Women of the Future Awards for 2017

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Women of the Future Awards, so please see below for an updated version of a post I first wrote this time last year.  

The deadline for nominations this year is 8th September 2017.




The Women of the Future Awards are the platform for successful young women in Britain. These awards are aimed at unearthing and recognising the inspirational stars of tomorrow across diverse sectors. I was honoured to win the Science category of this award in 2014, and I am keen to encourage more engagement with the awards from women in STEM. Please feel free to contact me directly (karen.masters@port.ac.uk) if you have any questions/concerns about what these awards are all about.

I personally view participation with this organisation as a great way to engage in outreach about STEM subjects with women in general. The low numbers of women in science means that we are often in a minority in a group of scientists, but also within a group of women. The young people who attend events organised via the Women of the Future: Ambassadors Programme (at which Award winners and shortlisted candidates are invited) are not seeking out discussion of STEM subjects as careers specifically, so this can be a great way to get outside the group of already engaged. And the Women of the Future Network provides the opportunity to network with successful professional women in the UK across all sectors (which is inspiring and interesting, as well as potentially useful). This has led to interesting opportunities - for example I ended up as one of the BBC 100 Women for 2015, was invited to discuss the issues of women in STEM at the House of Lords, I've talked about in on the BBC News Channel, and more.

The Awards are open to all women aged 35 or under (this year candidates must be aged 35 or under on December 31, 2017) living or working in the United Kingdom (Mentor of the Year and Young Star Awards have different eligibility, see below).

Award Categories which I think would of Interest to Women in STEM:

Science
This category recognises a group of truly remarkable young female scientists, forging new ground in research and scientific achievement. Within this category, WoF are also seeking nominees with a career in the sciences who can demonstrate a track record of academic excellence in the field of science; and are showing signs of success in pushing through scientific developments to commercial application.

Recent winners: 
2016: Dr Maria Bruna, Junior Research Fellow in Mathematics, St John's College
2015: Dr. Tessa Baker, Postdoctoral Fellow in Cosmology at All Souls, University of Oxford
2014: Dr. Karen Masters, Senior Lecturer in Astronomy, Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth
2013: Dr Janice Turner, technical project manager, Roke Manor Research

Technology and Digital
This category recognises talented, ground-breaking young women from the worlds of digital and technology.

Recent winners:
2016: Maxine Mackintosh, Chair, Healthtech Women
2015: Dr. Laura Toogood, Managing Director of Private Clients, Digitalis Reputation
2014: Brie Rogers Lowery, UK Director, Change.org
2013: Kathryn Parsons, founder, Decoded

Mentor of the Year
This award, recognises active mentors behind the success of younger women in British life. Many successful women pay tribute to role models and supporters who have enabled them to flourish in business, professional life, science or whatever their chosen field. This award pays tribute to some of the most influential and unsung heroes and heroines in British life.
The award is open to men and women of all ages.

Recent winners:
2016: Tamara Box, Managing Partner EME, Reed Smith
2015: Alex Peace-Gadsby, Director, Musto Limited
2014: Dr Vanessa Ogden, Head Teacher, Mulberry School
2013: Helen Milford, south regional director, Asda

Young Star
This award acknowledges high achievers aged 16-21. It is for teenage girls showing exceptional promise within their industry, university or school.

Recent winners:
2016: Nusrath Hassan, Alumna, Mulberry School for Girls
2015: Phoebe Gormley, Managing Director, Gormley & Gamble
2014: Suzanne Birney, Apprentice CAD Technologist, Doosan Babcock
2013: Eliza Rebeiro, founder, Lives not Knives

Entry deadline: September 8th 2016
Judging Day (central London): October 9th 2016
Awards Night (London Hilton on Park Lane - note that shortlisted candidates get a complimentary ticket): 15th November 2016
There are two ways to nominate (self nominations are welcome):
1. Complete the application form  - self nominations are welcomed.
2. Email candidate suggestions to info@womenofthefuture.co.uk (they will then be contacted and invited to fill in the application form).

For more details see the Women of the Future Website, or contact me at karen.masters@port.ac.uk.

Please pass this message on to any Women in STEM groups you are part of.