Frequently Asked Questions

I have entered the Eureka Prizes in the past. Can I enter again?

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, if it meets all other conditions of entry.

Can the same work be entered for different prizes?

No. The same activity can only be entered or nominated for one prize in the same year.

Can I nominate myself for a Eureka Prize?

Yes. Entrants can either enter themselves or be nominated by others.

Do entrants need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident?

Please refer to the prize specific conditions of entry for each individual prize.

Do judges consider career interruptions when assessing entries?

Consideration may be taken for career interruption for entries into the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher, Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science and Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science. For full details, please refer to the prize specific conditions of entry for each individual prize.

The conditions of entry state that activity entered must have been taken place in or been led from Australia. Which states and territories are captured in this definition?

For the purposes of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, ‘Australia or its territories’ refers to the following states and territories: States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania; Northern Territory; Australian Capital Territory; Australian Antarctic Territory; Coral Sea Islands Territory; Jervis Bay Territory; Territory of Christmas Island; Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Territory of Norfolk Island; Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands; and Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands.

Why have eligibility requirements for the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher and Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science changed?

The Australian Museum recognises that people start their research careers at different ages, and using time since PhD conferral instead of age provides a more objective and standardised measure of career stage.

Some of the research associated with my research took place overseas. Will the activity be considered ineligible?

No. While the Eureka Prizes are intended to reward excellence in Australian science, activity will not be considered ineligible on account of some of your research being carried out overseas. While activity entered must have taken place or been led from Australia, it is acknowledged that some research may extend beyond the borders of Australia and its territories. Please refer to each individual prize page for specific conditions of entry.

Will I be notified if my entry is ineligible?

Yes. A member of the Eureka Prizes program team will advise the first listed entrant via email.

Are there any formatting guidelines?

All documents must be prepared with 2 cm margins (minimum) in a legible size 11 font. Please refer to the prize specific conditions of entry for each individual prize for additional requirements.

Who can be an assessor?
An assessor should be a colleague, industry expert, peer or mentor who is familiar with your work (but not directly involved in it), who can provide judges with additional perspective and informed opinion on your entry. Please refer to each prize page for additional requirements; you may also find these insights helpful when planning your assessor reports.

Assessor reports are not required for entries into the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism and Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize.

Can a nominator also be an assessor?
Yes. If you are nominated for a Eureka Prize, the person nominating you can also provide an assessor report.

Who can provide a testimonial?

Testimonials must be provided by a direct beneficiary of the entered project. Note that testimonials are only required for selected prizes; please refer to each prize page for requirements.

I’m entering a prize in the Research & Innovation category and am required to submit a published article. Is there a time limitation on the article?

No. A time limitation has not been prescribed for published articles. A time limitation has, however, been prescribed for the period in which the activity entered much have taken place, and it is a requirement that your published article relates directly to this activity.

I’m entering a prize in the Research & Innovation category and am required to provide a copy of one or more published articles. Will you accept links to external sites instead?

No. Judges read all articles to help them assess the activity entered against the assessment criteria, therefore it’s important that they can access the full article, along with all other entry materials, at any stage throughout the judging process.

I’m required to submit a CV for the Eureka Prize I’m entering, and the prize information states that it must be a ‘factual summary of academic and professional achievements.’ What am I expected to include?

If you’ve been asked to submit a CV, you should include information such as your qualifications, professional work experience, authored publications and grants. Generally, it is expected that your CV will be presented in list format. Do not use your CV to elaborate on responses prepared for other entry materials, such as the assessment criteria or research summary.

Is there an entry fee?

No. The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are free to enter.

I’ve submitted my online entry form and would like to make some changes. How can I do this?

You can log in to the online entry system and make changes directly into your form until the entry deadline. The system will automatically update your entry and you will not be able to recover earlier versions.

I’ve submitted my online entry form. How do I know if my entry or nomination has been received?

You will receive an automated confirmation email from the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes as soon as you submit your online entry form. If you have not received this email, please check your junk folder.

I’ve submitted my online entry form but haven’t received a confirmation.

Please contact the Eureka Prizes team via eureka@australian.museum, quoting your Entry ID, and we can confirm whether your submission has been received.

I'm having trouble filling out the entry form. Who can assist?

Please contact the Eureka Prizes team on 02 9320 6230 or via eureka@australian.museum. It’s important that you do this well before entries close as we cannot edit entries on your behalf after the submission deadline or grant extensions to the deadline.

I’ve submitted my online entry form and would like to make some changes, but entries have closed. How can I do this?

Submissions cannot be edited after entries close on at 7pm AEST on Friday 12 April 2024 and the Australian Museum will not enter any correspondence relating to this matter. If you would like to withdraw your submission (after entries close), please contact the Australian Museum via eureka@australian.museum.

I missed the submission deadline. Can I have an extension?

No. The submission deadline will not be extended under any circumstances, and the Australian Museum will not enter any correspondence relating to this matter.

Who judges entries?

Each Eureka Prize has its own unique judging panel consisting of a minimum of four individuals. Judges of the Eureka Prizes work across a wide range of disciplines and are experts in their respective fields. They are employed by universities, schools, media, research institutes, industry, government departments and a wide range of other organisations.

How are judges selected?

Each judging panel brings together individuals with a broad range of experience and knowledge relevant to the prize and assessment criteria. Individual judges are selected based on their specialised expertise and how their expertise complements that of other judges on the panel.

How is a judging outcome reached?

The judging process is detailed in the Judges Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy.

Can I receive feedback on my entry?

Regrettably, due to the large volume of entries, personalised feedback cannot be provided.

When do entries open and close?

Entries to the 2024 program open on Friday 12 February and close at 7pm AEST Friday 12 April. Prize information, including assessment criteria and conditions of entry, will be available online in the week leading up to entries opening.

When will finalists be notified?

Finalists will be contacted by Friday 28 June 2024. In the case of team entries, the first person listed on the entry form will be contacted and asked to advise additional team members.

All other entrants who have submitted work into the Research & Innovation, Leadership and Science Engagement categories will be contacted via email within 3 months of the entry deadline. In the case of team entries, the first person listed on the entry form will be contacted and asked to advise additional team members.

To ensure that communication reaches you, it is important that you provide accurate and complete contact information in your online entry form.

When will 2024 finalists be announced?

Finalists will be announced on Wednesday 31 July on the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes website.

When will 2024 winners be announced?

Winners will be announced live at the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Award Ceremony on Wednesday 4 September, and via the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes website.

Your terms and conditions state that finalists are required to provide a short film that relates to their entry. Is this a firm requirement?

Yes. This content helps us promote you and your selection across Australian Museum platforms and will be used by our publicist to assist with pitching. If there is interest in your work by a media outlet, it will also be made available to them.

We appreciate that preparing a quality short film might take time, especially if you are a small organisation. While it should be professional with good audio quality, you are not expected to spend a large sum of money on production.

If you are selected as a finalist, you will be given some guidelines and general advice; you can also refer to the Eureka Prizes website to get a sense of what finalists have submitted in the past.

Can my organisation and I used the film I submitted in my capacity as a finalist across our social media accounts and websites?

Yes. We encourage you and your organisation to use this content across any relevant digital channels, to promote your selection.

Is there an entry fee?

No. The Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize is free to enter.

Are home-educated students eligible to enter?
Yes. Students that are home-schooled in accordance with the relevant state or territory legislation are eligible to enter.

I am in year seven, but still at primary school according to the government where I'm enrolled. Should I enter the primary or secondary category?

As you are in primary school in the state where you are enrolled, you should enter the primary school category.

Can an entry be made up of students from more than one school?
Yes. Students entering do not need to be from the same school, however, all team members must meet eligibility requirements for the category in which they are entering (i.e., Primary School or Secondary School).

How do I submit my short film?
Each individual student or team will need to complete one online entry form and upload their short film as part of this process. Hard copy submissions, including films, will not be accepted. Please refer to the prize page for instructions on how to access the online entry system.

What if my short film is over two minutes?
Edit, edit, edit! Judges will not consider entries that exceed two minutes, so it’s important that you stick to the time limit.

I'm having trouble filling out the entry form. Who can assist?

Please contact the Eureka Prizes team on 02 9320 6230 or via eureka@australian.museum. It’s important that you get in touch well before the entry deadline as we cannot edit entries after the submission deadline or grant extensions to the deadline.

I’ve submitted my online entry form and short film; how do I know if they have been received?

You will receive a confirmation email from the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes as soon as you submit your online entry form. If you have not received this email, please check your junk folder.

I’ve submitted my online entry form but haven’t received a confirmation.

Please contact the Eureka Prizes team via eureka@australian.museum, quoting your Entry ID, and we can confirm whether your submission has been received.

I’ve submitted my online entry form and short film but would like to make some changes; how can I do this?

You can log in to the online entry system and make changes directly into your form from once the online entry system opens, and until the entry deadline. The system will automatically update your entry and you will not be able to recover earlier versions.

You will not be able to make any changes to your entry or nomination after entries close.

I missed the submission deadline. Can I have an extension?

Under no circumstance will the submission deadline be extended, and the Australian Museum will not enter any correspondence relating to this matter.

When will finalists be notified?

The 2024 finalists will be notified by Friday 28 June; highly commended entrants will be notified by Friday 12 July.

Please ensure that you provide accurate and complete contact information in your online entry form. Unless a student is aged 18 years or over, it’s important that they provide the contact details of their parent or guardian — we cannot communicate directly with students aged under 18 years.

Can I get feedback on my entry?

Due to the large volume of entries received, at this stage judges are not able to provide individual feedback. We recognise the significant amount of work that goes into preparing a Sleek Geeks entry and acknowledge this by ensuring that all entrants are sent an electronic participation certificate.

I haven’t received my certificate. Can you send me a copy?

Certificates for individual and team entries will be emailed to the person listed in the ‘Teacher’ tab. If you’ve contacted this person directly and they have not received certificates for distribution, please contact the Eureka Prizes team on eureka@australian.museum.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Contact the Eureka Prizes team via eureka@australian.museum and we'll provide tailored feedback.