🔬 Celebrating Science: World Science Day and Popularization Awards 2025

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently hosted the World Science Day and Science Popularization Awards 2025 in Colombo on November 4, 2025. Held under the patronage of the Hon. Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Krishantha Abeysena , the event took place from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm.

A Focus on Sustainable Innovation

The theme for this year's celebration was "Nature-Inspired Technology for Sustainable Development". The NSF has commemorated World Science Day, which UNESCO declared as November 10th each year, since 2002 by organizing an annual awards ceremony on the Popularization of Science. The main objective of these celebrations, which are conducted under a specific theme each year, is to enhance public understanding of science.

The keynote address, focusing on the role of nature-inspired technologies in promoting sustainable development, was delivered by Professor Hiran Amarasekara from the Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Participation and Distinguished Guests

The event saw a significant turnout, with approximately 750 participants attending in person. The distinguished guests included:

• The Secretary and senior officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The Chairman of the NSF, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera.
• The Director General of the NSF, Dr. Sepalika Sudasinghe.
• Officials from the Ministry of Education.
• Scientists, journalists, and award-winning students, along with their teachers and parents.

In addition to the physical attendance, around 1,000 people, including teachers and school children, joined the online live streaming of the event.

Recognizing Excellence in Science Popularization

A special highlight of the celebration was providing a platform to showcase the talents and creativity of innovative creations by school children who excelled in national-level science competitions organized by the NSF.

In recognition of their outstanding achievements in popularizing science among the Sri Lankan public, a total of 295 winners, representing school children and teachers, were presented with awards across five competition categories. The awarded categories and number of awards were:

• Science Research Project Competition - 2024 (37 Awards) 
• Kids Naturalist Program - 2024 (60 Awards) 
• School Science Competitions - 2025 (187 Awards) 
• Best Performing Science Teacher in Popularizing Science - 2025 (8 Awards) 
• Star Rating of School Science Associations affiliated with the National Science Foundation 2025 (3 Awards) 

This annual event continues to be a crucial platform for fostering scientific understanding and celebrating the dedication of those who inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators.