisie Keogh
Picture: 2023 YSWA winner, Richael Forson from Eastlea Community School in London, in the foreground and her classmates in the background - Mark Lewis Photography
This year’s Young Science Writer Award has been the largest competition to date, with 607 entries(1) from young science writers across the UK. The enthusiasm from students and teachers has been truly inspiring, and the ABSW team was blown away by the level of engagement this year.
A special shoutout goes to the four schools with the highest number of entries: Archbishop Blanch School in Liverpool took the top spot with 32 submissions, followed by Sir Thomas Wharton Academy in Doncaster with 24, and Lynn Grove Academy in Norfolk and King David High School in Manchester had 18 entries each. A huge thank you to Mrs Armitage from Archbishop Blanch School, whose passion and encouragement inspired so many students to get involved!
A Competition for Everyone
This year’s competition attracted a diverse group of young writers, with 256 entries from 14-year-olds, 252 from 15-year-olds, and 83 from 16-year-olds(1). We also notice the trend in gender representation, with over 2.5 times as many girls entering as boys (370 entries from girls and 140 from boys(2)). On top of that, we’re happy to have received six entries from non-binary students.
The big topics
What are young people passionate about in science or what has inspired them? The most popular category was Healthcare & Life Sciences, which received 47% of all entries, reflecting a huge interest in medical breakthroughs, human health, and the future of life sciences.
Climate & Environment and AI & Technology were also major themes, each attracting 16% of entries. From the urgent need for sustainability to the cutting-edge world of artificial intelligence, students tackled some of today’s most pressing global issues.
Meanwhile, Mathematics & Physical Sciences saw 11% of entries, exploring the wonders of numbers, space, and the fundamental laws of the universe, while Engineering the Future accounted for 10%, showcasing groundbreaking ideas in transport, construction, and the technology shaping our world.
Young science writers are deeply engaged with the future of science and technology.
A truly national competition
Not only did we see a record number of entries, but we also had an incredible geographical representation. Our furthest north entry came from Moray, Scotland, on the edge of the stunning Scottish Highlands, while our furthest south entry was from Truro, Cornwall, nestled in the far southwest of England. And, for the first time, we had entries from all four nations of the UK, including submissions from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, a milestone moment for the competition.
What’s next?
With the judging process now underway, we want to wish the very best of luck to all our entrants. The winners will be announced in April, and we can’t wait to celebrate their achievements at our awards ceremony on June 23 at the Science Museum. This year’s event promises to be bigger and better, with an exceptional lineup of speakers so stay tuned for more updates.
We’re also thrilled to be working with our partners, including the BBC, The Royal Institution, and the Science Museum, as well as Stabilo, DK Books, and many more, to create a special prize package for our winners.
And that’s not all! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be launching our Young Science Writer Award social media campaign, #YoungScienceVoices. We’ll be hearing directly from this year’s entrants about what inspired them to take part, as well as from teachers on the incredible impact of the award in schools.
A huge thank you to everyone who has made this year’s competition such a phenomenal success. We can’t wait for the next chapter!
(1) Number of submissions. Final numbers of valid entries are still to be verified.
(2) Numbers reflect the answers provided for this question.
