Carvan wins 2025 Bragg Prize for Science Writing
Tabitha Carvan has been awarded this year’s UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing for her essay “The Unexpected Poetry of PhD Acknowledgements”.
The publisher said, “Carvan’s piece reflects on the tender moments she discovered while reading the acknowledgements in science theses from the Australian National University library catalogue. After poring through hundreds of them, she realised that the author’s perceived achievement in completing each project almost always came down to one simple thing: other people.
“These heartfelt notes of gratitude shone against the backdrop of the rest of the thesis – pages filled with careful reasoned findings and precise figures – revealing the deeply human story behind the science.”
Carvan said, “Putting this story together is the most fun I’ve ever had as a writer and I’m so happy that other people have enjoyed it too. A huge thank you to all the scientists whose PhD acknowledgements are quoted – the best words in the story are all theirs!”
Runners up were Angus Dalton for his essay “The Night I Accidentally Became a Corpse Flower’s Bedside Manservant” and James Purtill for “Air Conditioning Quietly Changed Australian Life in Just a Few Decades”. Winners were selected from a shortlist of six, all of which appear in The Best Australian Science Writing 2025 (edited by Zoe Kean & Tegan Taylor, NewSouth).
The Bragg Prize is open to short nonfiction pieces of science writing written for a general audience. The award is named in honour of Australia’s first Nobel laureates, William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg.
The prize winner receives $7000, with the two runners-up each receiving $1500. The award is supported by the Copyright Agency and the UNSW Faculty of Science.
Last year’s winner was Cameron Stewart for the essay “Heroes of Zero”.
More information about the prize is available on the UNSW Press website.
Category: Awards Local news
