Prizes for projects that practice or preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize honours Indigenous-led projects that benefit communities and solve significant challenges.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded awards for 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 Knowledge Systems Prize celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led projects that benefit Australian Indigenous peoples, communities or place, and contribute to solving a significant challenge through the practice and preservation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.

Information on the other prizes can be found on the Science page and the Science Teaching page.

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

There are 3 nomination types available for this prize: Individual; Team; and Community Groups.

The prize recipient receives a medallion, lapel pin, award certificate and prize money. Where we award the prize to a team, each member will receive a medallion, lapel pin, award certificate and an equal portion of the prize money. Where we award the prize to a community group (up to 4 representatives), the group will receive a medallion, lapel pin, award certificate and the prize money will be awarded to the community group.

We may recognise highly ranked nominees through the awarding of highly commended certificates.

To be eligible for a Knowledge Systems Prize, nominees must:

• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
• be an individual, a member of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led team (including family groups), or a representative of a community group (see glossary in the guidelines)
• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
• not be self-nominated
• not be nominated in more than one prize category. Where a nominee is nominated in more than one category, we will ask the nominee to select a single nomination to pursue. This will occur at Stage 1
• practice knowledge systems as part of a project with a demonstrable benefit to Australian Indigenous peoples, communities and/or place and to Australia more broadly.

Where a nomination is for a team or a community group, up to 4 nominees may be named per nomination. All nominees must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. For nominations of community groups, the selected nominees will be representatives for the whole community group.

How do you nominate someone?

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 Knowledge Systems Prize 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 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize 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.
• Prepare, or ask the nominee to prepare, a background and experience statement that uses the provided template (2 page maximum).
• Provide a 4,500 character written statement addressing the assessment criteria within the online form.
• Complete the online Stage 1 nomination form.
• Identify two supporters. At least one supporter should be able to confirm the Indigeneity of each nominee (see glossary in the guidelines) and this supporter must be Indigenous.
• Identify two independent referees. (The nominator must contact independent referees to gain their commitment to provide a referee report in writing or by audio/video submission before submitting their details in the form.)

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 (3,000 characters per criterion), or provide an audio/video submission approximately 10 minutes in length (approximately 3min and 20secs per criterion).
• Provide two supporter statements either on the provided template (up to 6,000 characters each), or as an audio/video submission approximately 7 minutes in length (approximately 2min and 20secs per criterion).
• Provide all necessary, and any optional, 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.