Association of British Science Writers

great opportunity at my alma mater SOAS University of London for a budfing feminist investigative journalist https://lnkd.in/ekBQ9qrJ

TURNING YOUR TOPIC INTO A STORY 🎫 Register by 13:00 on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 https://zurl.co/du3xW You’ve painstakingly researched a feature idea, but editors keep rejecting your pitch. “It’s a topic, not a story,” they say. It’s an issue that frustrates writers and editors alike. Rejected pitches aren’t just commissions you didn’t get; they represent science that deserves to get a wider airing, but doesn’t. The solution doesn’t lie in packing more information into your pitch or finessing your prose. It’s about knowing what a story is and how to unearth stories hidden in your topic. This hands-on workshop will help you make that transformation. You'll start thinking differently about every piece of science you encounter, spotting stories where you once only saw subject areas. You will learn what separates a story from a literature review, develop a systematic toolkit for interrogating your topic until the story emerges, and understand how to write a great story pitch. Who this is for 👇 Early-career science journalists who want to up their feature-writing game and land more commissions. You don’t need any previous training, but do come to the session with a topic you want to write about. What you will leave with 💪 • A clear understanding of what makes a story and how it differs from a topic • Familiarity with story shapes that often crop up in science journalism • A toolkit for interrogating any topic to find the story inside it • A draft feature pitch for your own story idea • Peer feedback on your pitch from fellow writers • Worksheets to use for developing and pitching future stories 📆 Time | Duration | Section 14:00 | 10mins | Introduction: why topic pitches fail 14:10 | 25mins | Section 1: What is a story? Common shapes in science writing. Activity 1 14:35 | 15mins | Section 2: Activity 2 compare a literature review on a topic and a New Scientist feature story arising from it 14:50 | 30mins | Section 3: Activity 3 Finding your story: the interogation toolkit. Case study and discussion 15:20 | 20mins | Activity: write a para about your topic. Use the interrogation toolkit to assess it 15:40 | 20mins | Section 4: Turning your story idea into a great pitch 16:00 | 20mins | Section 5: Stress-test your pitch. Pitch clinic in small groups 16:20 | 10mins | Final Q&A Register now! https://zurl.co/du3xW 🎫 Tickets ABSW Student Member - £20.00 ABSW Member - £40.00 Non Member Student - £50.00 Non Member - £100.00 Join ABSW 🔗 https://zurl.co/QeFbw

#Workshop TURNING YOUR TOPIC INTO A STORY #pitching #journalism After a very popular workshop at our Science & Technology Journalism Summer School 2025, the ABSW brings you another opportunity to improve your skills. 👀 You can watch what it was like then https://zurl.co/2XDWB And register for the in-person workshop now 👉 https://zurl.co/k3man ✏️ Workshop leaders: Claire Ainsworth, freelance and experienced science writing trainer Aisling Irwin, award-winning feature writer and ABSW board member 📆 Thursday, 4 June 2026 ⌚ 14:00-16:30 📍Dana Research Centre and Library, London 🎫 Book by 13:00 on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (tickets from £20) 🔗 https://zurl.co/k3man

#ABSW is an outreach partner for the #MHJS26 - Mental Health in Science Journalism Summit 2026. The call for proposals is open until 31 May. #MentalHealth #journalism

Happy to support Science at risk to create content useful for science journalists. On the same topic #science and #war, you can also find: How and what to report on science and conflict, by Zainab Hussain 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eCPgc6Di And the recordings of Studies in Survival - Science and Conflict in Gaza and Beyond 👀 https://lnkd.in/eZKSRrVM With Dr. Asmaa Abusamra, Bothina Osama, Miryam Naddaf and Nisha Gaind.

Editors complain that journalists pitch them subject areas or "topics" rather than "stories". If you are going to pitch successfully, you need to know the difference. This workshop will delve into what makes a great story and will help you hone the skills needed to find story ideas within your topic.

#pitching #journalism 💭 You had a great idea for a news or feature article and pitched it to an editor. But you weren't successful. If this is something you can relate to, maybe there's some way you can improve your pitch. 👍 🤔 Editors often complain that journalists pitch them subject areas or "topics" rather than "stories". So, we want to help you TURNING YOUR TOPIC INTO A STORY. Register for our workshop 👉 https://zurl.co/k3man ✏️ Workshop leaders: Claire Ainsworth, freelance and experienced science writing trainer Aisling Irwin, award-winning feature writer and ABSW board member 📆 Thursday, 4 June 2026 ⌚ 14:00-16:30 📍Dana Research Centre and Library, London 🎫 Book by 13:00 on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (tickets from £20) 🔗 https://zurl.co/k3man

#Freelance journalists: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming print issue: The Impossible Issue. The idea is to focus on some of the biggest goals and promises of our age and look at the hurdles that still remain. Think fusion. Room-temperature superconductors. Living to 150. Completely eliminating car accidents. We’re looking for big swings: narrative features, essential profiles, and sharp reported essays to go in the feature well of the magazine. The initial deadline for pitches is Friday May 22. Commissions would be finalized in early June, and article drafts would be due in early August. If you haven't seen it yet, please review our pitch guide (https://lnkd.in/ghW8vbiT). It includes general pitching advice, word rates, my e-mail address, and other helpful details.

🇳🇴 New opportunity for science journalists. 🏆 From WFSJ in partnership with the Norwegian Academy of Sciences: Apply now for a travel fellowship to attend the Kavli Prize Week in Oslo, Norway, 29 Aug - 3 Sep, 2026. ✅ Details here: https://lnkd.in/efhAChrJ

🌟 Meet the YSWA 2026 judging panel 🌟 The Young Science Writer Award is only as strong as the people who give their time to read, deliberate over, and champion the work of young writers across the UK. This year, we are enormously grateful to be supported by a judging panel of remarkable depth and breadth - bringing together leading voices from across science journalism, broadcasting, science and engineering, research and publishing. It is a genuine privilege to have their expertise behind the Award and we would like to take a moment to recognise each of them: Alex O'Brien Jana Bazeed Jules Howard Anne Rooney Mun-Keat Looi Mark Levesley Anna Claybourne Richard Fisher Dr Sarah Bearchell Kathryn Boast Tom Whipple Yasmin Ali Rachel Brazil Isabel Thomas Anna Demming Deborah. Cohen Hephzi Angela Tagoe. (PhD, PMP) Dr Andy Ridgway michael leach Katrina Wesencraft James Mitchem Andrew Macintyre Judging the YSWA is no small undertaking. Our judges read every shortlisted entry with care, and the thoughtfulness they bring to the process is a real testament to their commitment to nurturing the next generation of science writers. Thank you sincerely for lending your insight, rigour, and generosity to this year's cycle. You can read more about our 2026 judges here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eR_ZEkTz #YSWA2026 #YoungScienceWriter #ABSW #ScienceWriting #ScienceCommunication #ScienceJournalism