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.

  • 2024
    • WINNER

      Reena Du, Biodiversity and community: Working together to protect the environment, Abbotsleigh, NSW, Year 10

    • RUNNERS-UP

      Jiayi Fang, Green is the New Grey: Our Biodiverse World, Northern Beaches Secondary College, NSW, Year 9

      Richelle Jang, Roots of Conservation: Indigenous Knowledge in Action, North Sydney Girls High School, NSW, Year 10

  • 2023
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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

  • 2022
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

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

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

  • 2021
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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

  • 2020
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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 

  • 2019
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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

  • 2018
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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

  • 2017
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

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

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

  • 2016
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

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

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

  • 2015
    • WINNER

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

    • RUNNERS-UP

      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