Watch the announcement of the 2021 Stephen Fry Awards below.
The annual Stephen Fry Public Engagement Awards recognise our staff and students, and their work engaging non-academic audiences. Winners and nominees of the Awards are recognised for their crucial role in organising and delivering excellent public engagement, enhancing benefits to society and improving their own skills.
In 2021 the winner/s in each category presented their work at the 2021 Celebrating our Public Engagement event on Wednesday 28 April.
You can watch a recording of event featuring a showcase of all nominations, the announcement by Stephen Fry himself and the presentations from the winners.
Each winner received a trophy and can access up to £1500 of funding to support their future public engagement activities.
2021 Award winners
On 28 April 2021 the winners of the 2021 Stephen Fry Awards were announced by the Principal and Stephen Fry. In 2021 the awards received the most nominations and applications in their ten-year history. The selection panel were very impressed by the depth and breadth of engagement across the University.
Laura Jones - 2021 Engaged Early Career Researcher of the Year
Laura is research student in the School of Social Sciences who is helping to break down the barriers that women experiencing commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) face in accessing support.
Women experiencing CSE - including those selling or exchanging sex - are understood to have limited social support, and Laura focusses her research on the formal and informal relationships that can help or hinder exiting CSE.
Dr Andrea Rodriguez - 2021 Engaged Researcher of the Year
Andrea Rodriguez, from the University’s School of Dentistry, was named Engaged Researcher of the Year for her work in co-designing a programme to improve oral health among young people experiencing homelessness.
The programme ultimately identified ways of improving how the next generation of dental, health and social care professionals interact with those without a permanent address, and even led to the creation of a knowledge exchange on youth homelessness between Scotland and Brazil.
Educational Comics - 2021 Engagement Project of the Year
The Educational Comics team have created educational comics for partners including charities, creative economies, and the health and education sectors.
The comics tackle misunderstood medical conditions, complex scientific issues, and matters of public interest, increased awareness of issues for a range of audiences. The project has also supported the development of 23 comics artists, as well establishing new community and project partnerships.
Three Award Categories
The University recognises there are different ways to engage with people, communities and organisations. The Stephen Fry Public Engagement Awards support all types of engagement, (engaged education, engagement with research, social responsibility and knowledge exchange). We award winning applications and commendations in three categories.
• The Public Engagement Project of the Year is awarded to teams who have made outstanding contributions to public engagement with any aspect of the University's activity
• The Engaged Early Career Researcher of the Year is awarded to a research postgraduate (RPGs) or an early-career researcher who has shown excellence in engaging audiences with the University’s research.
• The Engaged Researcher of the Year is awarded to a senior member of staff who has shown excellence in engaging audiences with the University’s research.
Previous Winners
Celebrating its 10th year the Stephen Fry Public Engagement Awards have been awarded annually since 2012. Follow this link to find out more about previous winners of the Stephen Fry Awards.
Contact Us
Do you have any questions or comments about the Stephen Fry Awards? Then please contact Jon Urch at engage@dundee.ac.uk or phone 01382 386669.