Unearthing Excellence: The Geoscience Everyday Competition Winners Revealed!

Earth Science Week 2023 (8^th-14^th October) is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the theme “Geoscience Innovating for Earth and People”.  During Earth Science Week, organisations around the globe host events that encourage people to connect with the world around them and, in line with the theme, think about the way geoscience influences our world and the way we live. 

During Earth Science Week we host a variety of outreach and public engagement events from geowalks to family fun days and even movie screenings in our historical building in London. As well as our own events, we support and promote activity going on throughout the month across the UK for all ages. Find out what’s happening near you.

Alongside lots of exciting activities and events to celebrate Earth Science Week, we hosted our very own geo-art competition titled ‘Geoscience Everyday’ . The competition opened in June 2023 and sought to inspire and encourage participants to express their relationship with the world through a variety of artistic mediums, showing us how geoscience influences their everyday life. Entries were open to all, whether your skill was creative writing, photography, videography, poetry, ceramics, cartoons… telling a story creatively was key! 

While the competition encouraged experimentation and creativity, it was open to all levels and artistic backgrounds. No matter what entrants had to hand, whether that was their phone camera, a paintbrush or simply a pen we encouraged everyone to give it a go.  

For anyone who wasn’t sure where to start, we expanded our range of free science storytelling masterclasses resources to help get people thinking about how we can use creativity to communicate geoscience. We hoped these masterclasses would encourage people to try something they hadn’t done before, and to support them in their artistic journey using novel materials. Huge thanks to all our artists, creators, outreach experts and storytellers who contributed masterclasses to this year’s Earth Science Week: Geo-Artists Julie Upmeyer and Mari Rose Pritchard, Science Cartoonist Matthew Partridge, Filmmaker Barry J Gibb and Writer and Poet Beki Hooper.  

The competition asked entrants to highlight the theme of Earth Science Week, ‘How does geoscience influence society?”. We encourage people to focus on their everyday surroundings: how does Earth science impact the world around you? As part of celebrating Earth Science Week, we will be celebrating the competition winners and their wonderfully creative entries all month in Burlington House. Pop by The Geological Society Tuesday – Thursday between 9am and 5pm to see the creativity on display! 

So… announcing our winners! 

1^st Prize: Dr Anya Lawrence 

Anya impressed the judging panel hugely with their approach to the competition. Using geologically inspired ceramics to represent porcelain, Anya highlighted the way porcelain has supported UK industrial and societal development. The widespread use of Chinese clay had a massive impact on the UK, particularly in areas historically dominated by industrial production and international trade such as Cornwall. 

Anya impressed the judges by linking the natural forms and lines of their plates, bowls and earrings to those found in rock strata. Each piece, like natural materials, has its own unique shape, pattern, colour and texture. We thought the ceramics represented the uniqueness of the natural world beautifully.  

Please join us in congratulating the very talented Anya – a very worthy winner of our Geoscience Everyday Competition and the winner of our £150 grand prize! 

2^nd place: Karina Ibanez 

2^nd place is awarded to Karina Ibanez for their photography of the Cedro Dam of NE Brazil highlighting pioneering hydraulic infrastructure in South America and the importance of the granodiorite used for its construction. Karina told the story of the iconic ‘Chicken Stone’ inselberg that holds international significance as a geosite of scientific value and an educational resource. Karina told us how large-scale dams, and the stone that forms them were used by colonisers to bring a man-made water supply to this arid region, leading to increased population density. Dams such as the Cedro Dam now form a vital part of cultural understanding of the area.  

Congratulations Karina on winning £100 for sharing your thoughtful piece! 

3^rd place: Isobel Talbot 

3^rd place was awarded to Isobel Talbot for their creative use of a granite outcrop in Southern Devon to show how geology and its study brings people together, highlighting the impressive scale of the natural world. Our judges resonated particularly with sentiments shared by Isobel on how understanding our geological past can aid our work towards achieving a sustainable future.  

Isobel is awarded £50 for their creative and touching contribution. Well done, Isobel! 

Other entries

We received such a variety of excellent and creative entries. Listed below are some that, although didn’t win, we thought we should share . These include: 

1. Nick Davidson and his grandson’s wonderful conversation about the role of geologists in London’s skyline

“The Greenwich Peninsula. The river reflected in the buildings around us. Holding my grandson’s hand we make our routine stop to watch the 100 ft augers silhouetted against the London sky drilling piles for more buildings and I talk to him about their journey through the earth. This is an old gas works, the biggest in Britain: the land is contaminated and dangerous. But how dangerous ? And below that, deposited by the Thames over the last ten thousand years, sand, shale and clay: soft and saggy like our castles in the sandpit: difficult to build on. Then I tell him that without men and women to read the earth and the millions of years of history below our feet his home, his nursery, his world, would be impossible. That deep down there are rocks that have drifted up from the South Pole through earthquakes, volcanoes and across oceans. He frowns, looks doubtful ….. and then a smile lights up his face: ‘I’d like to do that job too’ he says and my heart melts.” 

2. A intriguing photo titled ‘Bacteria or Blackhole’ by Cameron Murphy  

3. Poetry by Jessica Fron about protecting our planet for future generations 

4. Suyash Misra who uses poetry to engage with a broader audience to bring awareness to the momentous changes we are witnessing during the Anthropocene. 

A huge thank you again from all of us at The Geological Society to those who took the time to enter our competition! We were overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness, creativity, and passion for geology that all entrants showed.  Please join us in congratulating our winners on social media!

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