Winners of “Technicians Make it Happen” photo competition announced

The British Science Association (BSA) has announced the winners of the Technicians Make it Happen photo competition. The announcement took place at Thorpe Park during the BSA’s Great British Science Club celebration event, which is being held to celebrate 30 years of CREST Awards.

The BSA partnered with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation on their Technicians Make it Happen campaign to promote the valuable role that technicians play within society and the UK economy. The photo competition was run earlier this year as part of British Science Week and saw hundreds of entries from students across the UK.

Youngsters were asked to create a scene conveying the type of job their chosen technician does. They could use every day materials found in the kitchen or classroom, and any backdrops they could make themselves. They could also act out the scene by dressing up a teddy bear, teacher or a parent as their technician of choice. They then took a photo of their scene and shared it via Twitter.

The winners and their respective categories are as follows:

Emma Mitchell from Bradley Stoke Community School won: The most interesting technician job featured	Benjamin Lai from Holy Trinity School, Northwood won: The most creative scene
Nathan Bolter from Lewis School Pengam won: The best descriptive Tweet	Aanyaa Jajodia from Hounslow Heath Infant & Nursery School won: The people’s choice award

The shortlisted finalists were invited to the celebration event being held at Thorpe Park today to mark the end of the CREST Award’s 30th anniversary year. The winners received an array of prizes, including a Nikon DSLR camera kit and Fujifilm instant cameras.

Maria Rossini, Head of Education at the British Science Association, said: “I would like to congratulate all of the finalists of this fantastic competition. The standard of entries was very high so it was a difficult choice for us to make, but everyone did brilliantly. We loved seeing the creative and innovative approaches taken by students, and seeing the huge variety of technicians featured in their photos. The Technicians Make it Happen competition and wider campaign has provided a great platform for a profession that is often overlooked or misunderstood. It has been a pleasure to be involved and we hope it will have inspired many young people to explore these wonderful and varied career paths.”

Michelle Rea, Communications Manager at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, said: “It has been so encouraging to see all of the superb entries that have been submitted to the Technicians Make it Happen photo competition. The standard has been excellent and it is wonderful to see young people of all ages engaging with the fantastic careers on offer for technicians in this country. Congratulations to the winners and all those who took part.”

About the British Science Association: The British Science Association (BSA) believes that science should be part of – rather than set apart from – society and culture, and is owned by the wider community. Our programmes encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with science, become ambassadors for science, and ultimately to be empowered to challenge and influence British science – whether they work in science or not.

Established in 1831, the BSA is a registered charity that organises major initiatives across the UK, including British Science Week, the annual British Science Festival, regional and local events, the CREST Awards and other programmes for young people in schools and colleges.

About Technicians Make it Happen: Technicians are crucial to the UK economy and future growth. However, the work of technicians is often poorly understood and young people, parents and teachers are not always aware of the exciting range of technician jobs available.

Technicians Make it Happen is an initiative led by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation which seeks to challenge outdated notions of who our nation’s technicians are and what they do.

About The Gatsby Charitable Foundation: In 1967 David Sainsbury set up the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and agreed its first grant – £50 to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. David Sainsbury (now Lord Sainsbury of Turville) has since given Gatsby more than £1 billion to distribute to charitable causes.

Gatsby works in areas that David Sainsbury and the Trustees are particularly passionate about and where they believe charitable funding can make a real difference. Gatsby is currently active in: plant science, neuroscience, education, Africa, public policy and arts.