The Science in School Student Writing Contest 2026 is open! Editorial article

To mark Science in School ’s 20th anniversary, we are launching a student writing competition inviting young people to explore the topic of sustainable and resilient tourism.

All details below are also available in our downloadable and printable flyer.

What is it about?

2027 is set to be the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism. What better topic could we choose for our competition?

Tourism is not inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it is a system with trade-offs. A destination can boost local jobs and cultural exchange while overusing water, increasing emissions, and stressing ecosystems. Resilience adds another layer: tourism must function despite increasingly frequent disruptions such as heatwaves, floods, wildfires, coral bleaching, supply-chain shocks, etc.

The competition invites students to write an article dealing with current advances/ongoing research in natural science and technology to contribute to sustainable and resilient tourism in a broader picture. However, we do not want a general overview of sustainable and resilient tourism! Instead, we encourage students to zoom in on one specific research project, technology, intervention, or local solution and explain how it contributes to sustainable and resilient tourism. Sometimes a project is not obviously about tourism, but it may still support sustainable tourism goals.

We also encourage the writers to go beyond desk research where possible: speaking to researchers, practitioners, tourism organisations, museums, or local authorities (e.g., via a short interview or email) can add authenticity and strengthen the article. A teacher/mentor (see teacher guide) is allowed to support the students in their work, especially with writing in English. However, students need to remain lead authors!

Which format?

The article can be written in one of the following formats:

• Teach article: Students develop a hands-on classroom activity on sustainable and resilient tourism and write an article explaining it. Supporting materials such as worksheets may be included.
• Understand article: Students explain recent research or technologies in a clear and engaging way. They present the key ideas, show why they matter, and point to open questions or challenges.
• Inspire article: Students present an educational project or initiative related to the topic, for example from the local area. They explain what it does, how it works, and what others can learn from it.

Other requirements:

• Language: English
• Length: 1500–2000 words (excluding references and worksheets if applicable)
• Target audience: can be somewhere between the ages 11 to19 years
• Credits: content needs to be referenced; figures need to be openly licensed and credited 
• Original work: no plagiarism; any AI tools used need to be disclosed

What matters?

To all non-native English speakers: Do not hesitate to submit! We prioritise the quality of the idea, the accuracy of the content, the clarity of the explanation, the overall structure, and an engaging tone over language proficiency.

As part of the competition, we will edit the winning articles. Students will be asked to revise their article based on our feedback, like in a standard publishing process. We encourage mixed-age teams: older students can help with English and explaining complex concepts, while younger students can take the lead in shaping the article.

All of this will help students strengthen their ability to find, evaluate, and cite sources, communicate science to a given audience, and revise their work based on feedback, while learning about the important topic of sustainable and resilient tourism.

What to win?

Three winning articles will be published in Science in School in the first issue of 2027, giving students the opportunity to share their work with thousands of educators. Winning teams will also receive a certificate in recognition of their engagement in science education, along with additional rewards!

PS: Winning teams are also encouraged to translate their article into their native language, which will then be published as well.

How to submit?

Before submission, a quick look at the checklist helps make sure everything is ready.

Send your article in the template file by email to editor@scienceinschool.org. Please use the subject line ‘Writing Contest 2026/2027’, and also attach the completed submission form, available on our website.

Submission deadline is the 1 August 2026.

If you have any questions about the topic, the submission, or anything else, just send us an email at editor@scienceinschool.org.

We are looking forward to the submissions!