If I were a scientist…
Celebrating 12 years of Native Awards
“If I were a scientist, I would create a time machine with a lot of food. I would go back to times when there was war, and I would distribute food”. That was 9-year-old Linda’s answer when asked to complete the sentence "If I were a scientist…".
Every year the Native Awards, an inter-school contest, captures thousands of children’s perceptions and expectations about science and scientists. The competition consists of two categories: the Best Sentence of the Year (“complete the sentence: if I were a scientist…”) and the Best Drawing of the Year (“draw a picture that shows what you know about scientists and their work”). In both, children practice imagination, reflection, drawing, and writing skills. It is fun for the children, and a chance for Native to reward and celebrate imagination, creativity and enthusiasm.
Over the past 12 years, children have been expressing their wishes, curiosities, and concerns regarding their present and future that could be answered by science.
Science as care and connection
Through the years, children have shown an understanding of science as a way to care for others and create new possibilities. Even if some of the children may not have a clear understanding of the reality of scientific work, they seem to recognise science as something that can lead to solutions and a better future:
“If I were a scientist, I would do anything to make my mother walk.” Yanis, 10 years old, Grenoble, 2023/2024
“If I were a scientist, I would make a magical pizza recipe so that my grandmother wouldn’t get sick.” Sofia, 8 years old, The Hague, 2022/2023
“If I were a scientist, I would try to make a cure for cancer or make a sponge that would wash dishes automatically.“ Lathyssa, 11 years old, Castro Daire, 2023/2024
“If I were a scientist, I would try to make vegetables sweet, so kids would like them better” Francisco, 11 years old, Cambridge, 2020/2021
They also recognise that the concept of science as care and connection extends beyond their familiar circle. For many, it includes concerns for people they do not know, animals, and the planet itself:
"If I were a scientist, I would look for new formulas to help the world. I would search for medicines to help people. I would discover forms of life that no one knows about" Mattia, 9 years old, Cologne, 2024/2025
"If I were a scientist, I would try to create super-fast roller skates that could fly into space, and also a vaccine so that there would be no more diseases." Madalena, 9 years old, Portalegre, 2022/2023
Science thus emerges not only as a means of understanding the world, but also as a means of caring for it. Environmental concerns, in particular, recur throughout the children’s responses in recent years:
“If I were a scientist, I would create a machine that turns CO2 into pure, fresh air. This machine would clean the dirty air where there is CO2. This would allow for cleaner and healthier air.” Julia, 10 years old, The Hague, 2021/2022
“If I were a scientist, I would discover the formula to maintain biodiversity in the world. Because the future and the wildlife depend on the balance that we are able to establish between our needs and the needs of the animals.” Laura, 10 years old, The Hague, 2019/2020
“If I were a scientist, I would be a zoologist to learn things about animals and show their intelligence so that we can respect them better. That would mean we would stop polluting their environment and our planet.” Josephine, 10 years old, London, 2018/2019
Children’s concern about the neglect of the environment even leads them to raise questions about human behaviour itself:
“If I were a scientist, I would study human behaviour because I don't understand why people keep throwing rubbish into the sea.” Matilde, 10 years old, Machico, 2024/2025
Beyond protection and care, some of the children also express a desire to connect and communicate with the world around them.
“If I were a scientist, I would study marine biology. I’d investigate dolphins so that one day we are able to talk or communicate with them. I would also protect them and study 'dolphinish' ” Anna, 10 years old, Munich, 2016/17
“If I were a scientist, I would try to discover the languages of all animals.” Joana, 9 years old, in the Bairros de Intervenção Prioritária edition, 2025/26
Science as labs and experiments
As a means of expression, children’s drawings and statements reveal not only their experiences and concerns, but also their preconceived ideas about what a scientist is and does. These conceptions shape their representations, often reflecting stereotypical images of scientists as men wearing lab coats, working alone in laboratories, and conducting chemical experiments.
Figure 3 - Winning drawings from Rodrigo, 9 years old, London, 2013/2014 and Matilde, 9 years old, Paris, 2018/2019
At the same time, the children’s drawings themselves also show that these predefined images can be questioned. For example, science can be for women…
Figure 4 - Winning drawings from Angela, 10, Paris, 2014/2015; Salma, 11 years old, Pamplona, 2024/2025; Mara, 8 years old, Mértola, 2021/2022, respectively.
Science can be collaborative…
Science can involve different fields of study and different research objects…
Science as Curiosity and Joy
While it is true that children already show a strong awareness of pressing issues such as illness, pollution, and war, they also express a sense of wonder about the world and a desire to understand what remains unknown to them. When thinking about science, for some children, what prevails is simply curiosity.
“If I were a scientist, I would try to find out why the stars are round and don't have the shape of a star” Charlotte, Edinburgh, 2015/2016
“If I were a scientist, I would like to find out how the internet is done.” Maria, 10 years old, Portalegre, 2022/2023
“If I were a scientist, I would recreate dinosaurs: 1. Put the DNA of the descendant of the dinosaur animal or the DNA of the dinosaur fossil into an ostrich egg. 2. Put it in a warm place, like you put a chicken egg! 3. Wait... wait... 4. Hatch…” Alessandro, 8 years old, London, 2020/2021
Sometimes, more than asking questions such as “why are the stars round?” or “how the internet works?”, children talk directly about curiosity and the value of learning:
“If I were a scientist... I would love my profession because one learns a lot, and it never hurts to discover new things.” Martim, 10 years old, Montemor-o-Novo, 2021/2022
Gabriela's drawing (Figure 8) similarly shows what scientists may share, regardless of their field, appearance, or research interests: curiosity and an open mind. In her drawing, describing the “anatomy of a scientist,” Gabriela identified an “open mind to new ideas” and “companions with whom to share those ideas” as essential features.
Finally, there is a group of responses that do not focus on what children would do if they were a scientist, but rather on how they would feel doing it:
“If I were a scientist, I would make fun experiments to help pupils learn. I would wear colourful lab coats and gloves to make me happy. I would create a time machine and a cure for the worst disease in the world. But above all... I would have FUN!” Diana, 11 years old, Jersey, 2014/2015
“If I were a scientist... I would do all kinds of experiments because I like to know the why and how of things around us and that's why I love science.” Lídia, 10 years old, Tomar, 2021/2022
Taken together, these testimonies suggest that children’s ideas about science go beyond scientific knowledge or technical skills. The 12 years of Native Awards are proof that children imagine science as a space of hope and new possibilities.
Very soon, we will announce this year's winners. Follow us on social media to find out who the awarded children were.
And what about you? What would you do if you were a scientist?
About Native Scientists
Founded in 2013, Native Scientists is an award-winning, pan-European non-profit organisation connecting children and scientists in underserved communities. It exists to broaden children's horizons through meaningful science education, promoting scientific literacy and reducing inequalities.
