What is the purpose of the Award?

To recognise and nurture emerging talent and leadership within today's STEAM communication and engagement sector. The Award prioritises innovation and creative practice, fosters involvement in and deeper engagement with science professionals and organisations, and works to develop new pathways to access across many multigenerational community sectors, including those presently under-served by science engagement opportunities. 

What are the objectives of the Award?

• To strengthen and evolve the innovative and creative practice of STEAM communication

• To support the development of an innovative project or event for Science Discovery Centres, Science Festivals, and other science outreach events

• To give wider visibility and feedback to all applicants, via their project proposal

• To develop the winner’s professional network, via partnership opportunities and skills training

• To enhance the winner’s experience and strengthen their sci-comm leadership vision, through involvement in a large-scale Science Festival or with a Science Discovery Centre. 

What is the prize?

The Josh Award Winner will receive:

• £500 to £2,500 depending on funds availability and need, to develop their project or event to be part of a Science Discovery Centre's programme, or at a UK Science Festival.  This budget includes all the costs and expenses (i.e. resources, travel, accommodation) for the project, and will be controlled by the sponsoring location and by the Josh Award Committee

• The possibility of presenting your project or event at this year's British Science Festival, in Southampton, and the possibility of presenting it at the 2027 Cheltenham Science Festival.
  

• Non-financial support from the sponsoring venue to further develop your winning proposal, as necessary, to fit logistics and practicalities of working in their setting

• Opportunities for personal and professional development via the BiG network

• Attending the annual BIG Event (conference fee and annual membership provided by BIG, worth around £300) to network with and present to a diverse range of science communicators from across the sector

• Attending professional training sessions with the Science Museum Group's Academy

• A personal prize cheque of £2,000 from the Josh Award Fund

• The Josh Award trophy, to hold and to hand on the Josh Award Trophy at the 2028 BIG Event.

Thus, the total prize fund can be up to £4,800 + invaluable support from sci-comm professionals

Who is it for?

The Award is open to early career practitioners involved in STEAM communication in the UK. You must be a UK resident.

We welcome applicants who will bring a valuable difference to our sector, either through lived-experience, the audiences they work with, via their own leading-edge creative practice, or all three. The Award will support them to explore and enhance how they engage people with STEAM.

The Josh Award is for practitioners in the early stages of their career. Previous winners have ranged in age from 20s to their early 40s. All would define themselves as “early career”.

You may be a:

• full-time, part-time or volunteer science communicator, with a passion to grow your practice

• science communication practitioner through various aspects of your job, e.g. as an artistic, creative practitioner working with STEAM, a Freelance Science Communication Professional, a Science Centre Presenter

• researcher at a university who loves doing community focused science communication as well as academic research and teaching

• representative, leader or participant in a local community group interested in using a STEAM topic to engage their local neighbourhood more with science

We welcome applications from both individuals and groups.

The Award is open to anyone involved in STEAM communication in the UK and is a UK resident.

Read about the previous winners of the Josh Award here