RSC Sustainability Blog

The global essay competition is back for 2026!

Who? The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) and the Royal Society of Chemistry are excited to continue their collaboration and announce this year’s Young Voices in the Chemical Sciences for Sustainability annual essay competition.

What? The theme for 2026 is “How can the chemical sciences ensure sustainable access to clean water for all needs?”

When? The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026.

Where? The competition is open globally to entrants under 35, providing a unique opportunity for young scientists and researchers to showcase their ideas and contribute to the important conversation on sustainability. The winning entries will be published in RSC Sustainability, providing a platform for the authors to share their work with a global audience and make a real-world impact.

Why? Sustainability is a pressing issue that affects us all, and the chemical sciences have a vital role to play in addressing it. The competition encourages young scientists to think about the importance of scientific approaches grounded in the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges and to take a broad, global perspective, including reflecting on the intersection of science, society and policy aspects, rather than to describe a particular scientific advance in great technical detail. Broad flexibility will be applied in assessing the approach taken by entrants to framing this year’s theme, which might be addressed, for example, through (but not limited to) contexts such as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, specific international challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss or plastics pollution, or critical resource shortages and the need for material stewardship. The competition challenges participants to highlight the importance of the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges, as well as realism about what more needs to be done.

Further information on entering the competition can be found here.

Explore last year’s winning essays on the theme on the theme “From waste to wealth: how chemical sciences can sustainably transform waste into valuable products” in this collection:

• From rags to riches: the role of the chemical sciences in transforming waste into valuable products
  Frederica Butler. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4858-4861.
• The new gold rush: unlocking the potential of waste through chemical science, society and policy
  Yick Eu Chew. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4862-4865.
• Shining light on waste: photochemical strategies to reduce and transform plastic pollution
  Alexandra T. Barth. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4866-4869.
• To scale or not to scale? Re-engineering biorefining for a more sustainable and circular future
  Ahmad B. Ghanayem. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4870-4873.
• Reimagining plastic waste: sustainable depolymerization using mechanochemistry as a gateway to high-value applications
  Emal Mathew. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4874-4877.
• Waste alchemy in the age of industry 5.0: rethinking sustainable electronics
  João Vitor Paulin. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4878-4881.
• From waste to wealth: advancing e-waste transformation through chemical sciences
  Emmanuel Anuoluwapo Oke. RSC Sustainability, 2025,3, 4882-4886.

We encourage all young scientists and researchers who are passionate about sustainability to submit an entry to this year’s competition.

We are very pleased to announce that Zhimin Liu has joined RSC Sustainability as an Associate Editor.

Zhimin is a Professor at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) where her research interests are green and sustainable chemistry with focus on studying physicochemical issues in catalytic transformation of renewable and recyclable carbon resources (including CO₂, biomass, spent plastics). Her research group use green solvents to regulate the synthesis of catalytic materials, and use ionic liquid catalysis, electrocatalysis and other means to develop catalytic conversion methods for carbon dioxide/waste carbon resources.

Learn more by exploring some of Zhimin’s recent work, published in Green Chemistry and Chemical Science:

• Valorization of polycaprolactone for the production of nylon-6 monomers
• Hydroxyl carboxylate anion catalyzed depolymerization of biopolyesters and transformation to chemicals

As an Associate Editor, Zhimin welcomes submissions that cover the areas of sustainable chemistry, sustainable resources and sustainable materials.

If you have exciting results in a relevant area, submit your paper to Zhimin now.

The one-day-in-person symposium will feature talks from both RSC Sustainability Editorial Board members and invited speakers covering a wide breadth of topics around developing sustainable technologies and finding cleaner chemical solutions.

It will take place on Tuesday 20 May 2025 at Burlington House, London, UK.

Registration closes 6th May 2025: https://rsc.li/RSCSusSym25

Speakers will include:

• Tom Welton, Imperial College London, UK
• Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo, Deakin University, Australia
• Francesca Kerton, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
• Martin Prechtl, University of Lisbon, Portugal
• Zhenyu Sun, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China
• Michael Shaver, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
• Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
• Gary Walker, Lubrizol, United Kingdom
• Matthew Davies, Swansea University, United Kingdom
• Deirdre Black, Royal Society of Chemistry, United Kingdom

The global essay competition is back for 2025!

Who? The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) and the Royal Society of Chemistry are excited to continue their collaboration and announce this year’s annual essay competition, focusing on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability.

What? The theme for 2025 is “From waste to wealth: how chemical sciences can sustainably transform waste into valuable products”.

When? The deadline for submissions is 31^st March 2025.

Where? The competition is open globally to entrants under 35, providing a unique opportunity for young scientists and researchers to showcase their ideas and contribute to the important conversation on sustainability. The winning entries will be published in RSC Sustainability, providing a platform for the authors to share their work with a global audience and make a real-world impact.

Why? Sustainability is a pressing issue that affects us all, and the chemical sciences have a vital role to play in addressing it. The competition encourages young scientists to think about the importance of scientific approaches grounded in the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges and to take a wide, global perspective, including reflecting on the intersection of science, society and policy aspects, rather than to describe a particular scientific advance in great technical detail. This year’s theme is particularly relevant in light of the growing global issue of waste management and resource depletion. The competition challenges participants to envision how chemical processes can be harnessed to create sustainable solutions that reduce environmental impact, enhance resource efficiency, and contribute to a circular economy.

Further information on entering the competition can be found here.

Explore last year’s winning essays in this collection:

• Utilizing advancements in chemical sciences for decarbonization: a pathway to sustainable emission and energy reduction by Faith Mwende Johnson
• Towards a net-zero future: the chemical sciences across technology, education, and policy by Amanda Mikaela Celestine Tolentino
• Chemical advances in transforming pollutants into new materials by Tales da Silva Daitx
• From lab to landscape: the role of chemical sciences in sustainable technology by Yana Walia
• Atoms and photons: how chemical sciences can catalyze the development of sustainable solutions powered by light by Govind Nanda
• Chemical sciences: the key to a carbon-neutral future by Alexandre M. S. Jorge
• Chemical innovations in nuclear energy: paving the way for a carbon-neutral future by Sarah Geo

We encourage all young scientists and researchers who are passionate about sustainability to submit an entry to this year’s competition.

Join our RSC Sustainability author showcase                

Friday 8th December 2023 14:00 – 15:30 (UK time)

Our upcoming author showcase is your chance to discover papers from RSC Sustainability. Whether you’re curious about the newest solutions for a greener future, or are looking for the right place to publish your own discoveries, join us on 8 December to hear from our authors and editorial board members.

Tune in to the webinar via LinkedIn or YouTube.

What will the author showcase cover?

 Join the people behind RSC Sustainability to:

• hear our editorial board present their 2023 highlights
• see interviews with the authors, including Patrick McKenna, Silvia Parilla-Lahoz, Ulf-Peter Apfel, Xochitl Dominguez-Benetton, Omar Martinez-Mora and Daniel Whitehead.
• explore the editorials focussing on UN SDG 2 and 7 featured in our 2023 issues, and get involved in a broader discussion around the role of chemistry in building a sustainable world
• find out more about RSC Sustainability – and discover a home for your own exceptional research

Start exploring RSC Sustainability

 The latest research from RSC Sustainability is ready for you to discover. You’ll find the latest excellent, solutions-focused research in the chemical sciences dedicated to solving sustainability challenges – all free to read online. Read our papers here.

If you have any questions in advance of the webinar, please feel free to get in touch via email.

We look forward to you joining us.

Tom Welton, and the RSC Sustainability Editorial Board
Royal Society of Chemistry