Young Persons Lecture Competition

Applications are invited for engineers, scientists and technologists to take part in the Scottish heat of the Young Persons Lecture Competition organised by the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining.  Applicants should be aged 28 and under on 1st June 2026.  Full details can be found by following the link on the QR code found here.

The Scottish heat will take place on Weds 25th February 2026 at 2pm until 4pm, and the venue will be Lecture Theatre A, Bute Building, St. Andrews University, Queens Terrace, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9TS.  Travel expenses for those outwith St. Andrews will be paid.  There will be pre event refreshments and networking from 1 to 2pm.

Applications must be submitted by 15th February using the online form.  All those selected to take part in the Scottish heat will receive a cash donation of at least £100.  The winner will receive a prize of £250 and will be asked to represent Scotland at the UK Lecture Competition Final to be held in London on 21st May 2026 where further cash prizes are available.

Hamish Dow from the University of Strathclyde won the Scottish heat last year, and went on to win the UK final before being placed second in the World Lecture Competition final.  He said, "The competition was a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable experience. One of the highlights was meeting other young people in the field of materials and listening to their presentations; the talks were of a very high standard and it was great to hear such a wide variety of materials-based lectures. The competition not only helped me further develop my public speaking skills but also provided valuable exposure for my research. Winning the UK final additionally led to an invitation to write a feature article for the September 25 issue of Materials World, where my piece was selected as the cover story."

The competition is being organised by the Mining Institute of Scotland with the support of the Scottish Association for Metals and sponsorship from the Mining Institute of Scotland Trust.