Prizes for Australian scientists and innovators

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Science Prizes award Australian scientists and innovators with prizes to recognise demonstrated achievements in science and research-based innovation and commercialisation.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded awards for demonstrated achievements in:

• scientific research and research-based innovation
• the practice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems
• excellence in science teaching

The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science will award up to $1.4 million each year for achievements across 3 prize categories:

• the Science Prizes
• the Science Teaching Prizes
• the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize.

Information on the other prizes can be found on the Science Teaching page and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems page.

We welcome nominations of diverse candidates and those from a different range of backgrounds and geographical regions.

There are 5 science prizes for science and innovation:

• Prime Minister’s Prize for Science ($250,000)
• Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation ($250,000)
• Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year ($50,000)
• Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year ($50,000)
• Prize for New Innovators ($50,000)

Each prize recipient receives a medallion, lapel pin, prize money as described above and an award certificate. Where the prize is awarded to a team, each member will receive a medallion, lapel pin, award certificate and an equal portion of the prize money.

To be eligible for a Science Prize, a nominee must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia (nominees currently living or studying overseas are not precluded from being nominated)
• not be self-nominated
• not be nominated in more than one prize category. Where a nominee is nominated in more than one category, the department will ask the nominee to select a single nomination to pursue.
• meet the specific eligibility criteria for the nominated prize.

Nominees do not need to be a member of a professional association or have received any prior award to be eligible.

A prize nomination must be proposed by someone (a nominator) with knowledge of the nominee’s achievements and endorsed by two supporters. Nominators for the Science Prizes must provide two independent referees. Nominators and supporters must not be close family members (see glossary in the guidelines) and a nominator cannot be a supporter or an independent referee for the same nomination.

Prior to submitting a nomination you should read and understand the Prize Minister’s Prizes for Science – Science Prizes guidelines.

You should also ensure the nominee is willing to be nominated, will provide the evidence necessary to support the nomination, and understands the obligations that come with the prize.

The nomination process involves 2 stages.

Stage 1: The nominator provides a summary of the nominee’s achievement against the assessment criteria for the prize.

To prepare a stage 1 nomination:

• Make sure your nominee is willing to be nominated.
• Ask them for a copy of their CV that uses the provided template (2 page maximum referencing up to 4 patents and/or up to 4 key articles or peer reviewed publications that are directly relevant to the nomination).
• Complete the online Stage 1 nomination form.
• Provide a 3,000 character written statement addressing the assessment criteria within the online form.
• Identify two supporters.
• Identify two independent referees. (The nominator must contact independent referees to gain their commitment to provide a referee report on the template provided by the Department before submitting their details.) One independent referee must be based overseas for the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation. 

Stage 2: If a nominee has been shortlisted we invite the nominator and two supporters to prepare a more detailed submission addressing the relevant assessment criteria.

We refer the nominator and supporters' Stage 2 statements to the independent referees (two provided by the nominator and one identified by the committee) with relevant expertise to seek their professional opinions on the claims made in the nomination.

To prepare a stage 2 nomination, once invited:

• Complete the online Stage 2 nomination form.
• Respond to each assessment criterion within the online form using no more than 9,000 characters total (4,500 characters per criterion).
• Provide two supporter statements on the provided template and up to 6,000 characters each.
• Provide all necessary attachments as outlined in section 6.3.2 of the guidelines.

When you're ready to apply

When the online form is available, you'll need to apply using our online portal:

1. Create or log into your portal account.
2. Follow the instructions to complete the nomination.
3. Submit the nomination before the close date.

Make sure you include enough detail and supporting evidence in the nomination to help us decide whether the nomination should progress to Stage 2 and ultimately, award the nominee the prize.

Don’t submit the nomination until it’s complete. You can't correct a mistake.

The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science is part of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program. This aims to:

• increase Australian community engagement with the sciences, through activities and events
• increase positive public sentiment and awareness of the contribution and achievements of Australian scientists and innovators
• improve communication between Australian scientists, the general public, businesses and government
• enhance focus on building skills and capability in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and digital literacy, in Australian schools and communities
• increase engagement and participation in groups under-represented in STEM.