Ars Scientia, UBC’s interdisciplinary initiative at the intersection of art and science, welcomes undergraduate students across campus to participate in our 2025 Essay Prize. This is an opportunity to explore the profound and often catalyzing connections between these two fields.

If we take the long view, art and science have been considered pursuits comfortably woven together for most of human history. Somehow, we have lost sight of that holistic worldview over the past two centuries, and these disciplines have become seemingly incompatible. You are invited to write an essay considering how art and science are inextricably linked in fundamental and generative ways, addressing specific examples you have encountered – in a lab, an experiment, an exhibition, an artwork, or perhaps a thought experiment.

Details & Submission
Eligibility: UBC undergraduate students
Prize: $1000 for the winning entry
Publication: The best essay will be published on the Ars Scientia website, featured in the Quantum Matter Institute’s newsletter, and shared through other relevant online platforms.
Length: 1000-word limit
Deadline: 6PM PDT, Wednesday, 30 April, 2025
How to Submit: email your essay as a PDF attachment to arsscientia@ubc.ca

As part of Ars Scientia’s mission to foster dialogue between artistic and scientific inquiry, this competition is an invitation for you to explore, challenge, and celebrate creative intersections of art and science. We look forward to your insights!