ABSW Young Science Writer of the Year Award 2023
Celebration event and awards ceremony
At the beginning of 2023, the Association of British Science Writers invited students aged 14-16 years, attending non-selective state funded schools anywhere in the UK, 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 essays have now been assessed by our panel of judges, and the winners will be announced shortly. The winner and two runner ups, along with ten students receiving commendation prizes, will be presented their awards at a celebration event on 26 June 2023, hosted by the Royal Institution in London.
The Awards Ceremony, 26 June 2023
The ABSW, together with the Royal Institution and the BBC, invites you to this special celebration event at the Royal Institution, London on Monday 26 June, from 13:00 - 17:00.
At this event we will present the awards 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.
Young Science Writer of the Year Awards Ceremony
| Time | Programme | Location | Speaker |
| 13:00 | Registration | Main Entrance | |
| 13:30 | Welcome | Lecture Theatre | Andy Extance |
| 13:35 | Introduction to the Awards | Lecture Theatre | Daniel Glaser |
| 13:40 | Talk | Lecture Theatre | Isabel Thomas |
| 14:00 | Awards Ceremony | Lecture Theatre | Victoria Gill |
| 14:20 | Panel Session | Lecture Theatre | Alex O'Brien - Chair Helen Scales Hephzi Angela Paul Adepoju |
| 14:40 | Talk | Lecture Theatre | Shivani Dave |
| 15:00 | Close of Ceremony | Lecture Theatre | Daniel Glaser |
| 15:05 | Networking and food | The Library | |
| 16:00 | Close of event |
The Young Science Writer Award has been generously funded by Alex and Jeff O'Brien, 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
An additional ten students will receive commendation prizes of £100 each
Event details:
Venue: The Royal Institution, London
Date: 26 June 2023
Time: 13:00 - 17:00
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.
