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- Call for Applications 2026
Josh Award 2026/2027 Call for Applications Introduction The Josh Award is the UK’s national award in science communication and engagement, which encompasses all areas of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. It is established to recognise and encourage talented early career science communication professionals, to always cheerfully pursue innovation and creativity in the content and outreach of their practice. The Award Winner will develop and deliver a new project of their own, as a hands-on performance or event, showcasing best practice in the field of STEAM communication, to run at Science Festivals or Science Discovery Centres, or other science outreach events. Projects on currently topical science themes will be welcomed. The Award provides the opportunity to further develop the winner’s STEAM communication skills, networks, and awareness of the science communication industry and profession, both its theory and its practice, its strategies and operational realities. It offers support from fellow professionals across the UK, including the Association of Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC), UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN) and BIG STEM Communicators Network. The purpose of the Josh 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. Some examples of under-served communities are further described in Appendices 1 and 2. The Josh Award's Objectives
Who is the Award 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:
We welcome applications from both individuals and groups. The Application itself must come directly from the applicant.
Applicants are asked to propose a project for delivery at a Science Discovery Centre and/or Science Festival in the UK. Your proposed project will be judged on the following criteria Innovation(20%) Demonstrates exceptional potential for delivering an innovative, creative, leading edge STEAM communication experience. Reach (20%) Demonstrates a clear plan to engage and/or work with a specific and described audience with creative, participatory science. We are particularly interested in projects and events that attract audiences who might not typically engage with STEAM or are less confident with science. Collaboration (20%) Demonstrates a compelling example of reflective practice and shared learning through the development of mutually beneficial partnerships. The project should embed the idea of building Science Capital (see Appendix 2) Leading the Way (40%) Helps deliver the vision of “A society which values and celebrates science, technology and engineering and their impact on all lives, now and in future.” How will your project or event create meaningful impact for the people it engages? How might its impact last beyond your project's delivery event? The Winner: Prize and Expectations The winner of the 2026-7 Josh Award will be the application which scores most highly against the Selection Criteria in the opinion of the Selection Panel. The Josh Award Selection Panel 2026/2027
The prize The Josh Award 2026 winner will receive
Expectactions The Josh Award 2026 winner will be expected to
Additional optional opportunities include;
The Selection Process & Timetable
The Award Winner's Timetable
Please note: This timetable is Science Discovery Centre and Science Festival dependant. People and organisations involved in The Josh Award Josh The Award is inspired by and named in memory of Josh Phillips, who was the first Science Communication Officer at the Manchester Science and Industry Museum. Josh proposed and ran the first Manchester Science Festival, in 2006. Josh was a much loved, much respected and highly talented science communicator, whose outstanding career is commemorated with this Award. Josh was the Chair of BIG, the UK's premier science communicators network, at the time of his death. The award is for Science and Showmanship, targeted to help stimulate and lead to a better future: fun with a purpose! The Josh Award Steering Committee The Josh Award Steering Committee is affiliated to and supported by BIG and is also supported by ASDC (the Association for Science & Discovery Centres), UKSFN (the UK Science Festivals Network, which is managed by the British Science Association) and by Josh's family. Its members include representatives from Cheltenham Science Festival and the Sci-comm Practitioners network. Thus, the Josh Award is owned and supported by the UK Science Communication community. BIG BIG is the skills sharing network for individuals involved in the communication of STEM subjects. BIG runs regular events and training courses on issues relevant to science communication and informal STEM education. Our annual conference - The BIG Event - is regarded as one of the best science communication conferences in the UK. It is the premier source of best practice skills-sharing and networking. Members of the BIG community have access to news, discussion forums, training and events offering networking and sharing of information and views, as well as many other benefits. ASDC The Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) is the vibrant charity which brings together the UK’s regional STEM and STEAM learning organisations to play a strategic role in the nation’s engagement with science. Within our network are over 50 of the largest publicly accessible science and discovery centres and science museums. Every year our members encourage more diverse participation in science, engaging with over 25 million people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities. Together, our vision is for a society where science is accessible, inclusive and valued by all, as a fundamental part of everyday life. UKSFN The UK Science Festivals Network serves to unite, celebrate and develop Science Festivals in the UK. We aim to build relationships with other sectors to drive up attendance and innovation at Science Festivals. The UK Science Festivals Network is managed by the British Science Association, a charity which aims to affirm science as a core part of British culture. Appendix 1 Science Communication – A General Overview Science Festivals' and Science Discovery Centres' activities celebrate science as part of our shared culture and aim to create inclusive STEM experiences which captivating, accessible and relevant to people and places. They aspire to be open for all, but often the majority of audiences have a strong connection to the Festival or Discovery Centre, and also have an above average interest in science. They actively participate in arts and cultural activities and like to share their experiences with others. They typically visit as group and like to see fun, immersive, and hands-on activities that all members of their family or group can get involved with and enjoy (early years up to grandparents). When looking for things to do, they value both learning and leisure equally. So, to widen our appeal, we are particularly interested in projects and events which new audiences who might not typically engage with STEAM or have a below average interest in STEM. Evaluation shows that when looking for things to do, these families and groups value entertaining and popular experiences. It’s possible that the adults in the family party lack confidence in their knowledge of science and knowledge of the Event or Venue, so their visit will be driven by exploring and enjoying the experience together. They want excitement and spectacle and are interested in how STEAM affects them and their lives. Appendix 2 Science Capital – What it means Science Communication is committed to building a STEAM literate society and inspiring the future, by celebrating the impact of STEAM on people's lives, both now and in the future. The concept of science capital helps describe how people from all backgrounds engage with science, and how their engagement can be increased through different science-related experiences. Science capital is a measure of engagement in or relationship with science, how much the individual values it, and whether they feel it is for them and connected with their life. It recognises the significance of what the individual already knows, how they think, what they do and who they know in shaping their relationship with science. It also helps to shape and frame experiences which are designed to support STEAM engagement. Everyone has a different amount of science capital; it is not fixed and can change across a lifetime. The more science capital an individual has, the more likely they are to feel that it is useful and important in their life. A nationally representative survey, sponsored by the Science Museums Group, found that 27% of 11-15 year olds have low science capital. Also, that those with low science capital are more likely to be female and or from less socially advantaged backgrounds. 68% of 11-15 year olds have medium science capital and only 5% have high science capital. Those with high science capital are more likely to be socially advantaged and male. The research discerned eight main dimensions, or sources, of science capital. These are the most significant STEAM-related experiences, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes people can have which will influence their own science capital.
These dimensions show that it takes more than simply enjoying or learning about science to make a person feel more connected to it. The dimensions can be used to help design environments and deliver programmes, which are welcoming, inspiring and memorable for as wide a range of audiences as possible. You can read more about Science Capital here: Appendix 3 Science Engagement: a Practitioner's Guide The science capital approach reflects on STEAM experiences through the audience's eyes. It uses these main ideas Language: Think about the visual and verbal language you use, and how it can help your audience feel part of science – instead of feeling science is something ‘other people’ do. Use personal pronouns, gender-neutral, visual and verbal language, and explain any jargon. Confidence and Ownership: Consider how as a practitioner you can ensure that everyone feels welcome and confident to take part in the participatory experiences which you offer. Allow people to follow their interests. Give them choice and control in activities, and opportunities to contribute and share their knowledge and experiences with you and each other. Skills: Think about how to help people recognise that they have and do in fact use a wide range of science skills already. Give examples of where and how science skills are used by different people in daily life. Highlight how these skills are useful in hobbies and in jobs within and beyond science. Promote Science Talk: Think about how to encourage people to talk about the experiences they had with you, and about science in their life. Invite them to share their stories and viewpoints and via questions to generate conversations among families, peers and communities – at home and at school. Extend the Experience: Help people to continue making science connections in their everyday lives. Make your experiences last longer by giving people simple ideas and activities which they can do afterwards, such as questions to think about or research further, or challenges to do at home, at school or out and about. People: Think about how to broaden the perception of who does science, by showing diverse examples of the people who use and benefit from science in their work. Help people to recognise that they know people who use science and how science is shaped by everyone in society. Everyday Examples: Think about how to link your own STEM content to people’s rich and diverse life interests and experiences. Show examples of where and how science has helped solve real-life issues. Don’t make assumptions about what people’s interests and experiences are. Everyone is different and their goals may not be the same as yours. Science Knowledge: Consider how to value people’s existing STEM knowledge and build on it. It really does help when new information feels like a natural extension of what people already know. Broaden people’s ideas around what science is. Communicate that science is more than just knowledge; it is a way of thinking, working and being curious. Positive Reinforcement: Think about how to help people to feel that science is something they can do. Highlight and reward when people are behaving scientifically, using science skills or knowledge. Leave them with the feeling that ‘I can do this’ and ‘I want to find out or do more’. Always Remember that Science is the human study of:- What there is How it works Where and When it is And, also Always Remember: Why it is, is Science's framework. Why? is humanity's wider, deeper ways of knowing and understanding. It is the terrain of theology, philosophy and religion. Science lives within Why? |
