Calling all science storytellers!

Entries are now open for The Best Australian Science Writing 2026 and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2026.

Every year this anthology brings the bright sparks of Australian science writing to enthusiastic readers. Now in its sixteenth year, each edition is carefully crafted by a different editor or editors. And this year science writer and author Fiona McMillan-Webster is thrilled to be part of this wonderful tradition.

Good science writing has never been more crucial. We are living through a polycrisis burgeoning with climate and ecological overshoots, widespread economic insecurity, and dizzying social and political upheavals, all interspersed with the rapid rise of AI. As misinformation and disinformation spreads and the media becomes more polarised, it is increasingly difficult for people to find reliable information, trustworthy explanations or even a shared sense of reality.

‘Good science writing offers not just a reprieve, but a lifeline,” says Fiona. “It invites us to step a little closer to the unknown and broaden both our understanding and our connections. Indeed, something marvellous happens when great storytelling ignites our sense of wonder. We get to see the world and even ourselves in a new light. We are shown a way to navigate uncertainty with curiosity and hope, instead of fear and ignorance.’

‘With this in mind, I am looking for stories that intrigue and delight. Show us the irresistible puzzles and surprising solutions. I also want narratives and prose that help us connect through shared fascination. Send features and essays that invite us to engage with ideas that are complex, confronting, or a combination of both. After all, if we are to solve big problems we need to see those problems clearly. I also want to know what’s working, so share news about progress, however incremental. We need stories that remind us we can do remarkable things.’

Fiona will be looking for writing across genres, from poetry to essays, features to news articles, opinion pieces and science stories that defy definition. We encourage submissions from established and emerging voices from a range of professions. Pieces must have been published in print and/or online in Australia or globally between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026. Authors must be Australian residents or Australian citizens living overseas. The closing date for entries is 31 March 2026.

Entries published between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 are also eligible for the 2026 UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing.

The Bragg UNSW Press Prize is named in honour of Australia’s first Nobel Laureates, William Henry Bragg and his son, William Lawrence Bragg and it celebrates excellence in science communication. With the support of UNSW Science and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, UNSW Press will award a first prize of $7000 for the piece of non-fiction writing that best communicates science to a general audience. Two runners-up will each receive a prize of $1500. Winning entries will be included in NewSouth’s anthology, The Best Australian Science Writing 2026.

Please submit your work for consideration to [email protected] by 31 March 2026.

Download an entry form for The Best Australian Science Writing and the Bragg Prize. More information can also be found here.