British Council launches global competition

British Council, an international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, has launched a global competition to find top climate science communicators ahead of COP26.

The global search has been launched to identify next influential global voice on climate action who can inspire and connect with audiences across the world to help build trust in climate science, said a press release recently.

Entries are now open for FameLab Climate Change Communicators, a special edition of the FameLab science communication competition leading to the online final event in September, said the release.

The competition is open to entries from aspiring science communicators from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Turkey, Uganda, Vietnam. 

Entrants are challenged to film and submit a video of themselves giving a compelling 3 minute talk in English relating to the theme of ‘Trust in Climate Science’.

Ten talented finalists who impress the judges with scientific storytelling will be selected to progress to the next stage and will receive a two-day online masterclass with leading science communicators to help hone their skills.

The finalists will then go head-to-head on the virtual stage to battle it out for first place in the FameLab Climate Challenge Communicators Online Final to be streamed on YouTube in September 2021.

FameLab is a competition owned and created by Cheltenham Festivals. 2021 marks the 15th and final year of the FameLab International competition delivered globally in partnership with the British Council. This year’s event will offer an exciting programme of interactive online heats – and a celebration of the partnership which has led to a global science communication phenomenon.

Bangladesh has been a part of FameLab since 2017. Through FameLab Bangladesh chapter, there were two national winners – Alvee Islam (2017 – 2018) and A.S.M Afrin Bin Nur Adib (2018 -2019) – both raising the country’s flag high in the Cheltenham Science Festival, UK.

Among all the participating countries, in both the years, the Bangladeshi winners had made their way to the top ten best science communicators of the competition. Since then, they have been actively involved in the field of science communication.