The 2024 Oxford Scientist Competition was extremely competitive, with many fascinating articles being submitted by young and driven scientists. The competition featured a distinguished panel of senior judges, including Professor Andrew Gosler, the Head of the Institute of Human Sciences, and esteemed biotechnologist Dr Roberta Baronio. The competition was proudly organised by the Oxford Scientist team led by the Schools Competition Lead Franziska Guenther and Senior Competition Director Gavin Man.
The themes for the 2024 edition of the Competition were:
“Evolution: anything and everything from Survival to Free Will”
OR
“Data and humans in the digital age”
We are delighted to announce the winners and runners-up for the 2024 Schools Science Writing Competition. (NEW FOR 2024) The winning articles are proudly featured on The Oxford Scientist. The work of the runners-up, along with the full list of shortlisted finalists and their published articles, will also have the opportunity to be permanently published in a competition-exclusive collection, 2024 Oxford Scientist Finalists Publication. It is important to check this complete publication, as it features additional exceptional entries from talented competitors who did not appear as winners or runners-up on the main site but deserve recognition for their efforts.
We will be in touch with the Winners, Runner-ups and top Performing School to arrange the respective Awards and Feedback sessions over the next month.
The overall winner of the competition is ‘Brains to Brilliance: The Evolution of the Mind towards Cerebral Thinking‘ by Arushi Vasanad, Pate’s Grammar School.
Year 12-13 winner is ‘Dogs, avocados and yoghurt – harnessing evolution through domestication‘ by Jaden Lim, Harrow School.
Year 10-11 winner is ‘Coevolution: If you had to survive, would you reap benefits, or lives?‘ by Julia Chung, St Swithun’s School
The most competitive school, sending the highest number of competitors is Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, West Midlands. See the further below for other top-performing schools.
Overall winner
Arushi Vasanad
Pate’s Grammar School, Gloucestershire
Brains to Brilliance: The Evolution of the Mind towards Cerebral Thinking
Year 12-13 winner
Jaden Lim
Harrow School, London
Dogs, avocados and yoghurt – harnessing evolution through domestication
Year 10-11 winner
Julia Chung
St Swithun’s School, Hampshire
Coevolution: If you had to survive, would you reap benefits, or lives?
Thank you to all participants for your incredible contributions. Regardless of whether you gained a place as a finalist or winner, all independent research and academic writing are invaluable for academic development and future portfolios. We look forward to seeing you in future competitions.
Runners-up
‘The Rate of Evolution: A Well (Time) Travelled Whale’ by Archie Turner, Aldenham School, Hertfordshire. Runner up with High Commendation
‘Grow smart and die fast: the peculiar evolution of the octopus mind’ by Roman Lorello, University College School, London.
‘Iron’s Irreplaceable Role in Evolution‘ by Sophia Feldman, South Hampstead High School, London.
‘Evolution of the human eye’ by Aaminah Imran, London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, London.
‘From Stone to Silicon: The Evolution of Human-Data Interaction’ by Earl Xavier Fornillos, St Bonaventure’s School, London.
‘Phone use and marshmallows: How less is s’more’ by Flo Rowson, Reigate College, Surrey.
Other Shortlisted Finalists
All shortlisted finalists and their articles are exclusively published in the Complete 2024 Oxford Scientist Finalists Publication. It is important to explore this collection as it highlights additional outstanding entries that were carefully reviewed by the judges and showcase the breadth of talent from this year’s competition.
2024 Top Ranking Schools for Oxford Scientist Competition by Number of Competitors
Thank you to all the teachers and schools for supporting their students in entering the competition. Out of hundreds of participating schools, this competition offers a valuable opportunity for students’ academic growth and portfolio development. We are pleased to highlight the Oxford Scientist 2024 Top Ranking Schools based on the number of competitors. Ranking among these schools demonstrates a prestigious level of participation and commitment to fostering academic excellence. We will be reaching out to the top-performing schools to arrange an award for the most competitive institutions over the next month.
| Rank | School Name |
| 1 | Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, West Midlands |
| 2 | North London Collegiate School, Harrow |
| 3 | Wellington College, Berkshire |
| 4 | Westminster School, London |
| 5 | South Hampstead High School, London |
| 6 | Pate’s Grammar School, Gloucestershire |
The Senior Judges
Prof Andrew Gosler
Andrew Gosler is Professor of Ethno-ornithology at the University of Oxford, where he holds a joint position between the Department of Biology and the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, where he is also Head of Institute of Human Sciences. His research over more than 40 years spans pure and applied aspects of ornithology, including eco-morphology of birds, the function of speckling on birds’ eggs, the ethno-ornithology of bird folk-names, the natural-history knowledge of people in post-industrial communities and the role of religion in environmental stewardship. He is Research Director of the Ethno-ornithology World Atlas, and a Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford.
Dr Roberta Baronio
Roberta Baronio is biotechnologist at heart with an expertise in drug discovery and functional genomics. She has had roles in academia, start-ups and big pharma companies, in Europe as well as in the United States. Currently she works in Xcellomics, a partnership between the tech-bio company Exscientia and Center for Medicines Discovery, at the University of Oxford. She is a foodie and a shoe addict.
Our Sponsors
This competition is proudly sponsored by UK Schooling is an education company based in Brighton and Hove, UK, which specialises in UK University preparation, subject tuition and Summer Exchange courses. UK Schooling runs many courses to help students to push beyond the curriculum and get ahead of the curve in their subject and classes for top school and university admissions in the UK. ukschooling.co.uk
We are also sponsored by Examable, a UK based educational firm that specialises in creating revision and learning resources for students applying to Top Independent Schools and for Leading UK Universities. Checked and approved by a team of Oxford University students, designers and GCSE & A level examiners. examable.co.uk
