Entries are now open for submissions to The Best Australian Science Writing and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2024.

The Best Australian Science Writing is an annual collection celebrating the finest voices in Australian science writing. This much-loved anthology, now in its fourteenth year, will be co-edited by science journalists Jackson Ryan and Carl Smith, who are teaming up to help showcase the past year’s finest science storytelling.

From AI to the climate crisis, the long tail of the pandemic and the changing nature of what science looks like, there’s been plenty of ground to cover over the past year. Specialist science writers have been vital to decode these, sometimes worrying, glimpses of the future – and the solutions that many scientists are working on.

Ryan says, ‘I’m particularly interested in writing that surprises, inspires and transports the reader to places they can barely imagine. The best science writing provides all that and more – be that in narrative non-fiction, essay, reportage or works of poetry.’

Smith says, ‘Science writing is more vital than ever to keep Australians informed. We can’t wait to celebrate the stories that cut through, experiment, and make best use of the written word.’

NewSouth welcomes writing across a range of forms, including features, essays, news stories, opinion pieces and poetry. Contributions from both established and emerging voices are encouraged. Pieces must have been published in print and/or online in Australia or globally between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2024. Authors must be Australian residents or Australian citizens living overseas. The closing date for entries is 31 March 2023.

Entries published between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2023 are also eligible for the 2024 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 2024.

Please submit your work for consideration to scienceprize@newsouthpublishing.com by 31 March 2024.

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