Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO7845

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

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.

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.

Find the full eligibility criteria in the guidelines.

$250,000.00

From $250,000.00 to $250,000.00

Nominations open Wednesday, 22 October 2025.

To apply, go to https://business.gov.au/PMPrizesKnowledgeSystems

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