Emerging Leader in Science

The Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science is awarded to an individual scientist who has used their leadership skills to create impact within their discipline or more broadly.

$10,000

Entries should specifically address how the work entered meets the following assessment criteria:

To be eligible, individuals must satisfy at least one of the below criteria:

a) be 35 years or younger;

or

b) Have been awarded their PhD (or equivalent first higher degree e.g., D.Phil., D.Psych., D.Sc) no more than five (5) years prior to prize entry i.e. between April 2018 and April 2023.

For entrants whose work has been realised over a period longer than five (5) years from PhD conferral due to one or more career interruptions, the five (5) year requirement will be extended by the length of the career interruption/s and judges will also take this into consideration when assessing opportunities available to the entrant or nominee.

For the purposes of this prize, a ‘career interruption’ is defined as a continuous absence from work for a period of more than one month. Career interruption details will be collected in the online entry form.

The following significant and not overlapping interruptions will be considered:

• Pregnancy;
• Major illness/injury;
• Carer’s responsibilities;
• Non-research employment not concurrent with research employment;
• For First Nations entrants and nominees, community obligations including ‘sorry business’;
• Disaster management and recovery;
• Disruption due to international relocation (maximum three months per international location);
• Other reasons set out in the online entry form in the AM’s absolute discretion.

Judges will consider the entrant or nominee’s career stage and whether their achievement is commensurate with the opportunities available to them. Entrants and nominees are invited, but not required, to share a relative to opportunity statement with their entry materials. If an entrant is nominated it is important that they provide input to their statement.

Research opportunity can include, but is not limited to;

• Research training;
• Employment in research positions, either within the research sector or outside academia, including the research component and/or full-time-equivalence of positions;
• Research and development activities;
• Industry engagement;
• Research environment, including supervision, mentoring and leadership;
• Professional development;
• Research management experience;
• Access to research and support facilities.

Other opportunities will be considered in the judging panel’s discretion.

This prize is open only to individuals. Entries consisting of more than one individual are ineligible.

Entrants can either enter themselves or be nominated by others. If an entrant is nominated it is important that they provide input to the documentation in support of their nomination.

Entrants must be a) an Australian citizen, b) an Australian permanent resident or c) a New Zealand citizen residing in Australia or its territories, at the time the activity entered was undertaken.

Activity entered for a Eureka Prize must have been undertaken in Australia or its territories, as defined by the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Terms and Conditions.

The activity entered or nominated for this prize may not be entered or nominated for another Australian Museum Eureka Prize in the same year.

A project or activity that has been awarded an Australian Museum Eureka Prize in the past cannot be entered again. Non-winning finalist activity is eligible for re-entry, so long as it meets all other conditions of entry.

In addition to the prize and category specific conditions of entry all entrants need to comply with the General Terms and Conditions of Entry.

Each entry must include the following information. All information provided will be used by the judging panel to assess the activity against the assessment criteria.

Entries to the 2023 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes closed at 7pm AEST Friday 14 April.