Announcing the Shortlist for the First Youth STEM Matters Author Awards

Youth STEM Matters
Written By Mhairi McCann

Since the first article was published in Youth STEM Matters in May 2020, over 60 articles have been published, each of which provide STEM based solutions to the world’s biggest challenges, as told by youth globally. With further articles currently in review, we’ve worked with more than 120 youth over the past year, to give them a platform for their research, ideas and innovations.

Our Youth STEM Matters Author Awards recognise some of the most interesting and impactful articles written by our authors. The overall winners will be announced on 19th June at the Youth STEM Matters Research Conference, but for now, we are delighted to congratulate the following shortlisted authors…

Article Awards

The following awards are in recognition of a specific article…

Best SDG Focus

In recognition of an article that shows excellent consideration of the SDGs. This may include considering the topic from the angle of multiple SDGs, including the benefits and trade-offs associated with a problem or solution

Speak Up Award

This award recognises an article which explores and raises awareness of an issue or topic which is rarely spoken about or is often considered taboo. The author will have approached the topic well, and has raised awareness of it amongst our audience.

Local Spotlight Award

Although the SDGs are global goals, they need local solutions. Therefore, this award recognises an article which has shone the spotlight on an issue that is local to the author and relevant to the people in their local area/region/country.

Inclusion Champion

To achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we need to build a more inclusive world. This award recognises an article or author(s) that championed inclusion through their writing or the approach they took towards writing their article.

Investigator Award

This award recognises an author(s) who took an investigative approach towards their article, actively seeking out the best and most relevant information to include. This may be through asking insightful interview questions, proactively contacting organisations to provide input, seeking the truth on a topic where misinformation is prevalent, or something else.

 

Author Awards

The following awards are in recognition of the author(s), who may have written (or be in the process of writing) one or several articles…

Exceptional Communication Award

The past year in particular has shown that science is all but useless if not communicated effectively. This award (which is open to all article formats) recognises an author who has shown exceptional communication to write an article(s) that is highly engaging.

  • Kavya Venkatesan

  • Lily Tierney

  • Meg Ardis

  • Shalini Sellam

Outstanding Dedication Award

Though it might not be obvious from the articles when they are published, a huge amount of effort has been put in both by our volunteers and by authors behind the scenes prior to publication. This award recognises an author(s) who has demonstrated an excellent attitude and has worked notably hard to make their article the best it can be.

  • Katie Molyneux

  • Kiran Bashir

  • Reemal Shahbaz, Katherine Chen, Alex Ganotakis and Umaima Usman

  • Zuzana Hudáčová

Bright Ideas Award

This award recognises an idea that has the potential to make a real difference. While the idea may not yet have been put into action at a large scale, it is a concept which shows promise to make meaningful change if implemented/created.

  • Ava Garside

  • Laura Maisvoreva

  • Simran Adnani

World Changing Innovation

This award recognises an innovation or technology that has been shown to make a real difference. The innovation needs not have been produced at scale, but some sort of testing/prototyping/development has taken place, taking it beyond the realms of an idea, and into a tangible solution for which there is evidence of efficacy.

  • Diana Virgovicova

  • Miriam Turk and Ruth Turk

  • Neha Shukla

  • Timothy McGrath

Research Award

This award recognises a high quality project (Original Research or Review Article) which makes a substantial contribution to the SDGs. It truly demonstrates that there's no age limit to making a meaningful contribution to STEM research.

  • Jacqueline Prawira

  • Katie Molyneux

  • Lela DeVine

  • Zuzana Hudáčová

The winners of the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team Awards will be announced as part of the Youth STEM Matters Research Conference on 19th June.

Mhairi McCann

Mhairi (she/her) is Youth STEM 2030’s Founder & CEO, and her work here is fuelled by a deep drive to create possibility for other young changemakers in STEM. Based in Inverclyde, Scotland, her expertise lies in creating meaningful, inclusive and participatory youth inclusion in decision-making. A generalist, Mhairi brings a strategic approach to the pursuit of our mission, and enjoys thinking of the bigger picture and ‘joining the dots’. She has a strong focus on equity & inclusion, is especially passionate about ocean conservation and, in her free time, enjoys volunteering and spending time in nature on long walks with Gordon the dog. Mhairi is a 776 Foundation Climate Fellow, and a 2021 National Geographic Young Explorer, and for her work at Youth STEM 2030, she was named Winner of the 2022 Young Scot Environment Award.

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