The Royal Society of Chemistry is launching a new award - backed by Bill Bryson and his publishers - open to school and sixth-form college students throughout the UK. 

The RSC Bill Bryson Prize is aimed at encouraging clear science communication in its widest form.

The prize is a science communication award open to all schools and sixth-form colleges in the UK and Ireland. The competition is in two categories: primary school and secondary school.

The prizes are: 

• £500 for the best primary entry + £100 divided between the students 
• £500 for the best secondary (including 6th form college) entry + £100 divided between the students         

Plus, an additional £500 is being offered for the overall best entry (and a trip for up to four students and two teachers to a national RSC event in London to receive the award).

Entries can be in any written format -suggestions can be found on the webpages- and should communicate any aspect of science to a wider audience (i.e. outside the students' own peer group).

Both group entries and individual entries are permitted. Entry forms and further information about the judging criteria can be found on this website.

The closing date is 31 May 2006.

In summer 2005 the RSC distributed copies of Bill Bryson's book "A Short History of Nearly Everything" to all secondary schools and sixth-form colleges in the UK, where it was enthusiastically received.  

To build on this initiative, Bill Bryson has generously donated royalties to establish the award with matching funding from the RSC and his publishers, Transworld.

President of the RSC, Dr Simon Campbell, said: "We are delighted to launch this exciting educational initiative and hope that Bill Bryson's involvement will encourage a new generation of science writers and scientists."