science essay prizes

Your browser is not supported

Sorry but it looks as if your browser is out of date. To get the best experience using our site we recommend that you upgrade or switch browsers.

Find a solution

• Skip to main content
• Skip to navigation

• Back to parent navigation item
• Collections
• Sustainability in chemistry
• Simple rules
• Teacher well-being hub
• Women in chemistry
• Global science
• Escape room activities
• Decolonising chemistry teaching
• Teaching science skills
• Get the print issue
• RSC Education

• More navigation items

The science competitions your students can enter this year

By Emma Molloy

Discover STEM-themed competitions for you and your students to enter in this academic year

Source: © Shutterstock

Learn about the fantastic array of science competitions your students can enter – so you can sign up as soon as possible

There is a great range of science competitions out there that your students can enter. Competitions come in all shapes and sizes, including essay writing, photography and video competitions, and can be local or national events.

Besides the array of downloadable materials you can make use of in your lessons, as homework or part of a science club, the benefits of taking part include learning how to work in a team, grasping how lessons apply to real-world problems, and there could even be some extra cash to bag!

You can jump straight to the lists of science-writing competitions , or more arty competitions (such as photography and drawing prizes), or simply read on to discover what’s open to you and your students this academic year.

These competitions have been ordered by closing date. Listing a competition does not serve as an endorsement by the RSC.  Last updated: 16 May 2024.

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge

Age: 19 or younger

Registration opens: now

Closes:  1 June 2024

This competition — aimed at Year 12 students but available to younger students — is designed to stretch and challenge students beyond the curriculum interested in chemistry and is excellent experience for anyone considering chemistry for further study.

Students sit a 90-minute written paper under exam conditions in school, which is sent out to schools in advance. Mark schemes are available to teachers, and for schools submitting more than five scripts, these should be marked by the teacher. Scripts of students scoring over 50% are then submitted. Students who perform well receive a certificate and the best performers are invited to join a residential camp at the University of Cambridge at the end of August

The website contains lots of past papers and mark schemes, which are a valuable resource for teachers. Full details are on the  website .

Science meets art

If you have some students who would be hooked by the artistic side of science, check out these competitions:

• RSB Photography competition (open to all ages; opens March 2024; £500 top prize for under 18s)
• RSB Nancy Rothwell Award for specimen drawing (ages 7–18; open March–July 2024; prizes include set of drawing pencils and small cash prizes for students and schools)
• Science Without Borders challenge is an artwork competition with a focus on ocean conservation. The 2024 theme is ‘hidden wonders of the deep’ (ages 11–19; closes 4 March 2024; maximum prize of $500)
• British Science Week poster competition ; this year’s theme will be ‘time’ (ages 3–14; closes March 2024)
• RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year is open to women of all ages and backgrounds (open and under 18s; closing date TBC but expected March 2024)
• Minds Underground Competitions ; Minds Underground run a number of essay competitions each year covering a variety of STEM and other topics (all ages; closing dates vary but 2024 questions will be released January 2024, see website for full details)

UKBC Intermediate Biology Olympiad

Age: Students in first year of 16+ education

Registration opens: now open

Competition dates: 5–12 June 2024

This international, annual competition is open to students in the first year of post-16 education in the UK. The competition consists of a one-hour multiple choice paper that is taken online under formal exam conditions. Questions cover topics students will be familiar with alongside some new concepts to test their problem-solving skills and understanding of core principals.

Practice papers are available to print to help students prepare. The competition is free to enter for UK schools and participants receive an e-certificate that recognises their level of achievement.

Find more information, including registering your school to take part, on the  UKBC website .

Science writing competitions

Numerous essays competitions run each year covering all aspects and areas of STEM. Below is just a selection of some of the competitions out there. Entries into science writing competitions make great additions to UCAS applications, and they get students thinking about science, too.

• The  Oxford Scientist  Schools’ Science Writing Competition  (700-word essay that teachers submit; ages 15–18; deadline 10 July 2024; prize includes being published in the magazine and feedback).
• Newnham College, Camb ridge (2000-word academic essay; age 16–18 women at state school only; deadline 8 July 2024; winners receive up to £400 to split with their school). Teachers can sign up to mailing lists now to hear more about this essay competition and other events from the college.

IET Faraday Challenge

Registration opens: January 2024 for the 2024–2025 season

Closes: July 2024

Faraday Challenges  are cross-curricular STEM activity days for UK schools run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. This annual competition draws on students’ practical science and engineering skills, asking them to work in teams to solve real-world engineering problems and think creatively. Schools can host Challenge Days and invite teams from local schools to join them or apply to join a day at another school. Planning for these events starts early, so plenty of time to get organised for the day.

Teams should be made up of six students aged 12–13 years old (England and Wales Year 8, Scotland S1/S2, Northern Ireland Year 9). Schools may host a challenge day themselves or attend one hosted at another school.

Students win prizes for themselves and a trophy for their school. There is also a national league table and the top teams from across the UK go through to the national final, with the chance to win a cash prize of up to £1000 for their school. Plus, by taking part students will also meet the criteria for achieving a CREST Discovery Award.

If you are not able to enter into the main competition, there is also the opportunity for students to take part in the  Virtual Faraday Challenge  open to anyone aged 7–15.

Local to Newcastle?

Newcastle Secondary School SciFair  is a university-run secondary school science fair for students from state schools across Newcastle. Sci-Fair is a whole day event that will take place during British Science Week. Students can get the opportunity to present their models, posters or PowerPoint presentations about a scientific topic of their choosing. SciFair is open to ages 11–16. There are multiple prizes to be won on the day to recognise student’s efforts. Spaces are limited capacity, so students should wait for their projects to be approved before starting work.

EMBL Art and Science Project

Age: 14–18 Participation deadline: 31 August 2024

Discover the world of proteins with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and create an artwork inspired by what you’ve learned. Cash prizes of up to €100.

Visit the website to find out more. 

Deadlines passed:

Stockholm uk junior water prize.

Submissions open: 29 Feb 2024

Submission deadline: 13 May 2024

This prize challenges young people in STEM to develop innovative yet practical solutions to the global water crisis. Entrants decide on a topic or problem that they want to investigate and undertake background research and experimental work before submitting a full written report.

Students whose reports are shortlisted get to present their work virtually to the judges. The winning UK entry receives £1,000 cash prize and a fully funded trip to represent the UK and their school at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition in Sweden in August and be in with a chance to win the international grand prize of US$15,000!

Learn more on the  website .

UKBC Biology Challenge

Competition dates: 1–17 May 2024

The Biology Challenge is a fun, annual competition open to students aged 13–15 in the UK. The challenge compromises of two, 25-minute, multiple-choice papers, and students need to complete both papers to be considered for an award category.

The questions set cover the school curriculum, but also caters to budding biologists whose knowledge has been enhanced by reading books and magazines, watching natural history programmes and taking a keen interest in all things biology.

Practice papers are available to help students prepare. The competition is free to enter for UK schools and participants receive an e-certificate that recognises their category of achievement.

Find more information and register your school to take part on the  Biology Challenge website .

BIEA Youth STEAM Competition

Registration opens:  October 2023

Closes: April 2024 for first-round submissions

The  BIEA Youth STEAM Competition  asks students to use their creativity to come up with ideas for a more sustainable future based on a specific theme. The theme for 2024 has yet to be announced, but the theme for 2023 was “developing solutions for sustainable cities”. Students research, design and present their solution, including a written report.

Students can enter as individuals or in teams of up to five members and schools can enter more than one team. There are lots of competition categories to cover all age groups. Submissions are expected to be accepted from January 2024 and the international final to be in July 2024. Learn more on the competition  website .

Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) Science Challenge

Registration opens:  1 March 2024

Closes: 26 April 2024

Imperial College London’s RCSU Science Challenge is all about science communication – requiring students to demonstrate their skills in debate and reasoning and teach the public about science and its consequences. Questions on a given theme are set by eminent scientists – who even read the shortlisted entries, so there’s a real chance students’ work will be seen by world-leading academics. This year’s theme is Hidden depth.

Students can answer one of the questions in either written or video form of up to 1000 words or three minutes, 30 seconds, respectively. Winners receive cash prizes, plus there are non-cash prizes for the runners up.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the grand final on 21 June 2024 at the Royal Institution, where they will deliver a short presentation. Find more information about taking part on the  challenge website .

Unsung Heroes of Science video competition

Close s: 30 April 2024

The International  Unsung Heroes of Science video competition   from Hertford College, University of Oxford is open to all 16–18 students. Entrants are tasked with making a two-minute video sharing the story of a scientist whose contributions were overlooked. Entries can be submitted by individuals or in teams of up to three.

The competition website also has lesson plans and links to videos of previous unsung heros, which are great resources for teachers to inspire their students.

British Science Week poster competition

Age: 3–14 Registration opened: January 2024 Closes: March 2024

British Science Week will run from 8–17 March. Alongside numerous activities and events across the country, there will be a themed poster competition – and this year’s theme will is ‘time’.

Entrants can explore a wide range of ideas covered by the broad theme. Judges are on the look out for an innovative angle or creative interpretation of the theme; clear, accurate and informative content; and effective, engaging communication. This competition is a great way for students to practise their communication skills. There are numerous prizes up for grabs that cover all age categories.

Entrants can be teams or individuals from any organisation, although schools are limited to five entries. Find out more on the  website , including activity packs and other resources to make the most of British Science Week.

Big Bang Young Scientists and Engineers Competition

Age: 11–18 Registration opens:  October 2023 Closes: 27 March 2024

The Big Bang Competition  is open to young people aged 11 to 18 in state-funded education or who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. Private school participants can get involved as part of a collaboration with state-school peers.

Participants complete project-based work, focusing on investigation, discovery and use of scientific methods. Students choose their own STEM topic and work to submit their project as a written report or short video. The possibilities are endless!

Students can include their involvement in the competition in their extracurricular activities on UCAS forms and personal statements and have a chance of winning a range of awards and cash prizes.

Find out how to get started and get inspired with past projects on the  Big Bang website .

MathWorks Math Modeling challenge

Age: 16–19 (England and Wales only) Registration opens:  November 2023 Closes: 24 February 2024

The  M3 Challenge  is an internet-based applied maths competition that inspires participants to pursue STEM education and careers. Working in teams of three to five students, participants have 14 consecutive hours to solve an open-ended maths-modelling problem based around a real issue during the challenge weekend, 1–4 March 2024.

The problem typically has a socially conscious theme – equity, the environment, conservation or recycling, energy use, health, and other topics that young people care about. The challenge gives students the opportunity to use maths modelling processes to represent, analyse, make predictions and otherwise provide insight into real-world phenomena. For example, 2023’s problem centred around modelling the impacts of e-bikes to better understand if they are likely to become part of a global, more sustainable energy plan.

Numerous free  resources , including modelling and coding handbooks, videos and sample problems are available to help teams prepare for the event.

The competition’s final presentation and awards ceremony event is held in New York City in late April – an all-expense paid experience for the finalist teams. These top teams will be awarded scholarships toward the pursuit of higher education, with members of the overall winning team receiving $20,000 (»£16,000).

For rules, resources and to register, visit the competition  website .

The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition

Age: 16–18 Registration opens: now Closes:  30 September 2023 and 31 March 2024

The  Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition , run by Cambridge Assessment, is an exciting extra-curricular activity for teams of aspiring scientists who are studying with the Cambridge IGCSE or O Level science programmes.

Teams of three to six students choose a topic and work on a scientific investigation over 20–25 hours. The competition encourages investigations with some practical or community relevance and an eye on sustainability.

Projects may involve laboratory work and should include creative and collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Students should be given the opportunity to present their results to a wider audience, perhaps at a science fair or other school event.

Teachers provide initial project evaluations and the best are put forward for consideration by a panel of experts. The winning team receives a certificate and is featured on the competition website. The competition runs twice a year, so keep abreast of all the dates  on the website .

TeenTech Awards 

Age: 11–16 Registration opens: now Closes:  March 2024 for first-round submissions

The  TeenTech Awards  encourage students to see how they might apply science and technology to real-world problems across several different categories, from food and retail through the future of transport to wearable technology. Students identify an opportunity or a problem, suggest a solution and research the market.

Students can work in teams of up to three people and there are lots of award categories. All submitted projects receive feedback and a bronze, silver or gold award. The event is well supported with training sessions for teachers and students, so everyone knows what to expect and what the judges will be looking for!

The best projects go forward to the TeenTech Awards Final for judging and the winning school in each category will receive a cash prize. The final is expected to take place in London in June 2024.

Schools’ Analyst

Age: 16–17 Registration opens: soon Closes: 23 February 2024

The  Schools’ Analyst Competition  is returning to schools in 2024. Run collaboratively by the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund and the Royal Society of Chemistry, this event allows students to expand their chemistry knowledge and skills through practical analytical experiments. Students must be in Year 12 (England, Wales, NI)/S5 (Scotland)/5th Year (Ireland).

Schools and colleges register their interest to host a heat and, if randomly selected, can now enter up to 25 teams of three students to compete to be crowned the overall school winner. Each winning school team will then compete within their region to find regional winners. Regional winners receive a cash prize for themselves and their school.

Register your school  to take part by 23 February 2024. To take part, students only need access to standard school laboratory equipment and some consumables (a bursary is available for those who need it).

Equipment boxes are sent to 400 entrants, selected at random, and delivered in advance of the event. Results must be submitted by 17 May in Ireland (to ensure schools have the chance to award winners before the summer holidays) and 14 June elsewhere.

Slingshot Challenge

Age: 13–18 Registration opens: now Closes: 1 February 2024

The  Slingshot Challenge  is run by National Geographic and is an exciting opportunity for students to get involved with the global programme. Students can enter in teams of up to six. Individual entries are welcomed although all entries are expected to involve collaboration with peers, stakeholders, and/or marginalized communities.

Students work to prepare a short, 1-minute video, from topics with an environmental focus. Training sessions for teachers and resource/tool kits are available from the website and the providers can offer feedback and technical support ahead of official submissions.

Videos are expected to put forward compelling, evidence-based information and be engaging for the audience. A small number of motivating prizes are awarded each year to the student of up to $10,000.

For full details see the  Slingshot Challenge website .

UK Chemistry Olympiad 

Age: 16–18 (recommended) Registration opens: September 2023 Closes: January 2024

Run by the RSC, the  UK Chemistry Olympiad  is designed to challenge and inspire older secondary-school students, by encouraging them to push themselves, boost their critical problem-solving skills and test their knowledge in real-world situations.  Explore past papers  to get an idea of the types of questions involved.

There are three rounds that culminate with the prestigious  International Chemistry Olympiad , which will take place this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Round 1, a written test taken in your school, is scheduled to take place on 25 January 2024. Students then receive bronze, silver or gold certificates depending on their scores. Up to 30 students will then be selected to move on to the second round – a training weekend at the University of Nottingham. Four students will then be chosen to represent the UK in the international competition from 21–30 July 2024.

To get started, register your school or college. Do this and find out more information about preparing on the  Olympiad homepage .

Top of the Bench

Age: 14–16 Registration opens: soon Closes: January 2024

Top of the Bench  (TOTB) is an annual practical chemistry competition that has been running for over 20 years. It’s a long-standing favourite for students and teachers, and provides an opportunity for students to put their teamwork and practical skills to the test.

Regional heats are led by  RSC local sections  between October and January. The winning team from each heat progresses to the national final, held in the spring at a UK university (where there is also a session for teachers to explore resources and classroom ideas with one of the RSC’s education coordinators).

First prize is awarded to the best overall school performance, with five teams receiving runners up prizes. The Jacqui Clee Award is also awarded each year to the student who makes an outstanding individual contribution.

Teams must consist of four students: two from year 9/S2; one from year 10/S3; one from year 11/S4.

Find more information including past papers and how to apply on the  TOTB homepage .

Imperial College Science & Innovation Competition

Age:  4–adult Registration opens:  September  2023 Closes:  15 December 2023

The  Science & Innovation Competition , run by the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College, aims to motivate primary and secondary-aged children to engage with science, to encourage them to work as part of a team and engage in fun activities. Adults are also welcome to enter.

Teams of two to four people are asked to develop a new and innovative scientific solution to help achieve one of the  United Nation’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development . To enter, teams need to create a five-minute film that describes the science behind their idea. Finalists are invited to take part in an event during spring 2024 at Imperial College, London (date to be confirmed). Learn more on the  website .

Global essay competition: Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability

Age: 35 and under  Registration opens: now Closes: 31 March 2023

An  annual essay competition  on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability, organised by the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The competition is open globally to entrants under 35 years of age. The theme for the 2023 competition is: How can the chemical sciences lead the stewardship of the Earth’s element resources?

Essays will be grouped into seven regions for shortlisting and selection of winners, based on the entrant’s country of normal residence. Each regional winner will receive a prize of US$500 and their entries will be published in  RSC Sustainability . The shortlisted essays will be collected in an annual compendium,  Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability , available on the IOCD’s website. Individual shortlisted entries will also be featured from time to time on IOCD’s website.

Essays will be judged on how well they highlight the importance of scientific approaches grounded in the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges. Entrants should take a broad, global perspective, and reflect on the intersection of science, society and policy aspects, rather than describing a particular scientific advance in great technical detail. Essays must not exceed 1500 words of body copy.

Cambridge Chemistry Race

Age: 16–18 Registration opens: Mon 5 December 2022 Closes: February 2023

In the  Cambridge Chemistry Race , teams of 3–5 students solve as many theoretical problems as they can over the course of two hours – ranging from easy riddles to tasks of A-level difficulty and complex chemical problems.

Once a team has solved a question, the examiner verifies their answer and hands them the next question. Points are awarded based on the number of successful attempts. Whoever gets the most points wins!

Students are allowed to use a calculator, books, notes, and printed literature. The challenge aims to test problem-solving skills and chemical understanding rather than knowledge. Explore past questions and solutions  here  to get an idea of what’s in store.

Schools may only enter one team each and places are first come first served.

The competition is run in collaboration with the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. This year, it is joined by the University of Oxford too, so students may compete in either city. The competition will take place on Saturday 4 February 2023. Learn more on the  competition website .

• Competitions
• Curriculum enhancement and enrichment

Related articles

The real prize of entering STEM competitions

2020-12-10T10:23:00Z By Annabel Jenner

Both you and your students can gain a lot from participating in science competitions besides winning

Getting the most out of the UK Chemistry Olympiad

2024-06-05T07:00:00Z

It’s the competition with something for every learner and teacher. Discover the benefits of participation here

Your guide to the UK Chemistry Olympiad

2024-06-05T07:00:00Z By Nina Notman

Discover how your school can easily participate in the leading annual chemistry competition for secondary school learners

9 readers' comments

Only registered users can comment on this article., more feature.

Improve students’ understanding with Johnstone’s triangle

2024-08-19T07:12:00Z By Duncan Short and Colin McGill

Make abstract ideas concrete by linking macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic representations

Here's how to showcase science careers students can aspire to

2024-08-05T05:22:00Z By Carol Davenport

Get learners to see a future in science by highlighting attributes and skills

Enhance students’ learning and development with digital resources

2024-06-17T05:02:00Z By David Paterson

Tips and a model to improve learners’ understanding and develop vital skills using digital learning

• Contributors
• Print issue
• Email alerts

Site powered by Webvision Cloud

The Oxford Scientist

The University of Oxford's independent science magazine

Schools Science Writing Competition 2023

The 2023 Oxford Scientist Competition, which was more competitive and rewarding than ever, featured a distinguished panel of senior judges, including Nobel Prize-winning physician scientist Sir Peter Ratcliffe, Environmental Researcher Dr Anna Murgatroyd, Senior Researcher in Translational Proteomics Dr Darragh O’Brien and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Hannah Jones. The competition was proudly organised by the Oxford Scientist team and led by the Competition Leads Franziska Guenther and Gavin Man.

We are delighted to announce the winners and runners-up for the 2023 Schools Science Writing Competition.

The overall winner of the competition is ‘ The wheels on the bus… return of the flywheel ‘ by Joseph Lailey, Sandringham School.

Year 12-13 winner is ‘ bacteria: taking a bite out of climate change ‘ by isabel hubbard, abbey school, reading., year 10-11 winner is ‘ has scientific visibility come with greater skepticism or support ‘ by mariam elalfy, wolverhampton girls high school., overall winner, joseph lailey.

Sandringham School.

The wheels on the bus… return of the flywheel

Year 12-13 winner

Isabel hubbard.

Abbey School, Reading.

Bacteria: Taking a bite out of climate change

Year 10-11 winner

Mariam elalfy.

Wolverhampton Girls High School.

Has scientific visibility come with greater skepticism or support?

‘How has Covid-19 changed public perception of Science? ‘ by Abira Prasad, The Tiffin Girls’ School.

‘ Geoengineering: The Ethical Dilemma of Climate Science ‘ by Aoife Oliver, St James’ Catholic High School.

‘ Has COVID-19 changed public perception of Science? ‘ by Leonardo Mercado, Radley College.

‘ Climate change denial: cause for concern? ‘ by Milly Kanagasabay, Guildford High School.

‘The path to save the world is a bleak one’ by Michael Coleman, St Augustine’s Catholic Sixth Form.

‘ Climate Change: Complicated Science, Complex Solutions?’ by Matt Fitchie, RGS Guildford.

Dr Sir Peter Ratcliffe

Peter J. Ratcliffe , M.D. is a physician scientist who trained as a nephrologist, before founding the hypoxia biology laboratory at Oxford. His laboratory elucidated mechanisms by which human and animal cells sense oxygen levels and transduce these signals to direct adaptive changes in gene expression. For this work he shared the  Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019 .

He holds appointments as Director of Clinical Research at the Francis Crick Institute, London, and is a Distinguished Scholar of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Oxford.

But it’s not all hard work: this year he took part in an episode of Master Chef and attended the King’s Coronation.

Dr Anna Murgatroyd

Dr Anna Murgatroyd is a research associate at the Environmental Change Institute in the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on making sure we have access to safe and reliable water, both now and in the future. She has experience modelling water systems, examining the vulnerability of water supplies to climate change and changing demand. She also investigates potential new water supply infrastructure, demand management schemes, operating policies and regulatory rules, working closely with the Environment Agency and OFWAT.

Dr Darragh O’Brien

Dr Darragh O’Brien is a senior researcher in Translational Proteomics at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, where he utilizes biological mass spectrometry approaches to characterize and decipher mechanisms of human disease. His interests lie in how protein structural disorder and modifications such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination relate to protein function and disease, with a specific focus on neurodegeneration. He obtained his PhD in Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, which was supervised by Professor Sir Simon Lovestone, where he developed quantitative proteomic strategies for the discovery and validation of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease. In addition, Dr O’Brien has held research positions at Institut Pasteur in Paris and University College London. In his spare time, Darragh is an avid reader, and enjoys supporting his native Ireland in rugby.

Dr Hannah Jones

Dr Hannah Jones studied her PhD at the University of Bath in biophysics, on the thermodynamics of enzyme catalysis. Since 2019 she has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oxford, within the Nuffield Department of Medicine. There, she applies mass spectrometry based proteomics to investigate a potential drug target for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition

The Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition aims to give students the opportunity to explore scientific concepts and topics beyond the classroom, and to engage with scientific research.  

**The 2024 Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition has now closed.

You can see the information about the competition below.

To read a selection of the winning essays from 2024, please click here .

We will publish information about next year's competition in early 2025.**

Who can take part?

The Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition is open to students in their penultimate year of study (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or equivalent) who are educated in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Please make sure that you have read the submission guidelines and FAQs sections carefully before entering.

Submission Guidelines

Your essay should be no more than 2,000 words including footnotes and appendices on one of the four questions listed below. You should include a bibliography and ensure that all sources are referenced. The bibliography is excluded from the word limit. We know that not all students will be familiar with referencing, so you might find the following page from the University which includes a Guide to Harvard Referencing helpful ( https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/Official-Publications/referencing ) . Any other standard system of referencing style is also acceptable. Please note that all work should be your own, should not be produced by Artificial Intelligence, and should not include any work that has been or will be submitted to an exam board as part of your studies. The main focus of your essay should not be material previously or currently being studied as part of your school courses.

There is a maximum of four entries per school, preferably across the range of questions. Please note that this limit does not apply to Sixth Form Colleges where year groups are over 1000 students in size. All entries must be approved by a teacher, so please make sure a teacher at your school knows that you are entering. On the submission form you will be asked to provide a name and contact information for the teacher who will be supporting your application. If more than four entries are submitted by one school, we will contact the referees at this school to let us know which submissions are to be considered. Schools with lots of potential entrants may wish to run their own internal competition before the chosen answers are submitted to us for consideration.

 We are unable to consider any essays which have not been submitted by the deadline.

Your essay must be submitted as a PDF. Please ensure that all pages in your essay are numbered, and that your name and school appears clearly on the first page. You should name your PDF file in the following format: Question number-Surname-First Initial e.g. Q2-Smith-T. Your teacher will then receive an email from Peterhouse asking them to confirm that you are eligible and that your essay complies with our guidelines. 

Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition Questions – 2024

• Why do duckbill platypuses fluoresce under UV light?
• Mitochondria are always shown as ovals; in reality they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Why?
• Why are there so few venomous mammals and no birds, whereas there are so many venomous reptiles?
• Reintroduction of ecosystem engineers (e.g. beavers) can have major impacts on the environment. What species would you reintroduce (or introduce) to the British Isles and why has this not been done already?

Can I answer more than one of the four questions for the 2024 Kelvin Essay Competition?

We ask that students only submit one essay per person.

Can I make any changes once I have submitted my essay using the above form?

Please note that once you have submitted your entry it is not possible to make any changes – please ensure you are happy with your work before pressing ‘submit’.

Will I receive feedback on my essay?

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of submissions, it is not possible to provide feedback on individual essays.

Why do I need to include contact information for a teacher at my school, and who should this be?

After you submit your essay we get in touch with a contact at your school so that they can confirm you are eligible for the competition, and that the essay is your own work. This can be any teacher at your school who knows you, for example, the Head of Biology, one of your subject teachers, your form tutor, or your Head of Year.

The competition has a prize pool of £750, which will be shared between the winners. Winners will be contacted by email - please make sure your contact details are entered correctly! A prizegiving ceremony will be held in Cambridge in the summer.

If you have any further questions relating to the competition, please email us at [email protected] .  

Enquiries: [email protected]

Dundee: 01382 221 221

Dedicated to the advancement of research in all branches of cell biology.

Science Writing Prize

Communicating science in words that are engaging and understandable is vital at many levels. The BSCB Science Writing Prize was launched in 2009 to encourage and reward high quality writing on topics of key relevance to cell biology. Entrants have either communicated their own research projects or science stories in the literature, in a clear and concise way aimed at a non-specialist audience, or written essays that were not be limited to research  per se,  but tackled a bioethical or science policy issue. The BSCB Science Writing Prize aims to encourage writing skill development in young researchers rather than seasoned veterans ( see rules below ).

The competition entry deadline is usually in February/March and will be posted in our news section on the homepage of the website and communicated to members by email.

The deadline for entries this year (2024) is March 31st.  Prize winners will be announced at the joint BSCB/Biochemical Society Cell Migration meeting in April 2024.

The winner of the 2023 competition is Aleksandra Pluta from University of Oxford

You can read the winning entry here.

General Rules: The winner receives  a prize of £500  and has their winning entry  published in the BSCB magazine and online  (both on the BSCB website and subject to editorial acceptance on the excellent  www.lablit.com  website). Normally the prize is presented before one of the main plenary talks at the annual BSCB Spring Conference.

Each year shortlisted entries are judged by an external expert. In previous years we have enlisted the kind help of Tim Radford (Writer and former Science Editor at The Guardian), Viv Parry (Science Writer and Columnist), Tania Hershman (Science writer, former science journalist and writer-in-residence at Bristol University), Dr. Jenny Rohn (a cell biologist at UCL, who is also a science writer, novelist, blogger, broadcaster, the editor of  LabLit.com  and the founder and chair of Science is Vital) and Barbara Melville (science writer, former writer-in-residence at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and board member with the Association of British Science Writers).

Remember: You must be a BSCB member to enter. The full rules and how to enter can be found  here.

Previous Winners

Bscb science writing prize 2020.

One for all, all for one, or – what does it take to be multicellular? When people think of biology, ‘big’ often comes to mind: elephants, whales, redwoods. A closer look, though, reveals that the vast majority of organisms are in fact unicellular: think bacteria, archaea, and countless algae and fungi. But what does it […]

Read more...

• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2019
• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2018
• BSCB Writing Prize 2017
• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2016
• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2015
• Science Writing Prize 2015
• Science Writing Prize 2014
• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2013
• BSCB Science Writing Prize 2012

Perseverance Pays Off for Student Challenge Winners

As radioisotopes power the Perseverance rover to explore Mars, perseverance “powered” three winners to write essays each year till they achieved their mission goal of winning NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge . These students explored behind the scenes at NASA's Glenn Research Center and Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) in Cleveland after writing the top essays in the national contest.

The competition for kindergarten through 12th grade students focuses on the enabling power of radioisotopes. Students were challenged to learn how NASA has powered some of its most famous science missions and to dream up how their personal “superpower” would energize their own radioisotope-powered science mission.

Judges narrowed down over a seventeen hundred creative essays to 45 semi-finalists, who received prize packs, nine finalists, who participated in a videoconference with NASA experts, and three winners, who were awarded with a visit to NASA Glenn.

“I’m so impressed by the work of these talented young students. It’s wonderful to see their interest, innovation, and creativity at this stage in their lives. Our future is bright!

Dr. Wanda Peters

Acting Deputy Director, NASA's Glenn Research Center

“I’m so impressed by the work of these talented young students,” said Dr. Wanda Peters, acting deputy center director at NASA Glenn. “It’s wonderful to see their interest, innovation, and creativity at this stage in their lives. Our future is bright!”

Rainie Lin , the kindergarten through fourth grade winner; Aadya Karthik , the fifth through eighth grade winner, and Thomas Liu , the ninth through 12th grade winner, toured several research facilities including the Electric Propulsion and Power Laboratory , Telescience Support Center , Graphics and Visualization Lab , and Simulated Lunar Operations Lab . Along the way, they met with engineers and researchers to learn about NASA’s missions and the technologies that are innovating exploration.

The next day students and their families traveled to GLSC, which houses NASA Glenn’s Visitor Center. Accompanied by members of NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) team, the group toured the visitor center and explored the many interactive displays.

“It was our pleasure to host the three student winners of The Power to Explore Challenge, and I hope that this visit will further inspire and motivate them to pursue their interests in science and exploration,” said Carl Sandifer, manager for NASA’s RPS Program. "We are so impressed by the ideas and quality of the essays submitted this year and we can’t wait to what new ideas student come up with for next year’s challenge!”

The Power to Explore Challenge asked students to learn about the RPS, one of NASA’s “nuclear batteries” it uses to explore some of the most extreme destinations in our solar system and beyond. Students then wrote about their own power to achieve goals in 250 words or less.

NASA will hold its fourth-annual Power to Explore Challenge later this fall. For more information on the challenge visit: The Power to Explore Writing Challenge homepage .

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE:

Power to Explore is a national essay challenge that asks students in grades K-12 to learn about Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), a type of “nuclear battery” that NASA uses to explore some of the most extreme destinations in our solar system and beyond, and then write about, in 250 words or less, an RPS-powered space mission that would energize their space exploration dreams.

ABOUT FUTURE ENGINEERS:

Future Engineers hosts online contests and challenges for K-12 students. Previous challenges have helped produce historic achievements – from naming NASA’s Perseverance rover to manufacturing the first student-designed 3D print in space. All challenges are offered free for student and classroom participation. For more information, visit futureengineers.org . Follow Future Engineers on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

Media Contact: Kristin Jansen Public Affairs Specialist Office of Communications NASA RPS Program Phone: 216-296-2203 Email: [email protected]

Discover More Topics From NASA

Radioisotope Power Systems

About Plutonium-238

Radioisotope Power Systems Missions

Radioisotope Power Systems Safety and Reliability

The Scientific Teen

Stem by the youth, for the youth.

Win a microscope, cash prizes and more!

The scientific teen is an organization dedicated to stem education and opportunity, and we are delighted to continue this mission with our  inaugural stem essay contest.

We are proudly sponsored by Crimson Education, Evident, GT Vision, StickerGiant  and   Taskade

Open for entries: 1 4th March  2023

Submission deadline: 1st May 2023

Winners announced:  Start of June  at our prize-w inning event!

Technology category

Microsco pe sponsored by GT Vision

$150 sponsored by Crimson Education

Lifetime Taskade Unlimited sponsored by Taskade

Scientific Teen merch sponsored by StickerGiant

2ND PRIZE: 

$100 sponsored by Crimson Education

Lifetime Taskade Unlimited sponsored by Taskade 

3RD PRIZE: 

$50 sponsored by Crimson Education

Science category

Microsc ope sponsored by Evident

All entrants will be offered 5-year upgrades to Taskade Unlimited on Taskade!

Essay questions

Technology category :

Which piece of technology will have the greatest impact in the near future and why?

Science category :

Describe a recent scientific breakthrough you consider important.

Rules and guidelines  

Essays must be between 750 and 1000 words

References must be in the APA referencing style.

Include a bibliography (the bibliography will not be included in the word count)

Essays must be written in English

You must be between the ages of 13 and 18 on the date of submission (14th March 2023)

Students may submit only one entry per subj ect category, but may enter both categories

Submit essays as a PDF, Microsoft Word document or a Google Doc

Essays must be submitted by 5pm EST on May 1st

Any submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be  discounted 

We will judge entries based on the following criteria:

Clar ity : how well the essay explains the chosen topic: any reader should be able to understand the scientific research.

Research : whether the essay has used valid and relevant sources; whether an appropriate bibliography has been created.

Analysis : whether the essay addresses why the topic matters in the wider context of the world and justifies the research as it relates to the question.

Language : how engaging the essay is; whether it uses an appropriate style and tone;  whether it uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Judging Criteria

If you do not have a  gmail account, please email your submission as a pdf and all your details to [email protected], no data will be  shared with third parties  .

The Scientific Teen STEM Essay contest  is proudly sponsored by Crimson Education.

Crimson Education is the world's leading US/UK university admissions consultancy. They have a personalised data-driven approach that has helped thousands of students gain admission into the Ivy League, Oxbridge, and other top universities. 

Crimson was founded in 2013 with a vision to equalise the university admissions playing field, serving as the launching pad that equips students across the globe to overcome barriers of geography and legacy to compete on the world stage. It was founded by three students, including CEO Jamie Beaton who had just been accepted to 25 of the world's best universities including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton and Cambridge.

Crimson now has 28 offices around the world, with over 2,400 mentors supporting students on their journey to their dream university.  

StickerGiant is a maker of custom stickers and labels based in Longmont, CO. Every sticker has a story, and they want to help everyone tell their stories with expression through custom stickers labels. They are makers and quality matters to them, and they take pride in delivering high-quality stickers and labels.

You can find them with the handle “@StickerGiant” on social media sites.

At Evident, we are guided by the scientific spirit—innovation and exploration are at the heart of what we do. Committed to making people’s lives healthier, safer, and more fulfilling, we support our customers with solutions that solve their challenges and advance their work; whether it’s researching medical breakthroughs, inspecting infrastructure, or exposing hidden toxins in consumer products.

Evident Life Science empowers scientists and researchers through collaboration and cutting edge life science solutions. Dedicated to meeting the challenges and supporting the evolving needs of its customers, Evident Life Science advances a comprehensive range of microscopes for pathology, hematology, IVF, and other clinical applications as well as for research and education. 

For more information, visit  EvidentScientific.com

GT Vision Ltd. is an independent microscope supplier founded in the UK by microscopy enthusiasts in 2003.  Our friendly team offer expert, unbiased advice about which microscopes best match your requirements and jointly have 50+ years of experience in working with educational sectors. We supply multiple brands including Leica, Olympus, Meiji, Motic, Euromex, Dino-Lite and our own brand GX Microscopes, plus many more.

We are thrilled to have been invited by The Scientific Teen to contribute a prize for the STEM Essay Writing Competition and in doing so, helping to raise scientific awareness and education for our next generation.

Find GT Vision at:

Twitter:  @gtvisionUK

Facebook:  @GTVisionUK

Ins tagram:  @gtvision.microscopy

Website: www.gtvision.co.uk

 Taskade makes remote collaboration exceptionally powerful, yet blissfully simple, in one unified workspace. In a world where teams need to communicate and coordinate remotely, across time zones, the complexities compound with each new tool hired to do the job. Taskade believes the future of work is remote, asynchronous, and real-time. It helps teams stay competitive in the modern workplace by cutting down the unnecessary friction in planning, organizing, and decision-making to help your team get work done together, faster, and smarter.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

How to apply

Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists

Applicants will submit a 1000-word essay that is judged by an independent editorial team organized by the journal Science. Essays are assessed on the quality of research and the applicants’ ability to articulate how their work would contribute to their scientific field.

Who can apply

Entrants for the 2023 prize must have received their Ph.D. between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022. As a rule, we will only accept submissions once within this time period

• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Genomics, Proteomics and Systems Biology Approaches
• Ecology and​ Environment
• Molecular Medicine

For more information about the rules of eligibility, entry procedures and selection of winners head to the Science website .

Winning Essays

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_button2 title=”Go back” style=”square” color=”sky” size=”sm” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yalescientific.org%2Fsynapse%2Fcontest-winners%2F|title:Contest%20Winners|”][vc_empty_space height=”32px”][vc_column_text css_animation=”top-to-bottom” el_class=”winning-essays”]

Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Yale Scientific Synapse High School Essay Contest!

This year’s essay prompt was:

There is a moment that defines success, that “ah-ha” moment when the barrier of your expectations of what is possible to achieve is shattered. Yet, for every Nobel Prize success story or every innovation that is deemed media frenzy worthy, there are hundreds of breakthroughs that go unnoticed by the general public. Choose an important but under-discussed breakthrough from the past 5 years, and describe why it is so significant.

Entangled in a Quantum Future

1st Place Winner, Yale Scientific Magazine National Essay Competition 2019 Kelvin Kim Bergen Catholic High School, Oradell, NJ

The rate of discovery in science has accelerated dramatically since the 20th century. This should not be surprising since our knowledge base doubles approximately every 13 months. Some scientists even predict that the “internet of things” will lead to even more dramatic accelerations. Many of these advancements have gained widespread recognition while others are relatively unknown to the general public.

For example, Chinese researchers at Shanghai’s University of Science and Technology made advances on data teleportation based on quantum entanglement but remained underrecognized. In 2017, this team, led by Ji-Gang Ren, shattered previous distance records for such teleportation experiments. The previous record, set in 2015, achieved successful transmissions using 104 kilometers of superconducting molybdenum silicide fiber. Firing a high-altitude laser from Tibet to the orbiting Micius satellite, the Chinese team achieved successful transmissions over distances up to 1400 kilometers. Later, they successfully transmitted quantum data from the satellite back to Earth at distances ranging from 1600 to 2400 kilometers. In doing so, they demonstrated the viability of someday being able to create a “quantum internet,” over which information could be exchanged far more securely than is possible today.

The phrase quantum teleportation is somewhat misleading. In the Chinese experiments, no particles were physically teleported from Earth to space like most people might imagine after watching sci-fi programs like Star Trek . “Quantum teleportation” involves information, not matter. To grasp this, we need to understand the basic nature of quantum entanglement.

Quantum entanglement is a way of describing two particles with matching quantum states. The states in question, of which there are four possibilities, have to do with vertical or horizontal polarization. The entangled particles are linked in such a way as to mutually influence one another. Moreover, when one particle is observed, information about the other can be known. These effects hold true even if the entangled particles are separated by great distances.

Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu first experimentally demonstrated quantum entanglement in a laboratory, showing an Einstein-type correlation between two photons that were well separated from one another. Back then, all she could do was show correlations between entangled photons separated by a small distance. The experiment conducted by Dr. Ren’s team in 2017 is fundamentally the same as the experiment that was conducted by Dr. Wu almost seventy years ago. However, the Chinese researchers’ achievement is significant because they strove to do what Dr. Wu did at a far greater scale. Instead of performing the experiment in a laboratory, the Chinese physicists demonstrated entanglement between a photon on Earth and a photon on an orbiting satellite. These particles were separated by distances of at least 500 kilometers—the greatest distances that quantum entanglement have ever been recorded. This accomplishment was all the more impressive as it was achieved using detectors on a satellite that was traveling around Earth at orbital speeds.

Quantum entanglement means that data can seemingly be “teleported” since the information about one of the particles in an entangled pair will always reflect information relevant to the other particle. This is the main concept behind the potential applications being investigated by scientists. While nothing may be physically teleported, the fact that information about an object can be accessed instantaneously from anywhere has significant implications for the future.

One potential application of this concept is the quantum internet. The researchers showed that working with entangled particles while they are separated and moving at fast speeds is possible. This could provide a means of ensuring data security. Since the mere act of observing a particle changes its quantum properties, recipients of information over a quantum network could instantly know, by comparing the state of the paired particle at the point of transmission to that of its partner at the point of reception, not only if a message had been decrypted, but even if it had been merely observed. To this end, the Chinese scientists—in collaboration with European partners at the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences—aim to establish a secure quantum-encrypted channel by next year, and a global network in the following decade.

It is not surprising that the first practical applications of quantum entanglement are expected to appear in the realm of cyber-security. The regular internet is vulnerable to hacking because data still flows through cables in the form of bits, into which the hacker can tap and decrypt. A bit can either represent a zero or a one, but not both at the same time. The quantum internet, on the other hand, doesn’t have this problem because it utilizes qubits, a quantum state a particle is in when it represents both zero and one simultaneously. If a hacker tried to access a stream of qubits, the qubits would seem to have values that are either zero or one, but not both. This means that by trying to access information in the stream of qubits, the hacker would just end up destroying the data he is trying to hack.

Beyond this, the term “quantum internet” doesn’t actually have a clear definition. “Quantum internet is still a vague term,” explains physicist Thomas Jennewein of the University of Waterloo.

In summary, the research being conducted by Dr. Ren, his colleagues, and their European partners on data teleportation via quantum entanglement is significant because it represents the scaling-up of this technology to the point where its practical application is imminent. Before 2017, no previous experiments in this field had been done over comparable distances with such reliable results. The fact that global partners are planning to establish secure quantum channels based on these experiments in the near future ensures not only that such networks will soon be a global reality, but also that scientists will be delving ever deeper into the mystery of quantum entanglement. This research places humanity on the threshold of a new world of quantum applications that we can scarcely imagine today.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Yale Scientific Synapse High School Essay Contest!

A Plantastic Solution to an Aqueous Problem

By John Lin

Water covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface, but throughout the world, this natural resource appears to be drying up.1​ ​Due to global warming, desertification is rapidly spreading across the world. The world is finding that critical freshwater reserves are disappearing in the face of increasing population growth.2​ ​Just as more water is needed, less water is available. However, cacti have dealt with this problem for millennia and have adapted to arid climates. We can learn from these prickly plants to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems.

Our current stopgap measures are failing. Most modern water storage methods use jerry cans, lidded buckets, and clay pots but require backbreaking labor that is predominantly done by females.3​ ​UNICEF estimates that across the world, women and girls spend 200 million hours collecting water each day, forcing them to abandon their education and employment and enter a cycle of poverty and dependence.4​ ​Additionally, this water is often dirty, resulting in major waterborne disease outbreaks that devastate developing nations, Finally, these buckets require a tradeoff between water supplies, temperature, and sanitation. For example, clay pots lose water to evaporation but are cooler.5​ ​On the other hand, buckets create a warm environment ripe for bacteria growth.

Instead of using costly chemical reactions to synthesize hydrogen and oxygen, scientists can find a cheap solution in biomimicry. Succulent plants are uniquely adapted to absorb and retain water from their arid surroundings. Learning from them will help us efficiently deal with desertification and minimize water conflicts. Cacti are among the most effective succulents, surviving in habitats from the Atacama Desert to the Patagonian steppe.6​ ​Semiarid and arid areas experience varying levels of rainfall, demanding different tissue thicknesses and structural designs. We should study cacti to produce location-specific containers that can absorb and store safe water at optimal temperatures.

Scientists should explore water retrieval methods including cacti’s water absorption. Cacti build shallow roots that can branch out, allowing them to react quickly to rainfall.7​ ​We can utilize capillary action, much like plant roots, to gather water at a cheap energy cost. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of the Sciences are studying artificial root systems that could store rainwater.8​ ​Some cacti also store fog water, thanks to spines that collect water molecules. Scientists from Beihang University are already developing similar structures by electrospinning polyimide and polystyrene.9​ ​Moreover, this could help improve filtration systems. Dr. Norma Alcantar from the University of South Florida found that prickly pear cactus gum effectively removes sediment and bacteria from water.1​ 0​ We could eliminate common diseases, free women to pursue studies, leisure, or careers, and save millions of lives.

Researchers can also improve water storage by focusing on cacti because of their high water retention. Because of their fleshy tissue, many cacti can hold large amounts of water. In fact, Charles Gritzner, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography at South Dakota State University, notes that some can store up to 2 tons of water, or 1,800 liters.1​ 1​ We can learn from their thick structures to maximize the quantity of water stored. Cacti also have unique structural designs including protective hair to deflect sunlight, which defends against dangerous heat levels.1​ 2​ Cacti have additionally developed waxy skin to prevent water loss.1​ 3​ We can combine this with biodegradable material to promote environmental sustainability by avoiding plastic. These innovations fix the current temperature-water loss tradeoff and maximize utility.

This large, bulky bucket would be incredibly adaptable. In foggier areas like the Atacama Desert, artificial spines would help collect water, while mechanical roots would work better in drier places. The layer of gum-like lining on the inner walls of the pail would improve sanitation. The water would be protected from heat through intricate designs of folds and hair. The outer waxy coating would help preserve water while maintaining cooler temperatures. Humanitarian organizations could distribute this in developing nations, ensuring that each family has a stable, safe source of water.

The consequences of ignoring water shortages are dire because water is the most precious resource of life. Not only is approximately 60 percent of the adult human body made of water, each American uses around 80-100 gallons of water every day.1​ 4,15​ This has promoted hygiene and eliminated disease outbreaks, with handwashing alone reducing diarrheal disease-related deaths by almost 50%.1​ 6​ With antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing rapidly, hygiene is critical for public health. Water is also heavily used in food production, irrigating 62.4 million acres of American cropland in 2010.1​ 7​ Agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater withdrawals each year.1​ 8​ As global warming intensifies regional climates, more water is needed. Otherwise, the world would be torn apart by hunger and thirst.

Losing water will also have major geopolitical implications. The World Economic Forum has ranked water crises among the five most impactful global issues for the past four years.1​ 9​ As countries compete for an ever-shrinking supply of water, wars are bound to break out. The Global Policy Forum predicts that more than 50 countries across five continents will likely be forced into water conflicts.2​ 0​ Already, nuclear armed states such as India and Pakistan engage in water fights.2​ 1​ The resulting wars could claim billions of innocent human lives.

Although more advanced technology is being developed, biomimicry provides a cheap, clean, and quick answer to the billions of people surviving on inadequate and unsafe water. Unless we take action, water wars, food shortages, and disease outbreaks will tear the world apart. For the sake of humanity’s survival, we must turn to cacti to guide our water foraging efforts in the developing world.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Yale Scientific Synapse High School Essay Contest!

If Science were to make a huge breakthrough in the next year, what do you think would be the most beneficial one to society? Why?

Breaking Through Ocean Acidification

1st Place Winner, Yale Scientific Magazine National Essay Competition 2017 Clara Benadon Poolesville High School, MD

As a Marylander, one of my favorite things to do is make the trek up to the Chesapeake Bay. Its sparkling waters and abundant wildlife set it apart as a prime jewel of the East Coast. Nothing can compare to the experience of paddling down the Potomac River on a sunny day, the boughs of a sycamore arching overhead.

Apart from being a stunner, the Bay provides major cultural and economic benefits. Its unique way of life is perfectly encapsulated in the small towns of Smith Island, where watermen make a living from the estuary’s riches. On a recent visit, one local said to me, “We truly build our lives around the water.” From the local fisherman to larger commercial operations, the Chesapeake provides $3.39 billion annually in seafood sales alone, part of a total economic value topping $1 trillion. The stability of these waters is endangered by the growing problem of ocean acidification. This occurs when the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed into bodies of water, causing surging acidity levels. Acidification leads to the protective carbonate coverings of shellfish to disintegrate, killing off large amounts of oysters, mussels, and scallops. Oyster reefs filter the Bay; without a thriving population, harmful pollutants run rampant. The low oxygen conditions caused by high acidity also make it hard for fish to breathe. Even with survivable oxygen levels, low pH can be fatal for fish.

The plummeting numbers of these Chesapeake staples make a dent on the economy. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland and Virginia have suffered losses exceeding $4 billion over the last three decades stemming from the decline of oyster health and distribution. High acidity causes oysters’ growth to be stunted, so that shellfish fisheries cannot profit from the smaller, thinner shells.

The losses aren’t economic alone. An estimated 2,700 species call the Bay their home, a remarkable level of biodiversity that is threatened by ocean acidification. The loss of even one species causes a ripple effect through the entire food web, sending it into a state of unbalance.  According to a 2004 study in Science, the survival of threatened and nonthreatened species is closely intertwined: when an endangered species goes extinct, dependent ones suffer. Moreover, biodiversity keeps in check the amount of carbon dioxide in any body of water. Zoom out from the Chesapeake to the world ocean. Skyrocketing acidity is present in almost every aquatic biome on our planet. When pH is low, coral reefs cannot absorb the calcium carbonate that makes up their skeleton. Corals, along with snails, clams, and urchins, disintegrate en masse. A particularly disturbing image of ocean acidification is its effect on the neurology of fish. Their decision making skills are significantly delayed to the level where they sometimes swim directly into the jaws of predators.

Economically, the UN estimates that ocean acidification will take a $1 trillion bite out of the world economy by the year 2100. This massive cost has direct human implications, including health, job security, and cultural heritage. In addition, the economies of many countries are wholly dependent upon reef based tourism and other activities built around the water.

We need a solution to our world’s rapidly acidifying oceans. If science were to make a major breakthrough, solving this problem would be beneficial to our economy and ecology on an unprecedented scale. Methods that at first appeared brilliant have either been limited by their feasibility or come to be outweighed by their negative side effects, ultimately prolonging the search for a solution.

The unorthodox method of dumping enormous amounts of iron sulphate into the water is based on the principle that iron fertilizes phytoplankton, microscopic organisms found in every body of water. The energy phytoplankton gain from the iron allows them to bloom, absorbing CO 2 from the atmosphere and the ocean. When the phytoplankton die they sink to the bottom of the ocean, locking the CO 2 there for centuries. In 1988, the late oceanographer John Martin proclaimed, “Give me a half tanker of iron, and I will give you an ice age.” It is theorized that fertilizing 2% of the Southern Ocean could set back global warming by 10 years.

Why not implement this magic fix? First off, iron fertilization has come under fire for its negative side effects. A 2016 study in Nature determined that the planktonic blooms would deplete the waters of necessary nutrients. Additionally, when the large bloom dies, it would create large “dead zones,” areas devoid of oxygen and life. Side effects aside, this technique may be entirely ineffective. Carbon dioxide may simply move up the food chain when the phytoplankton are eaten and be respired back into the water. This was observed when the 2009 Lohafex expedition unloaded six tons of iron off the Southern Atlantic. The desired phytoplankton bloom it caused was promptly gobbled up by miniscule organisms known as copepods.

The alternative solution of planting kelp is less drastic. Revitalizing expansive forests of algae has proven to be effective in sucking up underwater CO 2 . Kelp grows as quickly as 18 inches a day, and once established offers the added benefits of providing a habitat for marine species and removing anthropogenic nutrient pollution. Researchers from the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, who have been monitoring the capability of this process, have found that kelp forests are effective at diminishing acidification on a local scale. While planting carbonsucking species across the ocean would not be a feasible global solution, kelp forests could help solve the acidification crises found in less expansive areas.

To date, there is not one straightforward fix to combat ocean acidification and its corrosive effects. If a scientific breakthrough were to occur, it would perhaps be comprised of a combination of methods. However, as science and technology continuously evolve, the key to deacidifying our oceans may well turn out to be something beyond our wildest dreams.

A Revolutionary Combatant to Global Warming

2nd Place Winner, Yale Scientific Magazine National Essay Competition 2017 Arjun Marwaha Fairmont Schools, Anaheim CA

Accelerated industrialization and incredible innovation by the human species has completely morphed our 4.54 billion year-old planetary home in just a few centuries. Through feats of agriculture and language, humans have profoundly suggested superiority over all domains that dwell on Earth. Just recently, the culmination of human capability appears evident; through scientific means such as CRISPR’s gene splicing technique and Elon Musk’s inconceivable vision to send people around the moon, humanity is on the verge of a new creation: a feasible “dominance” over our galaxy.

Nonetheless, several ramifications have scarred our Earth ever since humans have undertook these robust, industrial actions. As first priority, scientists should direct their focus onto preserving our planet from the cataclysmic effects of the greenhouse effect — the trapped carbon dioxide gas in Earth’s atmosphere which thereby generates additional heat into our planet. This can be achieved by developing a renewable energy-based device to chemically convert carbon dioxide into clean products, which in turn will inherently benefit our environment and most definitely the society with the future generation of useful, renewable products.

One prominent solar example of this was physically engineered at the University of Illinois in Chicago, by mechanical engineer Amin Salehi-Khojin, in July of 2016. In their prototyping phase, the research team was able to construct a device that can absorb carbon dioxide, utilize sunlight to break CO2 into “syngas” (gas similar to hydrogen and carbon monoxide), and then use this synthesized gas directly as diesel or be turned into other liquid fuels. Just from this experiment alone, it is discernible that the potential to create such a device to eliminate the excess carbon dioxide exists within the scientific community; thus one can expect multiple breakthroughs in this field in the coming year alone, from solar to maybe even wind based technology. Furthermore, this prototype exemplifies the truly infinite possibilities that renewable energy sources can harness by converting the harmful gas into beneficial compounds.

Indisputably, this methodology has positive consequences, with little to no risk, hence producing an overall positive for both the Earth’s maintenance, and all animals and humans in regards to air quality. However, one may argue that this “breakthrough” has existed for epochs: plants, as they convert the carbon dioxide from the air into valuable sugars through the cyclical, self-sufficient process known as photosynthesis. But due to recent industrialization leading to deforestation, plants in general are becoming more and more rare in an industrial-based city. So without having the plants absorb the toxins and carbon dioxide in the air, the breeding ground for extreme pollution in cities, like New Delhi, India, exists. This eventually triggers an urgent necessity for renewable methods to get rid of these pollutants and toxins; and if plants cease to exist in harsh climates where toxins exist, then this innovative technique of splitting the carbon dioxide into useful products surely will have the ability to stay in industrial cities like these; and if they have capability to withstand the worst toxins, they surely will have the staying power in the international market.

In addition to its efficiency, the mere utilization of such a technology will sincerely resonate with the scientific community. Since numerous attempts have been made by scientists to find sustainable solutions to the greenhouse effect, the community — and more so the public — are desperate for a panacea. This solution not only thrives off the absorption of carbon dioxide, but it also creates several efficient products including but not limited to gaseous compounds that can provide liquid fuel or diesel, thereby acting as a detriment to further carbon emissions. Now, the world has seen this technology exist in one small laboratory. Through extensive research on maximizing the utility of the materials, the next massive breakthrough will be attempting to scale this technology to the international market, while ensuring that this device can be inexpensive as possible so that the scientific community can make some slot of profit. For this effective cost and efficient design, this device can essentially gain international acclaim after scientists give their approval to showcase a brand of these carbon emission combatants, all of which exist in different shape or form but run on renewable, green energy.

Without a cast of a doubt, the renewably-energized devices will completely revolutionize our approach to global warming. By developing a method that can concurrently reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and generating “split” products that promote green energy, the scientific community would absolutely gain the same recognition of this breakthrough as, for instance, circulating two men around the moon. This ideology, in effect, prompts people to question who they really are. Scientists are curious and explorative. But can they halt this mindset and instead focus on a more impeding dynamic: introspection of our character. Thus, it is only ethically sound that we as humans understand one blatant reality: our curiosity has, in essence, disrupted the nature of our Earth. So, it is only morally correct that we humans disband from our brigades in space, leave the hospital’s dissections and illnesses, and truly save our only home known to man.

Congratulations to the winners of the third Yale Scientific Synapse High School Essay Contest!

This year’s essay prompt was: “How does bias affect the course of scientific research? Discuss how public and personal bias has hindered and facilitated scientific progress.”

The Duality of Bias

By rocel beatriz balmes 1st place winner, yale scientific magazine national essay competition 2014 haines city high school lake alfred, florida.

Traditionally defined as a partiality towards particular people, objects, or beliefs, bias has developed a rather negative connotation—particularly in science—of resulting in unfair advantages and, thus, inaccurate results. Though this has, in effect, rendered it equivalent to a social pariah to the scientific community, throughout the years, it has persisted as a definitive barrier to scientific and social progress.

Take, for example, the emergence of “Social Darwinism” in the late 1800s. Despite the fact that Darwin focused only on biological evidence in animals and seldom mentioned ramifications for humans, public bias took the words of famed eugenicist Francis Galton and perpetuated the idea of a biologically superior race. Observing and dissecting the differences between their own fair features and the large lips and dark skin of their slaves, Americans came to the conclusion that they were the de facto superior race in all aspects of humanity, despite the lack of scientific empiricism. Instead of obtaining impartial evidence for their superiority—of which, they would actually find none—they focused their efforts on finding justification for their enslavement and systematic dehumanization of African Americans for centuries to come. Though this pseudoscience was nothing but a gross perversion of Darwin’s widely supported Theory of Evolution and Natural Selection, the concept of a harsher eugenics outlined by Vacher de Lapouge based on this very theory and the idea of white supremacy became the underpinnings of Nazi Germany’s eugenics agenda. This form of scientific racism, verified only by the bias of a racist, ethnocentric society led to the creation of global selective breeding programs that eliminated—and, in fact, continue to eliminate—millions of innocent people leaving only masses of unrealized potential for scientific and social progress.

Unfortunately, such bias is not unique to eras of the past. From the very dawn of its conception in the mid-to-late 1900s, stem cell research has been influenced by bias. Though the utilization of the cells as transformative tissues has been revolutionary, this was only possible with the extraction of the inner cell mass in a human embryo. Such procedures, when first introduced, shocked the public as a process strikingly similar to the very destruction of human life, regardless of the undeveloped status of said human. Researchers were swayed by some of the strongest proponents of the ban of such procedures. Rather than specific religious denominations or political parties, the conflict attracted masses of people from differing backgrounds to forge a formidable opposition to the progression of health science. Consequently, some research institutions succumbed to the period’s public and private moral bias and halted experimentation. That is not to say, of course, that this bias was in any way intended with malice or aimed to deprive severely ill people of life-saving stem cells. Bias—public bias in particular—is oftentimes muddled with the fear of the unorthodox and the unconventional. In this case, though the bias did prevent scientific progression, it is important to note that it was influenced by a people that was, perhaps, not quite ready for such progression.

Alternatively, bias can provide the push that some societies need in order to develop and revolutionize. Just as most words in the English language, the word bias is double-faceted by nature. Far from the unscrupulous reputation it usually holds in science, it can also be defined as a predilection or a fondness for something—an emotion that all scientists must have in order to undertake the challenges of their satisfying yet simultaneously grating careers. Thus, through the years, bias has had the dual role of barrier and catalyst to major scientific breakthroughs.

Take, for example, the conflict with stem cell research. Stem-cell pioneer James Thomson was a researcher in one of only two laboratories in 1998 to successfully extract stem cells and, at the same time, destroy the human embryo from which they were plucked. In a New York Times Article titled “Man Who Helped Start Stem Cell War May End It”, Thomson says that he knew of the social stigma that surrounded his research and that he himself was, at first, very skeptical of the moral implications and had even worked with ethicists before he unknowingly detonated a moral bomb with his ground-breaking scientific research. When public opinion proved to be a seemingly significant barrier biased against his progress, however, instead of backing down and raising the metaphorical white flag of surrender, Thomson’s determination was only fueled by this bias against him. Working with researchers from Kyoto University, Thomson helped developed a new technique of adding a few genes to ordinary skin cells to make them function like stem cells. The scientific ramifications of this ethically sound method are infinite. Aside from the obvious benefits in research, the medical world is now bombarded with revolutionary new methods and treatments as vital tissue generation without the need to wait for donors becomes a possibility. Though the road ahead may still be paved with challenges in production for Thomson, without the public and his own personal bias of morality pressuring him, his systematic search for and discovery of an ethical method would not have become a reality.

Though one might be tempted to label the above example as the exemption to the rule of bias’ role in science, it is important to note that some of the greatest innovations and fundamental truths of our world were conceived under researchers’ personal bias of belief in their ideas. From Galileo Galilei and Louis Pasteur, to Marie Curie and Jane Goodall, these scientists lived during eras during which they were ridiculed by a public inexorably biased against them for daring to have an alternative model of the world and, in the latter individuals’ cases, a gender unorthodox for a scientist. Yet, personal conviction, determination and, yes, bias led these three scientists to international acclaim. Indeed, bias possesses a dual dynamism that allows it to stand as an obstruction to and creator of scientific progress. Suspended between these two polarities is where revolution, innovation, and true science emerge.

Everything is Awesome

By marina tinone 2nd place winner, yale scientific magazine national essay competition 2014 william h. hall high school west hartford, connecticut.

My brother and I were blessed to have our own Lego collections. Our rooms were lined with shelves and shelves of our own creations, some of them built using the instructions from the Lego sets, most of them made by ourselves. We ditched the boring booklets in the box and just made what we needed.

For my brother, his bricks were used to build complex helicopters and submarines, usually creating machines significantly more complicated than the ones designed by Lego. When I asked him about his submarine, and why all the pieces he used weren’t the same color, he told me that the submarine was supposed to be invisible, so the colors didn’t need to match. Besides, the hinges, the pulleys, the contraptions he made by himself– those were the important parts.

In my world, my Lego creations weren’t invisible. My stuffed animals needed sleds to play in the snow, houses to sleep in, school buses to go to school in the morning and come back in the evening. My machines were not as complex as my brother’s, but they worked, and my colors matched. The stuffed animals needed their yellow school buses, and I thought a sled would look nice in blue.

My brother’s Legos always impressed our parents. He definitely had the eyes of an engineer, a scientist. Now, when Mom and Dad looked into my room and watched their daughter raise a blue sled loaded with stuffed rabbits into the air, well… the kids were different, that’s for sure.

Watching my brother receive praise for his creations from our chemist and engineer parents, I thought that science was restricted to those interests. Science was for the ones who made Legos for the sake of the machine, not for the ones whose stuffed rabbits wore scarves.

I wonder– did the world think the same way I did when Rosalind Picard introduced affective computing in 1997? Upon learning more about the limbic system and its role in shaping perception, Picard realized that it was not enough to simply create new microprocessors and develop energy-efficient chips if they didn’t interact with the user’s emotions and social cues. Technology needed a more human touch to develop. When she created this novel field and opened it to the world, did her peers find such emotion-based studies unworthy? Did they believe that such “science” was an aberration to the disciplines that touted rational, sentiment-free thinking?

As Picard explained to Adam Higginbotham of Wired magazine, “I realized we’re not going to build intelligent machines until we build, if not something we call emotion, then something that functions like our emotion systems.”

Today, there is an international conference and a journal dedicated to affective computing, and labs around the world continue to further the field by finding applications for their “intelligent machines” to shape how we interact with technology every day.

What about those who supported computer science in the 1970s, back when computer science looked like a pile of hole-punched papers? Computer scientists once had to suade others of the viability of a field that would later become one of the most relevant and lucrative areas of study.

What about Gregor Mendel’s investigation with pea plants in 1866? Mendel’s contemporaries criticizing his work surely did not know that he would be credited for fathering the ever-evolving field of genetics.

What about Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine in 1798? No one believed that the ungodly idea of infecting someone to treat someone would save millions of lives.

Did those biased against the potential, the validity of these new fields and scientific pursuits, really understand their purposes and merits? With their closed interpretations of science, did they really understand what science is and can be? Over time, scientists have attempted to define science. Astronomer Carl Sagan asserted that “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” Physicist Stephen Hawking describes science as “not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.”

Although both eloquently stated their thoughts, I am convinced by the words of chemist Marie Curie –

“I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician; he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. We should not allow it to be believed that all scientific progress can be reduced to mechanism, machines, gearings, even though such machinery also has its own beauty.”

I remember comparing my blue sled to my brother’s invisible submarine, and I hold onto my creation a little tighter. Maybe there is something more to science than my brother’s sophisticated machines. When my younger self stood in her room, surrounded by her Lego bricks, she shouldn’t have diminished the progress she had made in her Lego laboratory, just because she didn’t use pulleys or interlocking gears.

I shouldn’t have been so close-minded against my own science, just because the world around me was biased against my ideas. From my studies, I hypothesized, I tested, I built upon my past results. My world needed science, but it didn’t need what had already been done, or was already deemed acceptable. It needed my own input. Call my ideas biased, call them faulted. But without the individuals interpreting and solving their world’s struggles using their own definitions, science would cease to develop.

Scientists continue to stand in their laboratories in child-like wonder, enraptured by the phenomena that enchant them, in all shapes and forms. Science is about discovering what you find beautiful in your world, and working, playing, in order to fulfill your personal curiosity and the needs of your imagination.

Let’s sit down. Let’s open up those boxes filled with possibilities. Throw away the instructions.

Let’s play.

The Good and Bad of Bias and Prejudice in Science

By jonathan chan 3rd place winner, yale scientific magazine national essay competition 2014 milton academy milton, massachusetts.

Scientists take pride in using the scientific method that dictates testing a hypothesis dispassionately with objective experiments, scrutinizing that the results are replicable, presenting all the data for independent peer review, and addressing any dissenting views vigorously. Over the years, scientists have been very successful in creating the public myth that they love second guessing their own hypotheses to safeguard themselves from unintentional bias and prejudice. This rigorous process has enabled science to become exalted as an arbiter of truth by most people. In reality, however, scientists behave very differently and bias in scientific research is in fact quite common; a steadily growing number of published papers have been found to be not replicable, calling into question the validity of many widely accepted hypotheses.

Scientists are humans, with personal beliefs and values. It is human nature to look for evidence to support one’s beliefs. A fundamental flaw of human nature is its love for being proven right and hate for being proven wrong. This flaw causes scientists to unconsciously find data to confirm their preferred hypotheses or preconceptions, and they overlook – even disregard – evidence that is contrary. This phenomenon is known to psychologists as “confirmation bias”. A study of the efficacy of Chinese acupuncture is an interesting example of how cultural beliefs of scientists affect their research. Clinical experiments on acupuncture performed in Asia overwhelmingly support its therapeutic effectiveness, while trials implemented in the West show inconclusive results.

“Confirmation bias” can influence every step of any scientific experiment set up to test a hypothesis, from how the experiment is designed, to how the results are measured, to how the data are interpreted. Scientific research today is highly competitive and involves significant financial resources; a culture of publish or perish is pervasive. There is constant pressure on scientists to generate groundbreaking discoveries in drugs, materials, and technologies. The experimental methods are highly complex, and as a result, “positive results” are extremely difficult to produce, measure, and assess. No wonder many researchers become overly excited over the first piece of positive data, giving it biased prominence over the mundane, negative results and subsequently “shoe- horning” the flawed data that eventuate a faulty conclusion.

In theory, peer review by independent professionals and publications should provide an effective defense against these subtle biases. In practice, however, this process is just as prone to the same kind of confirmation biases which favors positive results over null data and negative hypotheses. A recent study on the selection process of scientific publications concludes that papers are less likely to be published and to be cited if they report “negative” results. A prominent example of this institutional bias involves a high-profile study which linked child MMR vaccination with increased incidences of autism. This study caused widespread panic and resulted in a detrimental decade-long decrease in child immunization. Although numerous studies were conducted at the same time supporting a contrary conclusion, these “negative-result” papers failed to gain the level of attention of the “positive-result” paper the retraction of which took ten years.

History is replete with incidences where biases and prejudices have not only steered scientific research, but also fostered malicious prejudice of the research on an unsuspecting public. The prejudicial practice of eugenics in the early 1900’s caused thousands of innocent people to be labeled as inferior and unjustly persecuted for no scientific reason. Lysenkoism in the 1930’s in the Soviet Union advocated bias and useless “scientific” methods to increase crop yields for political purpose, resulting in the deaths of millions of starving peasants. On the other hand, bias has not always hindered scientific progress. Scientists in the past could not have known whether their brilliant ideas were right or wrong. Many of the problems they were trying to solve were not only difficult but also inductive due to a lack of evidence. These ideas necessarily originated as wild guesses encompassing the scientists’ individual biases and prevailing societal values.

Astrophysicist Mario Livio in his book “Brilliant Blunders” provides a litany of bias- induced scientific blunders which in time transformed into breakthrough scientific discoveries. Linus Pauling was a protein specialist and was likely to be biased in favor of proteins, which fueled his erroneous prediction of the DNA structure. Charles Darwin came out with the flawed theory of inheritance because he was likely influenced by the biases of the plant and animal breeders prevalent during his career. Lord Kelvin’s inordinate devotion to tidy mathematics and his bias against messiness resulted in his inaccurate calculation of earth’s age.

However, as these unconscious personal biases and societal prejudices are “uncovered” and properly understood, this development can actually facilitate the pursuit of true scientific knowledge. Bias and prejudice in science have caused unfortunate setbacks but at the same time have generated clarity for decisive shifts in thinking and accelerated advances. The scientific process is complex, messy, and at times even boring, full of starts and stops. Yet, this system of inquiry encompasses a self-correcting tendency which has withstood the test of time and remains a stunning success in understanding nature and improving lives. As influential German philosopher Hans-Gerog Gadamer writes: a researcher “cannot separate in advance the productive prejudices that enable understanding from the prejudices that hinder it”. Preconceptions can spur as well as blind in scientific research.

Unfortunately, scientific research today may have become overly zealous in guarding itself against biases and prejudices, succumbing to politically correct social forces and avoiding tackling sensitive problems and issues which may offend the prevailing public morality. Scientific research is increasingly constrained by these forces dictating what topics can be studied, how we study them, why we need to study them, and who gets to do the studying. A bigger crisis looms should science lose its relevance and importance due to excessive fear of unavoidable bias and prejudice in scientific research. As the Wright brothers said: “If a man is in too big a hurry to give up an error he is liable to give up some truth with it.”[/vc_column_text][vc_button2 title=”Go back” style=”square” color=”sky” size=”sm” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yalescientific.org%2Fsynapse%2Fcontest-winners%2F|title:Contest%20Winners|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

THE NATION'S OLDEST COLLEGE SCIENCE PUBLICATION

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Best Science Writing Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 17 contests that match your search.

Elegant Literature's Monthly Award For New Writers

Elegant Literature

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult, Flash Fiction, and Science Writing

One of the largest awards open to unpublished writers and closed to professionals. We are the first magazine to pay pro rates and only accept submissions from new writers, putting over $150k into the hands of emerging talent around the globe so far. One new writer receives the grand prize. We also choose the best stories, pay the authors professional rates, and publish them in our magazine. June's theme is Secret Societies.

Additional prizes:

10x Paid publication, 25 x $20 USD | Free entry to Novelist Accelerator

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (Expired)

The Book of the Year Awards

The Independent Author Network

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Crime, and Short Story

The Independent Author Network presents the 10th Annual IAN Book of the Year Awards, an international contest open to all authors with 55 fiction and non-fiction categories. Winners are eligible to receive a share of cash prizes of $6,000 USD. Open to all English language print and eBooks available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors.

$6,000.00 USD in total cash prizes

💰 Entry fee: $49

📅 Deadline: August 16, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

The Letter Review

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking Nonfiction 0-5000 words. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

💰 Entry fee: $2

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest

Unleash Press

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We aim to assist writers in the completion of an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to aid in the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will also receive editorial feedback, coaching meetings, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit.

Coaching, interview, and editorial support

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)

Reader Views Literary Awards

Reader Views

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the top literary awards programs for independent authors.

Several marketing prizes (e.g. book review)

💰 Entry fee: $89

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2024

Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition

Future Scholar Foundation

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

The Future Scholar Foundation's (FSF) monthly short story competitions are designed to enhance students' communication skills and foster impactful self-expression in their daily lives. The FSF's competitons have reached over 1,500 students in over 8 US states and were featured in The Seattle Times and Northwest Asian Weekly. Participate now for the chance to earn prizes up to $25 and publication on the Future Scholar Foundation's website!

$25 Amazon gift card

Publication on website

📅 Deadline: May 28, 2024 (Expired)

Artificial Intelligence Competition

New Beginnings

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Storytrade Book Awards

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Storytrade Book Awards recognizes excellence in small and independent publishing. Open to all indie authors and publishers including self-published authors, university presses, and small or independent presses, our annual awards program spotlights outstanding books in a number of fiction and nonfiction categories.

Medal, Book Stickers, Digital Seal

💰 Entry fee: $75

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

Science Fiction Writing Contest

FanStory.com Inc

Genres: Fiction, Science Writing, and Science Fiction

Share a Science Fiction themed story to enter this writing contest with a cash prizes. Let your imagination fly and enjoy sharing your writing.

Winning entries will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.

💰 Entry fee: $9

📅 Deadline: April 12, 2023 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

2nd: writing coach package

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024

Summer Nanofiction Battle

Writing Battle

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

Two days to write a 250 word short story. The peer-powered quarterly writing contest where every story receives oodles of feedback. Write one. Read ten. Win thousands.

Genre Winner (x4): $1,500

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 | Feedback by industry professionals

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: August 02, 2024 (Expired)

Universe of Threats Natural Disaster Writing Contest

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

CAPTRS is building a catalog of threats, called the “Universe of Threats,” which will be used to prepare decision makers for future threats. We invite you to submit a 2,500 word or less story describing a threat scenario related to natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, hurricanes or another natural disaster of your choosing.

2nd: $2,500 | 3rd: $1,000 | Publication on CAPTRS website

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, and Short Story

The Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing will be administered to the winner of a literary contest designed to champion innovative hybrid and cross-genre work.

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Books

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

Free to enter. Seeking 0-5000 word (poetry: 15 pgs) excerpts of unpublished books (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction), including most self-published and indie-published works. 2-4 Winners (publication of extract is optional). We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind.

Optional publication of excerpt + letter of recommendation

The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition

Chicken House Books

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We're looking for original ideas, a fresh voice, a diverse range of entries and stories that children will love! To enter, you must have written a full-length novel suitable for children/young adults aged between 7 and 18 years. We suggest a minimum of 30,000 words and ask that manuscripts do not exceed 80,000 words. The IET 150 Award will be awarded to a manuscript that celebrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

A worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House & royalty advance of £10,000

An offer of representation from a top literary agent

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Books

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Letter Review Prize for Books is open to writers from anywhere in the world. Seeking most unpublished (we accept some self/indie published) novels, novellas, story collections, nonfiction, poetry etc. 20 entries are longlisted.

$1000 USD shared by 3 winners

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction

Not Quite Write

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenges writers to create an original piece of flash fiction based on two typical writing prompts plus one ""anti-prompt"". An anti-prompt is a challenge to break a specific “rule” of writing while telling a great story. Participants compete for AU$2,000 in cash prizes, including AU$1,000 for the winner, cash prizes for the entire shortlist and two bonus ‘wildcard’ prizes. Winners are read aloud on the Not Quite Write podcast, where the judges share in-depth analysis about the entries and offer free writing advice. The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction is hosted in Australia and open to all writers of any age and level of ability around the world.

Publication on the Not Quite Write website and podcast

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: July 21, 2024 (Expired)

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course : How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

• "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" ( Click here )
• "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
• "Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
• "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
• "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
• "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

• "Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
• "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
• "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
• "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
• "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
• "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
• "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

• 200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
• 600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
• 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
• Story Title Generator ( Click here )
• Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
• Character Name Generator ( Click here )

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Save your shortlist

Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!

By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.

We sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Writing Contest Directory, happy publishing! 🙌

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Study at Cambridge

About the university, research at cambridge.

• Undergraduate courses
• Events and open days
• Fees and finance
• Postgraduate courses
• How to apply
• Postgraduate events
• Fees and funding

International students

• Continuing education
• Executive and professional education
• Courses in education
• How the University and Colleges work
• Term dates and calendars
• Visiting the University
• Annual reports
• Equality and diversity
• A global university
• Public engagement
• Give to Cambridge
• For Cambridge students
• For our researchers
• Business and enterprise
• Colleges & departments
• Email & phone search
• Museums & collections
• Undergraduate Study
• Student life overview
• Why Cambridge
• Accommodation
• Sport and societies
• Courses overview
• Choosing a course
• How you will learn
• Careers and graduate prospects
• Subject A-Z
• Colleges overview
• What is a College?
• Choosing a College
• College contacts
• Area links scheme
• Finance overview
• Tuition fees
• Living costs
• Financial support
• Music awards
• Applying overview
• Application timeline
• Before you apply
• After you apply
• AI and undergraduate applications
• International overview
• Chat with our students
• Why Cambridge?
• What can I study?
• Entry requirements
• Tuition fees and costs
• International visits and events
• Visas and immigration
• Year abroad
• Get in touch!
• Open Days and Events overview
• Upcoming events
• Cambridge Open Days
• Virtual Tour
• Think Cambridge
• Applicant Webinar Series
• Subject Masterclasses
• Teachers and advisers' events
• HE fairs and exhibitions
• Find out more overview
• Sign up to our Newsletter
• Widening participation

Parents and supporters

Teachers and advisers

• Getting here
• Why Cambridge overview
• Study facilities and libraries
• Cambridge explained
• Support overview
• College welfare

Disabled students

Mature students

• Counselling
• Care leavers overview
• Realise student snapshot
• Travel Fund
• Young carers
• Student parents and childcare
• Estranged students
• Area links scheme overview
• East Midlands overview
• Leicester City
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottinghamshire
• East of England overview
• Bedfordshire
• Cambridgeshire
• Hertfordshire
• Peterborough
• Southend-on-Sea
• Greater London overview
• Barking and Dagenham
• City of London
• City of Westminster
• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Kensington and Chelsea
• Tower Hamlets
• Waltham Forest
• North East overview
• Middlesbrough
• North Tyneside
• Northumberland
• Redcar and Cleveland
• South Tyneside
• Stockton-on-Tees
• North West overview
• Blackburn with Darwen
• Telford and Wrekin
• Northern Ireland
• South East overview
• Bracknell Forest
• Milton Keynes
• Oxfordshire
• Southampton
• Isle of Wight
• Buckinghamshire
• West Berkshire
• South West overview
• Bath and North East Somerset
• Bournemouth
• Gloucestershire
• North Somerset
• South Gloucestershire
• Wales overview
• North Wales
• Mid and South Wales
• West Midlands overview
• Herefordshire
• Staffordshire
• Warwickshire
• Wolverhampton
• Worcestershire
• Yorkshire and Humber overview
• East Yorkshire
• Huddersfield and Kirklees
• Kingston-upon-Hull
• North East Lincolnshire
• North Lincolnshire
• North Yorkshire
• Isle of Man
• Living costs overview
• Study costs
• Financial support overview
• Cambridge financial support
• Government financial support
• Family contribution
• Outreach Scholarships overview
• Stormzy Scholarship
• Formula 1 Scholarship
• Geography Scholarship
• Clare College Area Links Scholarships
• Student Funding and Sharia Law
• Music awards overview
• Choral awards overview
• Instrumental awards overview
• Organ scholarships overview
• College vacancies and course restrictions
• When are the auditions and interviews?
• What do the Organ Trials involve?
• How do I apply?
• Further information
• Choosing high school subjects
• Improve your application
• Entry requirements overview
• Qualifications we accept
• Sixth Term Exam (STEP)
• International entry requirements
• Application statistics
• Mature student applications
• Second undergraduate degrees
• UCAS application
• Admission tests overview
• Clinical aptitude test (UCAT)
• Law test (LNAT)
• Engineering and Science test (ESAT)
• Mathematics test (TMUA)
• College admission assessments
• My Cambridge Application overview
• Providing a transcript
• Disruption to your studies
• Written work and portfolios
• Cambridge interviews overview
• Prepare for an interview
• Application decisions overview
• Admissions Policy
• Unspent criminal convictions
• Contextual data
• Outcome of your application overview
• Terms of Admission
• Admissions complaints
• After you get your exam results overview
• Information for new students
• Applying for reconsideration overview
• Reconsideration eligibility criteria
• Tuition fees and costs overview
• International financial support
• International visits and events overview
• International webinar series
• Cambridge Open Days overview
• Open Days Programme, September 2024 overview
• College sessions
• General support
• Open Days FAQ
• Teachers and advisers' events overview
• Teachers and Advisers' Webinars
• Teachers and Advisers' Conference
• Widening participation overview
• Access and Participation Plans
• Insight Discover
• Insight Explore
• Sutton Trust Summer Schools
• Apply: Cambridge
• Safeguarding
• Parents and supporters overview
• Parents' Newsletter
• Teachers and advisers overview
• How similar are Oxford and Cambridge?
• Helping students prepare
• School/college reference
• Teachers' Newsletter
• Events for Teachers and Advisers
• Inspiring Educator Awards

Peterhouse Kelvin Science Essay Competition 2023

• Open Days and Events
• Student life
• International
• Find out more

Submissions are now open for the Peterhouse Kelvin Science Essay Competition, which aims to give students the opportunity to explore scientific concepts and topics beyond the classroom, and to engage with scientific research. 

The Kelvin Science Essay Competition is open to students in their  penultimate year of study  (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or equivalent) who are educated in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Submissions will close on  Monday 24th April at 23:59 pm GMT . 

For more information and to participate, please visit the competition webpage .

Date and time

Contact and more info, cambridge admissions office.

• Cambridge Admissions Office Student Services Centre New Museums Site Cambridge CB2 3PT
• Events: [email protected]
• General admissions: [email protected]
• Students chat

About this site

Our website

Privacy policy

Participant data and booking policies

Information for

Care leavers and estranged students

© 2024 University of Cambridge

• Contact the University
• Accessibility
• Freedom of information
• Privacy policy and cookies
• Statement on Modern Slavery
• Terms and conditions
• University A-Z
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Research news
• About research at Cambridge
• Spotlight on...

The UNSW Press Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing

Submissions for the unsw press bragg student prize for science writing 2024 are now closed..

$500 UNSW Bookshop voucher first prize | Publication in Double Helix magazine, CareerswithSTEM.com and unsw.press | An invitation to the launch of The Best Australian Science Writing in Sydney | 2 x $250 UNSW Bookshop voucher runner up prizes | A one-year subscription to Australian Book Review for the winner and runners up

The annual UNSW Bragg Prize is a science essay writing competition open to all Australian high school students in years 7 to 10. This prize is designed to encourage and celebrate the next generation of science writers, researchers and leaders. For an aspiring university Dean of Science or Walkley Award-winning journalist, this could be the first entry in their CV.

The UNSW Press Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing extends the successful UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing for adults. It offers English, Maths, Design, Social studies, IT and Science students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and interest in writing and experimentation.

The 2024 essay topic is: People power: working together to protect our environment. Biodiversity, community and conservation

Entries closed at 5pm on Friday 23 August 2024. Find out more information here.

Elsie Paton, Two paths to AI: The choice of humanity , Kambala School, NSW, Year 9

Daniel Kim, The Science of AI , The Scots College, NSW, Year 10 Zavier Argent, AI in Sports Science , Leeming Senior HIgh School, WA, Year 8

Olivia Campbell, Viral Science , Presbyterian Ladies’ College, VIC, Year 9

Kaya Kimla, The Two-Way Science , Kirrawee High School, NSW, Year 7

Jasmin Wu, On Certainty , St George Girls High School, NSW, Year 10

Emilia Danne, The Dark Side of Blue Light, St John Bosco College, NSW, Year 8

Elora Guirguis, Ultrasound: Seeing with sound, Mater Dei Catholic College, NSW, Year 10 

Stephanie Chew, How Does the Violin Saw Its Tooth? , Presbyterian Ladies’ College, NSW, Year 8

Elena Canty, Cultured Meat: The future of food?, Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, VIC, Year 9

Philippe Mouawad, Stem Cells: Little cells, big possibilities , Georges River Grammar School, NSW, Year 7 

Jeremy Simonetto, iPS Cells – the stem of the future , St Patrick’s College, NSW, Year 8 

Arwyn Stone, Not-so-smart technology: The science (or lack thereof) behind period and fertility trackers, Abbotsleigh, NSW, Year 9

William Flintoft, errare humanum est , School: Melbourne Grammar School, VIC, Year 10

Phoebe Adam, Driverless Cars: Not So Smart Technology , Presbyterian Ladies College, NSW, Year 8

Preethika Mathan, I-Care, Santa Sabina College, NSW

Coco Dwyer and Ruby Mumford, Technology is not only all around us, it’s inside us, Star of the Sea College, VIC

Sienna Ters, Celebrating 40 years of MRI technology, and why we need it more than ever, Santa Sabina College, NSW

Sam Jones, It’s what’s on the inside that counts, Kedron State High School, QLD

Carol Ge, The fate of the Great Barrier Reef, Radford College, ACT

Ebony Wallin, The Very Hungry Caterpillars, Dalyellup College, WA

Chelsy Teng, An innovative instrument: the scanning helium microscope, James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW

Gemma Macaulay-Black, Can you hear me?, Frensham, NSW

Marissa Petrakis, From here to the stars: discovering the supernovae, Meriden School, NSW

Jessica Kitchen, A pendulum conundrum, Central Coast Grammar School, NSW

Holly Reid, Lighting up the universe: what a flame test reveals, Canterbury Girls Secondary College, VIC

Priya Soni, X-rays – superpowers brought to life , Central Coast Grammar School, NSW

permitted to team with another architecture student. , but graduate before the awards are scheduled to be given. This year you are asked to include TWO digital photographs that you have copied from any of this year's posted topic Reources or similarr resources that has influenced your Proposal. One of the photographs should help support the argument you make in your Proposal as to an issue you believe needs to addressed in providing housing for the disadvantaged. The other photograph should help support the argument you make for the proposed response. A brief caption - 50 words maximum - should accompany the photograph telling us what the photo represents and the source of the photograph.  Please post the photograph at a minimum 500 pixels wide, and in .jpg format. No more than two photographs will be accepted. NOTE: The Readers are instructed not to add or detract points from their evaluation because of the quality of the photograph itself, nor whether it is the students' work or an archival photograph. The Readers, however, will evaluate how the photographs help support the argument you have made in your Proposal. Judging for the essay competition is on a numeric system. The members of the BERKELEY PRIZE Committee are asked to evaluate each essay in terms of the following criteria: Each criterion is given a score of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest). The approximately 25-28 top-scoring Proposals become Semifinalists, who will be offered the opportunity to write a 2500-word Essay based on the Proposal.. There is a total prize of 35,000USD, minimum 8,500USD first prize.  The remaining purse is to be allocated at the discretion of the Jury. Launch of 2022 Essay Competition. (Stage One) 500-word essay proposal due. Essay Semifinalists announced. (Stage Two) Essay Semifinalists' 2,500-word essays due. Launch of Community Service Fellowship Competition for Essay Semifinalists. Essay Finalists announced. Community Service Fellowship proposals due. Essay winners and Community Service Fellowship winners announced. By submitting your essay, you give the Berkeley Prize the nonexclusive, perpetual right to reproduce the essay or any part of the essay, in any and all media at the Berkeley Prize’s discretion.  A “nonexclusive” right means you are not restricted from publishing your paper elsewhere if you use the following attribution that must appear in that new placement: “First submitted to and/or published by the international Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence ( www.BerkeleyPrize.org ) in competition year 20(--) (and if applicable) and winner of that year’s (First, Second, Third…) Essay prize.” Finally, you warrant the essay does not violate any intellectual property rights of others and indemnify the BERKELEY PRIZE against any costs, loss, or expense arising out of a violation of this warranty. Registration and Submission You (and your teammate if you have one) will be asked to complete a short registration form which will not be seen by members of the Berkeley Prize Committee or Jury. REGISTER HERE. Additional Help and Information ) project. "Sleep on ( ) Photo credit: Michael Stirnemann project. "The two built-in platforms contain numerous storage compartments for personal belongings." ( ) project. "The Kitchen"  ( ) ) Photo credit: ©Bruce Damonte.from DBArchitect.com. ) Photo credit: ©Bruce Damonte from DBArchitect.com. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )   (Photo by Alp Galip for Designboom.com) ) ) ) ) ) Photo credit: Chris Luker from DBArchitect.com. ) Photo credit: Chris Luker from DBArchitect.com. ) ) Essay  COMPETITION 2024 global essay prize, the short list for the 2024 global essay prize was released on wednesday, 31 july.. The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum. Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte. The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s. Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition? Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys? Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe? Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy? Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible? Q3. When is compliance complicity? Q1. What is the optimal global population?   Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation? Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither? Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change? Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history? Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger? Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements? Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state? Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime? Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why? In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question. Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How? Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw? Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”? Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm? Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why? JUNIOR prize Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing? Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism? Q3. Is there life after death? Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise?  Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this? Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies?  ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS Please read the following carefully. Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country. Registration   Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.) Entry is free. Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration).  The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name: Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected. The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself.  Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such. Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates. Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of the deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.  To submit your essay, click here .   Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.   Late entries If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions: a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024. To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information. Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final. Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful . Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible. The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate.  There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome. The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes.  The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into. R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024. Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.) Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024. Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.) Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024. Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024. Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024. Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website. If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. . Thanks for subscribing! The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition.  We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry.  I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize.  We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you. I hope to see you in September! Best wishes, Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB )  Chairman of Examiners Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay? A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay.  Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit? A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted.  Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​ A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit. Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​ A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​ Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it? A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible. Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria? A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation.  Q. May I submit more than one essay? A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories. Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category? A. Yes, you may. Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?   A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual. Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay? A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified.  Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence.  Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay? A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them. However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them.  Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​ A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation. Q. Is there an entry fee? A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD . Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted?  A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate. Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay?  A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays. Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed. A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s). Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year? A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom.  TECHNICAL FAQ s Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?   A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again. Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do? A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​ Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email? A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct. TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following. If so, please proceed as indicated. 1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year. 2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line. SUBMITTING AN ESSAY 3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line. 4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line. 5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line. 6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error. 7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps. READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US. Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem. Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update. If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so. If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible. We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters. Rocky Mountain Essay Contest Great women in engineering and science essay contest. To foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology and introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success in science and engineering. Essay Contest Details Sixth grade students at schools in Colorado and Wyoming are invited to participate in the “Great Women in Engineering and Science” essay contest. The goal of the contest is to foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology in middle school students and to introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success in areas of science and engineering. Over 250 students participate annually and prizes and certificates are awarded. Read about past contest award recipients on the  RMS Blog – O u t r e a c h . 2024 Essay Contest Is Closed Check back in January 2025 to find out how you can participate in the 38 th Annual Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest. READ ABOUT THE 2024 ESSAY CONTEST RESULTS ON THE BLOG! To enter, write an original essay of approximately 500 words on one of the women engineers and scientists listed below: Katherine Johnson – 20th Century Physicist and Mathematician Mary Anning – 18th Century Paleontologist Edith Clarke – 19th Century Electrical Engineer Rosalyn Yalow – 20th Century Medical Physicist Sylvis Earle – 20th Century Marine Biologist and Aquanaut Winning essays should: Describe in detail the woman’s life, achievements and any awards she received in recognition of her work Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of her work Show originality Include three or more research sources from varying media (bibliography) Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation Present the information in an organized, neat fashion with good sentence structure Submission details: Your school’s name and address Your teacher’s name and email address The number of 6th graders in your class The essay file name must include your first and last name PDF, Word, and Google Doc file formats accepted All entries must be received by Friday, March 15, 2024 Win These Prizes! First Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $250 cash prize Second Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $150 cash prize Third Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $100 cash prize Honorable Merit: Science Kit Honorable Mention: Science Book School Awards: All schools with 20% or more of their 6 th graders submitting essays will receive a book award for their library. Attention teachers, if your school won a participation award in previous years, be sure to check your school library for potential references for this year’s contest! Upload essay to the Google form. Requires Google login. For teachers submitting multiple entries, you may email a list of participating students along with the school name and address, your name and email address, and the number of 6th graders in your class to [email protected] rather than completing multiple submission forms. For additional details, please see below for the Essay Contest Flyer and Frequently Asked Questions and Essay Scoring Guidelines. For further information or to sign up for the essay contest email list, contact the contest chair at  [email protected] Attention SWE RMS members: Please contact the contest chair at [email protected] if you are interested in being a volunteer judge for this year’s Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest. Frequently Asked Questions No, the 500 word length is a guideline, not an exact word limit. Students will not be penalized for essays slightly over or under 500 words. It is possible that an essay that is significantly shorter or longer could lose points if the length affects the organization of the essay. The contest is open to all genders. We hope to inspire all students to explore STEM fields and feel that it is beneficial for all students to learn about the achievements of these notable scientists and engineers, most of whom they would not otherwise learn about in school. This number is used to determine which schools are awarded a book prize for high participation (20% or more participating). These books are great additions to school or classroom libraries and can be used as a resource for future contests. You will receive an email confirmation that the submission has been received. Please contact us at [email protected] if you do not receive a confirmation within 48 hours of submitting the essay electronically or within 5 days of submitting the essay by mail. The contest results will be announced in early April after two rounds of judging. The announcement will be sent to participating teachers by email and will be posted on the SWE-RMS website. Prizes will be mailed to teachers shortly after the announcement. Check your school or classroom library for book participation prizes from past years. These books all include biographies of female scientists/engineers and may include some of this year’s subjects. Some previous titles include:  Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science – and the World  Magnificent Minds: 16 Pioneering Women in Science and Medicine  Remarkable Minds: 16 More Women in Science and Medicine  A to Z of Women in Science  Changing Our World: True Stories of Women Engineers  Women in Engineering: Pioneers and Trailblazers  Women at the Edge of Discovery: 40 True Science Adventures  Women in Space: 23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures Online and print encyclopedias also work well for these essays. For online research, encourage students to look for sources beyond Wikipedia – biographies of these women can often be found on the websites of professional societies, universities, or agencies like NASA. The essay contest is a good opportunity to introduce bibliographies to students and to discuss how to incorporate information from various sources into an essay without plagiarizing. Top essays accurately describe a broad range of the subject’s achievements (research, awards, and/or prizes) across many years and/or areas with significant detail. Top essays demonstrate understanding of the subject’s achievements by providing both facts and relevance (e.g. global impacts, why this person and their achievements are important). Top essays have a logical order of information (introduction, body of text, conclusions). Main points are vivid; key information is easy to spot; clear connections between paragraphs. Top essays are clearly written in the “voice” of the student. Sentences flow smoothly – could be read aloud. May include anecdotal references to child’s own life, which support understanding of impacts of scientist’s achievements. Top essays have few errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Paragraphs are indented to show where new ideas begin. Top essays are neatly laid out with even margins and clear type (or very neat handwriting). Student name and associated information neatly included. Top essays have three or more references presented in a neat, standard format. At least two different types of resources are used (books, periodicals, internet sources, encyclopedias). Judges are aware that students may be limited to internet sources for some of the more modern subjects. 2024 Essay Contest Sponsor If interested in sponsoring the essay contest at $500-750, please email [email protected] . Your financial contribution directly supports students, cover prizes and shipping. Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Become a Member Visit SWE.org All Together WE23 Conference © Society of Women Engineers. 2023. All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy . For unresolved issues, please contact  SWE’s Ombudsman . SWE HQ Social Visit the new and improved Hamilton Education Program website AP US History Study Guide History U: Courses for High School Students History School: Summer Enrichment Lesson Plans Classroom Resources Spotlights on Primary Sources Professional Development (Academic Year) Professional Development (Summer) Book Breaks Inside the Vault Self-Paced Courses Browse All Resources Search by Issue Search by Essay Become a Member (Free) Monthly Offer (Free for Members) Program Information Scholarships and Financial Aid Applying and Enrolling Eligibility (In-Person) EduHam Online Hamilton Cast Read Alongs Official Website Press Coverage Veterans Legacy Program The Declaration at 250 Black Lives in the Founding Era Celebrating American Historical Holidays Browse All Programs Donate Items to the Collection Search Our Catalog Research Guides Rights and Reproductions See Our Documents on Display Bring an Exhibition to Your Organization Interactive Exhibitions Online About the Transcription Program Civil War Letters Founding Era Newspapers College Fellowships in American History Scholarly Fellowship Program Richard Gilder History Prize David McCullough Essay Prize Affiliate School Scholarships Nominate a Teacher State Winners National Winners Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize George Washington Prize Frederick Douglass Book Prize Our Mission and History Annual Report Contact Information Student Advisory Council Teacher Advisory Council Board of Trustees Remembering Richard Gilder President's Council Scholarly Advisory Board Internships Our Partners Press Releases Programs & Events Student opportunities, david mccullough essay prizes. David McCullough at Trinity School in Manhattan, October 15, 2019 The 2024 David McCullough Essay Prize Contest is now closed for submissions. This contest is named in memory of David McCullough (1933–2022)—a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Gilder Lehrman Life Trustee—and honors his career telling America’s stories and examining its histories. Learn more about his life and legacy here . High school students attending schools in our Affiliate School Program are eligible and encouraged to participate. They are invited to submit an original essay, written independently or for a 2023–2024 class, that has been revised, expanded, and adapted to conform with the new McCullough Prize specifications. The two essay categories are as follows: Research Essay: Students are invited to submit a research essay incorporating primary and secondary sources on a topic in American history from 1491 to 2001. Interpretive Essay: Students are invited to submit an interpretive essay focusing on close reading and analysis of one primary source from American history, 1491 to 2001, in the Gilder Lehrman Collection of more than 86,000 historical documents. More requirements for both essay categories can be found in these updated 2024 rubrics . All participants will receive a certificate of participation suitable for framing. Prize winners in each of our two categories—research essays and a new interpretive essay category—will receive cash awards as follows: 1st Prize: $5,000 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school) 2nd Prize: $1,500 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school) Five 3rd Prizes: $500 each  A panel of Gilder Lehrman master teachers will choose the pool of finalists, from which a jury of eminent historians will choose the winners. Essays will be evaluated for their historical rigor, the clarity and correctness of their style, their use of evidence, and their qualities of empathy and imagination.  Winners will be notified and announced no later than Friday, September 13, 2024. General Requirements Font and Page Style: Papers should be submitted in 12-point, Times New Roman font with one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides. Essays should be free of teacher commentary or other notes. Organization: Top essays have an introduction, body, and conclusion and a clearly stated, well-developed thesis statement with supportive historical evidence. Essay Topics: Essays can be on any topic related to American history from 1491 to 2001. Essays in the interpretative category must feature a primary source (letter, broadside, art, political cartoon, speech, etc.) from the Gilder Lehrman Collection . Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. Learn how the Institute impacts history education through our work guiding teachers, energizing students, and supporting research. 147 IMAGES Science essay competition for children prizes for Science Day contest Essay on Science Exhibition in My School [PDF] Year 9 School Science Prize asking students to write a 500 word essay Prizes and Awards Prizes Prizes in Chemistry COMMENTS Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists The grand prize-winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the three category winners will be published online. Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab look forward to reviewing the research findings from future entrants. Read more about the prize here. Watch this video to hear from the Grand Prize Winner and Category Winners and see why ... Science competitions your students can enter in 2023 Age: 13-15. Registration opens: now open. Competition dates: 1-17 May 2024. The Biology Challenge is a fun, annual competition open to students aged 13-15 in the UK. The challenge compromises of two, 25-minute, multiple-choice papers, and students need to complete both papers to be considered for an award category. Schools Science Writing Competition 2023 We are delighted to announce the winners and runners-up for the 2023 Schools Science Writing Competition. The overall winner of the competition is 'The wheels on the bus… return of the flywheel' by Joseph Lailey, Sandringham School. Year 12-13 winner is 'Bacteria: Taking a bite out of climate change' by Isabel Hubbard, Abbey School ... The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists In order to promote young scientists early in their careers, SciLifeLab and Science magazine/AAAS have joined forces in creating a global prize awarding the best PhD thesis work in life science. An essay based on the thesis is submitted to the editorial board of Science and four winners are selected each year. As a winner, you will have your ... Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition The Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition aims to give students the opportunity to explore scientific concepts and topics beyond the classroom, and to engage with scientific research. **The 2024 Peterhouse Kelvin Biological Sciences Essay Competition has now closed. You can see the information about the competition below. How to enter the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists Judging Procedures. First, Science editors will screen the essays and select three finalists from each Subject Track. Next, a committee of scientists chaired by the Editor-in-Chief of Science will select a winner for each Subject Track. The four winners will then compete for the grand prize. The grand prize winner and three category winners ... About the Prize » Science Prize The grand prize winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the three category winners will be published online. In addition, all four winners of the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists will be invited to Sweden in December 2024 to participate in a unique week filled with events in honor of science. Science & PINS Prize June/July: Selection of Prize Winner. August: Announcement of Prize Winner and Awards Ceremony. Deadline for Entries. The submission period for this year's prize has ended. Judging Procedures. Editors from Science will be responsible for the initial evaluation of the essays. The top 10 percent of the essays will be forwarded to the judging panel. Science Writing Prize The BSCB Science Writing Prize was launched in 2009 to encourage and reward high quality writing on topics of key relevance to cell biology. Entrants have either communicated their own research projects or science stories in the literature, in a clear and concise way aimed at a non-specialist audience, or written essays that were not be limited ... Science Essay Prizes Science Essay Prizes — Libra Education. Open to all students in year 12 or equivalent, regardless of nationality or school country. Essays must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words including footnotes and appendices. Designed for budding Science writers in the UK about to enter into year 11, year 12 or year 13, this prize entails writing a 700 ... Perseverance Pays Off for Student Challenge Winners As radioisotopes power the Perseverance rover to explore Mars, perseverance "powered" three winners to write essays each year till they achieved their mission goal of winning NASA's Power to Explore Challenge.These students explored behind the scenes at NASA's Glenn Research Center and Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) in Cleveland after writing the top essays in the national contest. STEM Essay Contest The Scientific Teen STEM Essay contest is proudly sponsored by Crimson Education. Crimson Education is the world's leading US/UK university admissions consultancy. They have a personalised data-driven approach that has helped thousands of students gain admission into the Ivy League, Oxbridge, and other top universities. How to Apply » Science Prize How to apply. Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists. Applicants will submit a 1000-word essay that is judged by an independent editorial team organized by the journal Science. Essays are assessed on the quality of research and the applicants' ability to articulate how their work would contribute to their scientific field. Oxford and Cambridge Essay Competitions This year, the Woolf Essay Prize invites participation from all female students in Year 12 (or equivalent), irrespective of their school or nationality. ... Cambridge's Kelvin Science Prize. The Kelvin Science Essay Competition is open to students in their penultimate year of study (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in ... Winning Essays Entangled in a Quantum Future. 1st Place Winner, Yale Scientific Magazine National Essay Competition 2019. Kelvin Kim. Bergen Catholic High School, Oradell, NJ. The rate of discovery in science has accelerated dramatically since the 20th century. This should not be surprising since our knowledge base doubles approximately every 13 months. Best Science Writing Writing Contests in 2024 Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult The Letter Review Prize for Books is open to writers from anywhere in the world. Seeking most unpublished (we accept some self/indie published) novels, novellas, story collections, nonfiction, poetry etc. 20 ... How to Enter for the NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award An entrant may not win more than one Science Prize using the same essay or a similar essay on the same research. Essays on the same research cannot win more than one Science Prize regardless of who the entrant is. Past winners of a Science Prize cannot be eligible for another Science Prize until at least 5 years have passed since the award. Peterhouse Kelvin Science Essay Competition 2023 The Kelvin Science Essay Competition is open to students in their penultimate year of study (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or equivalent) who are educated in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Submissions will close on Monday 24th April at 23:59 pm GMT . For more information and to participate, please ... The UNSW Press Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing The annual UNSW Bragg Prize is a science essay writing competition open to all Australian high school students in years 7 to 10. This prize is designed to encourage and celebrate the next generation of science writers, researchers and leaders. For an aspiring university Dean of Science or Walkley Award-winning journalist, this could be the ... Top Choice Competitions Essay competitions are great practice for students to hone their research and writing skills, particularly in preparation for future personal statement writing and university applications. We have listed our top choice competitions for students, spanning a range of subjects from science competitions to history, geography, and writing competitions. Berkeley Prize Essay Competition February 1, 2022. (Stage Two) Essay Semifinalists' 2,500-word essays due. February 8, 2022. Launch of Community Service Fellowship Competition for Essay Semifinalists. Early-March, 2022. Essay Finalists announced. March 12, 2022. Community Service Fellowship proposals due. Mid-April, 2022. 2024 Essay Competition Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024. Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024. Contact. Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected]. Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. Essay Contest 2024 Essay Contest Sponsor. If interested in sponsoring the essay contest at $500-750, please email [email protected]. Your financial contribution directly supports students, cover prizes and shipping. To foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology and introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success ... David McCullough Essay Prizes David McCullough at Trinity School in Manhattan, October 15, 2019. The 2024 David McCullough Essay Prize Contest is now closed for submissions. This contest is named in memory of David McCullough (1933-2022)—a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Gilder Lehrman Life Trustee—and honors his career telling America's stories and examining ... assignment essay homework phd report resume review speech thesis