FEBS Letters celebrated Women in Science Week 2025 with the announcement of a new writing contest. Researchers at any career stage and of any gender are invited to write about their female role models, including prominent scientists, mentors, and other women who have inspired them in their academic careers.

Entrants are welcome to reflect on the challenges of gender bias in academia and on the importance of female role models for all scientists—and here they may consult our Women in Science Collection for inspiration. However, we are particularly interested in learning about the remarkable women who, directly or indirectly, have helped shape your own journeys in science.

Full details about the contest can be found on the FEBS Letters website.

Contest guidelines

1. Submissions will be judged on interest, style, coherence, and attention to the contest theme.
2. Submissions should fall between 1000 and 3000 words, and they should be written by a single author.
3. FEBS Letters will read submissions on a rolling basis until 31 May 2025. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Writing Contest Submission’.
4. Submissions will be judged by the FEBS Letters Editorial Office and select FEBS staff. We will announce the winner of the contest in June 2025.
5. The author of the winning submission will receive a prize of 500 Euros, and the winning submission will be published in the Scientists’ Forum.
6. FEBS Letters encourages submissions from researchers at all stages of their careers, and from researchers belonging to communities historically underrepresented in bioscience. The contest is open to entrants regardless of gender.
7. We are unable to consider submissions from researchers who have personal relationships with any member of the FEBS Letters Editorial Office. We are also unable to consider submissions written in whole or in part with generative AI.
8. FEBS Letters reserves the right not to award a prize, or to award second and third prizes or honourable mentions, depending on the quality and quantity of submissions, at the judges’ discretion.

Questions about the writing contest may be directed to the FEBS Letters Editorial Office at [email protected].