The 2010 Young Persons’ Lecture Competition final will be held on 28 April at the Armourers’ Hall, London. Competitors must be 28 or under on 1 June 2010. They must give a lecture of 15 minutes on a topic related to clay technology, materials, minerals or packaging. Judging criteria can be found below.

For further information, contact Sarah Boad, tel: 01926 430185, or select 'Local societies' from the online enquiry form.

The following seven judging criteria are the same for the local, regional and national competitions:

• Structure of the lecture, clarity of explanation and argument, neither assuming too much or too little knowledge on the part of the audience.

• Standard of presentation, clarity of diction, personal enthusiasm for the subject, ability to deliver lecture spontaneously.

• Clarity and relevance of any visual aids used.

• Calmness and competence in handling judges' questions.

• Technical content of the presentation.

• Ability to deliver a concise, meaningful summary at the end of main points.

• Clarity and relevance of the entrant's abstract.

The 2009 final of the Young Persons’ Lecture Competition, held on 29 April, saw seven younger members compete to win the £750 prize money and medal. Held at The Armourers’ Hall in London, home to The Worshipful Company of Armourers & Brasiers who support the event, each participant is a regional finalist of heats which took place all over the UK.

The annual event is organised by the Local Affairs Board, and it received additional support from the Midlands Institute of Mining Engineers.

Participants each gave a 15-minute presentation, followed by questions from the judges. The finalists were:

• Oliver Binns, representing the North East region, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy – The sky’s the limit'.

• Scottish finalist, Luke Buskie, representing Scotland, ‘Produced Water Reinjection – Theory, Application and Practice'.

• Midlands finalist Simon Lawes, ‘The Relevance of High-angle Inclined Impact Testing of Diamond-like Carbon for Engine Valve-train Applications'.
• Fabien Léonard, North West region, ‘Stress Corrosion Cracking in Nuclear Power Plants'.
• From Northern Ireland, Rochelle O'Hara, ‘Development of an Injectable Medical Material for Spinal Repair'.
• South West finalist Naresh Ranvah, ‘Materials for non-contact portable Magnetic Non-destructive Evaluation applications'.

• Ashley White, South East region, ‘Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Hydroxyapatite – The Sintering Challenge'.