The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science - Science Teaching Prizes

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Science Teaching Prizes award educators with prizes for excellence in science, technology or mathematics teaching. 
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This grant is currently closed to applications

What do you get?

There are 2 science teaching Prizes. Winners get $50,000 prize money, a medallion, lapel pin and an award certificate.

Who is this for?

Registered primary or secondary school teachers in science, mathematics or technology.

Overview

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

  • scientific research
  • research-based innovation
  • excellence in science teaching

The prizes will award up to $750,000 in total each year. Information on the prizes for scientists and innovators is on our Science Prizes page.

The Science Teaching Prizes recognise Australian science educators for excellence in science teaching. We welcome nominations of diverse candidates and those from a range of backgrounds and geographical regions.

There are 2 science teaching prizes:

  • Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools ($50,000)
  • Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools ($50,000)

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Eligibility

To be eligible for a science teaching prize a nominee must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • have undertaken their teaching achievement for which they are nominated, in Australia
  • not be self-nominated
  • be a full-time or part-time teacher at a primary or secondary school listed on the Australian Schools List
  • be active in teaching science, mathematics or technology in the classroom at the time of their nomination. Teachers on parental leave at the time of nomination who intend to return to teaching are eligible.

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

For more information on eligibility criteria, including for nominees, nominators and supporters refer to section 4 of the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science - Science Teaching Prizes grant opportunity guidelines.

Previous nominees are eligible for renomination subject to meeting relevant eligibility criteria, submitting a new nomination and the nominator and supporters providing evidence of any relevant achievements. Different individuals may nominate and support the nominee where appropriate.

Further guidance

Application creator

  • The person who starts the application on the business.gov.au portal. This is often the same contact as the nominator, but may be a different person who is assisting with the submission of the application.
  • The application creator completes the nomination form on behalf of the nominator.
  • The application creator will have access to edit and submit the applications. As the account holder you will be the only person with permission to view the application unless you add participants.
  • Page 4 – Applicant address: If the applicant is also the nominator, we recommend you input the nominator’s address.
  • If the applicant is applying on behalf of the nominator, we recommend you (the applicant) put the address for the organisation that you work for.

Primary contact

  • This person is the main contact for DISR and is usually the nominator or application creator.
  • All correspondence will be sent to this person, including the invitation to stage 2 of the application process if successful. We may contact this person to confirm eligibility requirements.
  • Primary contact details are collected on Page 11 of the nomination form.

Nominator

  • The person who is nominating the nominee.
  • Nominator details are collected on Page 5 of the nomination form.

Nominee

  • The individual or team being nominated for a Prize.
  • Nominee details are collected on Page 6 of the nomination form.

Supporter

  • An individual identified by the nominator as someone who will support the nomination.
  • The supporter’s role is to provide independent views on the nominee’s achievements against the assessment criteria.
  • Supporters will not have access to the application form unless the application creator adds them as a participant.
  • Supporter details are collected on Page 7 of the nomination form.

Statements from the nominator and supporters must:

  • be on the template provided on this page
  • use the letterhead of the organisation to which they belong
  • specify their position within the organisation.
  • observe word limits.

You must attach supporting documentation to the nomination form in accordance with the instructions provided in the form.

Note that attachments must be in a searchable format with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and therefore cannot be scanned.

CV format

The CV should be 2 A4 pages or less and be in a searchable format with Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Therefore it cannot be scanned.

Attachment size and types

Each attachment cannot be larger than 2MB and can only be uploaded if they are one of the following file types: doc, docx, rtf, pdf, xls, xlsx, csv, jpg, jpeg, png, gif.

Naming conventions

The name of the attachment must be saved as follows:

Stage 1:

  • CV: lastname_firstname_cv

Stage 2:

  • Supporter statement: lastname_firstname_support1; lastname_firstname_support2
  • Certified evidence of the nominee’s Australian citizenship/permanent residency: lastname_firstname_cpr
  • Declaration: lastname_firstname_declaration

Need help?

Let us answer your question via phone, email or live chat. And if we can't help, we'll put you in touch with someone who can.

  • Phone:
  • Open Hours:
    Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm across Australia
  • Website:

Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program

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.

Key documents

Grant opportunity guidelines – Science Teaching Prizes

pdf · 0.39 MB docx · 0.13 MB

Additional advice for responding to assessment criteria

pdf · 0.23 MB docx · 0.07 MB

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