The Royal Society of Biology held its Annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate RSB competition and award winners, newly recognised Registered Scientists and Registered Science Technicians, and to present the President’s Medal.

Tim Harris from Nature Picture Library and judge for the RSB Photography Competition, presented the shortlisted and winning photographs. Supported by Eppendorf, this year’s theme was ‘Capturing movement.’

The Young Photographer of the Year award was won by Carlos Perez Naval for his photograph ‘Fighting’, winning £500.

The Photographer of the Year Award was won by Nick Edwards for his ‘Demob Happy’ photograph taken on the Isle of Wight, UK, for which he won £1000.

The winning entry for this year's Photography competition

Tim said of the winning entries: “All the judges were impressed by the quality of entries in this year’s competition.

“The diversity of subjects, locations and approaches to the subject made our task in selecting the winning photographs a tough, but rewarding one.

“At 14, the winner of the under-18 category, Carlos Perez Naval, who submitted a pin-sharp shot of white-headed ducks fighting, clearly has a great future in nature photography.

The winning entry for Young Photographer of the Year, taken by Carlos Perez Naval

“The overall competition winner was Nick Edwards’ soldier beetle image, which captured movement in a direct and technically sophisticated way, flying the flag for invertebrates at a time when recognising their key role in biodiversity has never been more important.”

Timothy Pond of the Zoological Society of London, freelance illustrator, and judge of the Nancy Rothwell award, presented winners with their awards for their outstanding artwork capturing the anatomy of plants and animals.

Tim Pond showcasing some of the shortlisted entries for the Nancy Rothwell award

The award had three age categories and was supported by the Royal Veterinary College. Jiyoo Erin Lee from Seol Foreign school won the 7-11 category for their salmon drawing. Catherine James from Lady Eleanor Holles School won the 12-14 category for their American flamingo. Serena Liu from UWESCA, Singapore won the 15-18 category for their eagle drawing.

The evening also featured presentations from the winners of this year’s Outreach and Engagement awards.

Philippa Skett MRSB, press and communications manager at the RSB, introduced the winners of the Outreach and Engagement awards, saying: “The judges struggled to whittle down the submitted entries down to the two winners, as this year the submissions were all of a very high calibre.”

The New Researcher Outreach and Engagement award was presented to Stephen Long MRSB, PhD student at University College London and the ZSL Institute of Zoology. He was awarded for his efforts making learning about sustainable fishing more accessible through the use of virtual reality, computer games and organising exhibitions.

Stephen said of receiving the award: ‘‘The outreach and communication efforts I have been involved in are built on a research programme, that has a great many contributions in the UK, Greenland and elsewhere.’’

Dr Lucy Green and Stephen Long, this year's Outreach and Engagement award winners

The Established Researcher Outreach and Engagement award went to Dr Lucy Green MRSB, associate professor of the Faculty of Medicine and assistant director of Institute of Developmental sciences, both at the University of Southampton and assistant director of Institute of Developmental Sciences.

Dr Green received the award for her delivery of a wide range of projects covering topics such as developmental biology, health and physiology, with one eye-catching project in particular involving a supersized Kerplunk game.

Dr Green said: ‘‘Receiving this award means a great deal to me.

“Outreach and engagement is important in making science accessible to the public. It is also key in keeping the voice of young people firmly within the conversation about sciences advances and the way these can improve the global health for the next generation.’’

President of the Royal Society of Biology, Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow FRSB, presented the President’s Medal to Dr David Ware FRSB, for outstanding service and commitment to the RSB.

Dr David Ware FRSB with Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow FRSB

Dr Ware’s service to the Society stretches back to the Institute of Biology, through the Society of Biology to the current Royal Society of Biology. David initially served on the Kent, Surrey & Sussex branch committee before taking on the role of secretary over 10 years ago, the role he continues with today.

Since retiring David has continued to be an active member of the RSB. In his role as secretary, David is the mainstay of the Kent, Surrey & Sussex branch committee. He not only fulfils his administrative role, but takes on much of the organisation and running of the events the branch runs for members each year.

He has maintained his links with biological education by supporting the various careers events the branch attends, he was also key in establishing a collaboration with a local school to host an annual lecture shared with other schools in the area, an annual lecture which he continues to organise.

Kelly Vere from the Science Council also presented certificates to Juan Arroyo RSci, Sebastian Punter RSciTech and Eleanor Gibbs RSciTech, who have achieved Registered Scientist or Registered Science Technician status.

The evening also saw the launch of a showcase trailer for RSB's documentary, in partnership with ITN Productions, called ‘Biology Impacting Lives.’ The programme highlights the importance and relevance of work in the biosciences, and showcased some of the transformative work of a number of biosciences organisations.

A twitter moment from the event can be viewed online.

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