Researchers urged to take part in new competitions
Experts at Space Park Leicester are running a series of competitions to celebrate the wide-ranging contributions of researchers to society.
Individuals involved in research are invited to celebrate their work through three competitions which are being run as part of the I-REACCH (Inclusive Research Environment Achieved through Culture Change): Joy in Research Initiative.
The competitions are ‘The Art of Science Competition’, ‘Explain It To A 5 Year Old!’ and ‘Celebrate the Untold Stories of Your Research.’
Research Associate Dr Zoe Swann, of Space Park Leicester and the University of Leicester, who is running the competitions, said: “Most of us fell in love with research as kids through curiosity, play and wonder but often researchers can feel underappreciated.
“These competitions provide them with fantastic opportunities to raise the profile of their work and the importance of research.”
‘The Art of Science Competition’ is open to anyone involved in research, including students, technicians and nurses. They are encouraged to celebrate their work through song, dance, poetry, comics, art, comedy and other creative formats.
‘Explain It To A 5 Year Old!’ challenges anyone involved in research, including students, to explain their research so a child could understand it. They are invited to do this through a short video, drawing, story or talk and their entries will be judged by children.
Selected entries for these two competitions will be showcased in late April and prizes of up to £150 will be awarded.
The ‘Celebrate the Untold Stories of Your Research’ is open to anyone involved in research, including students, technicians and nurses. Entrants are invited to submit a story of up to 300 words about their work including their successes, null results and biggest research disasters.
Entrants will receive a £15 Love2Shop voucher and selected entries will be showcased in the Joy in Research Magazine. Entries are limited to one per person.
Entries for all the competitions should be submitted to Dr Swann at zoe.swann@leicester.ac.uk by Wednesday, April 8.
To find out more about I-REACCH, visit https://ireacch.le.ac.uk/
To explore Space Park Leicester partnerships, missions, residents, facilities, training programmes and innovation products, visit space-park.co.uk or to learn more about the University of Leicester visit le.ac.uk/.
Main image: The Joy in Research competition is open to all