Association of British Science Writers

What Association of British Science Writers does

The Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) is a UK membership organisation founded in 1947 and registered in England and Wales (company number 07376343), headquartered at Barming, Maidstone, Kent. It serves media professionals who cover science, medicine, environment, mathematics, engineering, and technology, providing professional training, development, and networking for journalists and writers at all career stages. Its core offerings centre on three annual membership tiers — Full (£50), Associate (£45), and Student (£25) — that grant access to a member directory, journal and embargoed-news resources (Wiley Online Library, Nature, Elsevier, PLOS, and EurekAlert!), a biannual mentoring scheme, discounted UK and international press cards, and member-only forums on Discord and Google Groups.

The organisation's product portfolio includes the flagship ABSW Awards (11 categories, known as the 'Oscars' of science writing since 1966), the Young Science Writer Award for 14–16-year-olds run with BBC and Science Museum, an annual Science & Technology Journalism Summer School, the biennial UK Conference of Science Journalists (UKCSJ), and the biennial World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ2027, scheduled 6–9 September 2027 in London). ABSW generates revenue through annual subscription fees and event/workshop registrations, supplemented by sponsorships from partners including EurekAlert!/AAAS, UK Research and Innovation, the Royal Society, Springer Nature, Wellcome, ABPI, and others. It is governed by an elected Board (current Chair: Alex O'Brien; Vice-Chair: Sarah Wild, both from March 2026), operates with 1–10 staff, and is affiliated internationally through the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) and the European Federation for Science Journalism (EFSJ).

Name

Association of British Science Writers

Legal name

Association of British Science Writers

Website

https://absw.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UK membership association founded in 1947 serving science journalists and writers through training, networking, awards, and access to journals and embargoed news. Operates three annual subscription tiers and flagship programs including ABSW Awards, Young Science Writer Award, and WCSJ2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trade Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Educational Services (611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Science journalism membership
• Professional development training
• Scientific journal access
• Journalism awards programs
• Conference networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Barming

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees provide the primary revenue stream. Three tiers: Full member (£50/year), Associate member (£45/year), Student member (£25/year). Membership renews every 12 months with reminder emails sent 14 days before renewal.
2. Event Fees and Workshops: Revenue from paid workshops, training courses, and event registrations. Many events are free for members with discounted rates for flagship events like UKCSJ and Summer School.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ABSW is a membership organization that sells annual subscriptions to science journalists, writers, communicators, and students, providing access to scientific journals and embargoed news, professional training events, networking forums, mentoring, press cards, and entry to flagship awards and conferences. Its three membership tiers (Full at £50/year, Associate at £45/year, Student at £25/year) gate access to a portfolio of services including the ABSW Awards, Young Science Writer Award, UKCSJ and WCSJ conferences, the Mentoring Scheme, and the public member directory.

Product overview

The Association of British Science Writers operates as a membership organization offering a portfolio of professional development services organized around membership tiers, awards programs, training events, and networking activities. The core offering consists of annual membership (Full, Associate, and Student tiers) providing access to journals, press cards, mentoring, and member directory. Key programs include the ABSW Awards celebrating excellence in science journalism, the Young Science Writer Award for secondary school students, the annual Summer School training event, and biennial conferences (UKCSJ and WCSJ). Members also participate in community forums on Discord and Google Group, attend monthly Coffee Break events, and access event recordings via Vimeo. The organization partners with EurekAlert! to provide embargoed science news access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABSW Membership
• ABSW Awards
• Young Science Writer Award
• ABSW Mentoring Scheme
• Science and Technology Journalism Summer School
• UK Conference of Science Journalists (UKCSJ)
• World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ)
• ABSW Media Fellowships
• Directory of ABSW Members
• European Science Journalist of the Year Award

Quantifiable outcome

• ABSW Awards receive nearly 300 entries annually across 11 categories
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered lead professional development partner, lead diversity and inclusion partner, core, strategic partner, supporting and founding partner.

• EurekAlert! (AAAS)lead professional development partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurekAlert! is ABSW's Lead Professional Development Partner, supporting the UK Conference for Science Journalists, the Science and Technology Journalism Summer School, and professional development opportunities throughout the year. EurekAlert! provides eligible ABSW members with free access to embargoed news releases, advance press packages from leading journals including Science, PNAS, and Cell, and user-customizable email alerts.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)lead diversity and inclusion partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRI serves as ABSW's Lead Diversity and Inclusion Partner, supporting efforts to promote diversity in science journalism.
• World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABSW is a member organization of WFSJ, a not-for-profit NGO of approximately 70 science journalists' associations representing up to 10,000 individual science and technology journalists worldwide. Through this membership, ABSW members can access international press cards and expand their global networks.
• European Federation for Science Journalism (EFSJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABSW is a member organization of EFSJ, enabling ABSW members to develop networks of science journalists across Europe. ABSW members can claim 'association members' rates at EFSJ events including ECSJ conferences.
• Creators' Rights Alliance (CRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABSW is a founding member of the Creators' Rights Alliance, which advocates for creators' rights on issues including AI and copyright. ABSW participates in CRA newsletters and advocacy efforts.
• Science Museumstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Museum is a strategic partner of the Young Science Writer Award, hosting the award ceremony and providing support for the program. The museum also hosts ABSW special events such as 'Lates' in partnership.
• BBCstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC is a strategic partner of the Young Science Writer Award, publishing winning essays on the BBC website and providing support for the program.
• Royal SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Society is a sponsor of the ABSW Awards and venue partner for the Awards Ceremony. Also awarding the Royal Society David Attenborough Award and Royal Society Audio Award.
• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerABPI is a sponsor of the ABSW Awards, supporting excellence in science and technology journalism.
• Dr Katharine Giles FundsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDr Katharine Giles Fund is a sponsor of the ABSW Awards.
• AlphaGalileosupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAlphaGalileo is a sponsor of the ABSW Awards, supporting science journalism recognition.
• The Royal Societyfounding partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Society is a Founding Partner of WCSJ2027, providing early support to ensure the success of this major international event in London.
• Springer Naturefounding partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringer Nature is a Founding Partner of WCSJ2027, providing early support for the World Conference of Science Journalists 2027 in London.
• Wellcomefounding partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellcome is a Founding Partner of WCSJ2027, providing early support for the World Conference of Science Journalists 2027 in London.
• Wiley (via EurekAlert!)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiley grants institutional access to WFSJ members, including ABSW members, through the Wiley Online Library. Access credentials are provided to members via ABSW.
• British Association of JournalistssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorABSW members can apply for a UK press card through the British Association of Journalists at a reduced rate of £35. Contact Matthew Wyatt at BAJ for the ABSW members' application form.
• New ScientistsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNew Scientist offers a digital subscription to Young Science Writer Award winners and runners-up, providing ongoing access to professional science journalism.
• DK (Dorling Kindersley)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDK, one of the world's leading illustrated non-fiction publishers, provides a curated bundle of science books for Young Science Writer Award winners.
• StaedtlersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerStaedtler provides financial support to the Young Science Writer Award prize fund alongside writing and drawing materials for the winners.
• Raspberry PisupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRaspberry Pi provides a technology bundle to the Young Science Writer Award overall winner, supporting hands-on engagement with computational tools.
• The Royal InstitutionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Institution provides a Ri Young Membership to Young Science Writer Award winners and runners-up, opening doors of one of the country's oldest scientific institutions to new writers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Science Writers: The US counterpart and most direct peer; NASW is a membership body for science journalists offering awards, training, networking, and conferences serving the same core member base as ABSW.
• World Federation of Science Journalists: The global umbrella body of which ABSW is a UK member association; WFSJ coordinates the World Conference of Science Journalists and serves overlapping international science journalism networking functions.
• Council of Science Editors: A membership association for editors and publishers in the science communication chain; highly comparable in targeting editorial professionals serving science publication, with parallel training, awards, and networking.
• Science Media Centre: A UK-based organisation supporting scientists and journalists, comparable in mission and geography to ABSW; it brokers media access for researchers and offers briefings rather than membership tiers.
• Chartered Institute of Journalism: UK-based chartered body for journalists providing training, accreditation and networking; comparable UK membership model and training offering targeted at the same working journalist base.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Professional Journalists: The largest US journalism membership association; broader in scope than ABSW but operates the same chapter/events/awards/credential model for journalists at large.

Emerging players

• Association of Health Care Journalists: Specialised journalism association for health/medical reporters; uses the same playbook of memberships, awards, fellowships, and conferences as ABSW but focuses on health rather than science broadly.

Others

• Royal Institution of Great Britain: Long-established UK science-engagement institution that partners with ABSW (e.g., Ri Young Membership for YSWA winners) and operates adjacent programming on public engagement and science communication.

Regional players

• Australian Science Communicators: Australian membership association for science communicators and science writers; runs conferences and training for the same professional archetype but in a different geography.
• European Federation for Science Journalism: Regional European umbrella with which ABSW partners for ECSJ conferences; comparable governance model and membership-association focus for science journalists across Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/absw
• YouTubevimeo.com/user119712940/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/BritishScienceWriters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-british-science-writers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association of British Science Writers