The Prime Minister's Prizes for Science are annual Australian awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research, innovation, and teaching. The prizes have been awarded since 2000, when they replaced the Australia Prize for science.
The major awards are the Prime Minister's Prize for Science, regarded as the national award for the advancement of knowledge through science,Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and the Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation (created in 2015), as the national award for translation of science into commercial outcomes. In 2016, an additional Prize for New Innovators was also created.
The Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year (previously known as the Science Minister's Prize for ScienceDepartment of Industry, Innovation and Science) and the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year were also created in 2000. Prizes for excellence in science teaching at primary and secondary schools were added in 2002.
Awards
Prime Minister's Prize for Science The recipient(s) of this prize can be an individual or jointly up to four individuals, if the achievement is the result of a collaborative team effort. The recipient receives AUD 250,000, an embossed solid gold medallion and lapel pin.
Prizewinners Source:Department of Industry, Innovation and Science 2025 – Lidia Morawska For pioneering research that has transformed how the world understands air pollution and airborne transmission of diseasehttps://www.industry.gov.au/publications/prime-ministers-prizes-science-2025/2025-prime-ministers-prize-science 2024 – Matthew Bailes For his discovery of Fast Radio Bursts 2023 – Michelle Simmons For creating the new field of atomic electronics 2022 – Trevor McDougall For discovering four new ocean mixing processes and his work defining the thermodynamic properties of seawater 2021 – Edward C. Holmes For his transformative role in the scientific response to COVID-19 2020 – David McClelland, Susan Scott, Peter Veitch and David Blair (OzGrav collaboration) For critical contributions to the first direct detection of gravitational waves 2019 – Cheryl Praeger For her fundamental work in group theory and combinatorics 2018 – Kurt Lambeck For transforming our understanding of our living planet 2017 – Jenny Graves For her pioneering investigations of the genetics of sex 2016 – Richard Shine For his work using evolutionary principles to address conservation challenges 2015 – Graham Farquhar For modelling photosynthesis, the world’s most important biological reaction 2014 – Sam Berkovic and Ingrid Scheffer jointly For their contribution to the study of epilepsy, its diagnosis, management and treatment 2013 – Terry Speed For his contribution to making sense of genomics and related technologies (using statistics) 2012 – Ken Freeman For his founding of [...] galactic archaeology 2011 – Ezio Rizzardo and David Solomon For their role in revolutionizing polymer science 2010 – John Shine For his scientific research and research leadership 2009 – John O'Sullivan For his achievements in astronomy and wireless technologies 2008 – Ian Frazer For his creation of the first vaccine designed to protect against a cancer 2007 – Peter Waterhouse and Ming-Bo Wang For their discovery of how to silence genes in plants 2006 – Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan For research that has revealed the working of the insect mind, and helped redefine robotics research 2005 – David Boger For a lifetime of pioneering work in fluid mechanics 2004 – Graeme Clark For the discoveries which led to the bionic ear 2003 – Jacques Miller For discovery of the role of the thymus in the immune system; and discovery that mammals have two types of white bloods cells 2002 – Frank Fenner (deceased) For eradication of smallpox, and the trialling and release of the rabbit myxoma virus 2001 – Donald Metcalf For discovery and development of hormones called “colony stimulating factors” which stimulate the formation of white blood cells 2000 – Jim Peacock and Liz Dennis For discovery of the Flowering Switch Gene, a key gene in determining when plants end their vegetative growth phase and begin flowering
Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation The recipient(s) of this prize can be an individual or jointly up to four individuals, if the commercialisation is the result of a collaborative team effort. The recipient receives AUD 250,000, an embossed solid gold medallion and lapel pin. Prizewinners Source:Department of Industry, Innovation and Science 2025 – Vikram Sharma 2024 – Andrew F Wilks and Chris Burns 2023 – Glenn King 2022 – Alison Todd and Elisa Mokany 2022 – Nick Cutmore, James Tickner and Dirk Treasure at Chrysos Corporation and CSIRO For the commercialisation of PhotonAssay 2021 – Anthony Steven Weiss For his pioneering research and commercialisation of synthetic tropoelastin-based biomaterials, which can accelerate and improve the repair of human tissue 2020 – Thomas Maschmeyer – His work on translating fundamental research into two pioneering technologies 2019 – The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute team For the development of the leukemia drug venetoclax 2018 – Simon Poole, Andrew Bartos, Glenn Baxter and Steven Frisken For creating and commercialising technologies that underpin the global internet 2017 – Eric Reynolds For inventing and commercialising Recaldent 2016 – Michael Aitken For creating and commercialising tools that are making markets fair and efficient 2015 – Graeme Jameson For his development of floatation technologies that have added billions of dollars to the value of Australia’s mineral and energy industries
Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems This prize, valued at AUD 250 000, was first awarded in 2025.
Prizewinners
2025 – Michael Wear For his marine conservation work
Prize for New Innovators This prize is awarded only to an individual and the recipient receives AUD 50 000, a silver medallion and lapel pin.
Prizewinners Source:Department of Industry, Innovation and Science 2025 – Nikhilesh Bappoo 2024 – Andrew Horsley 2023 – Lara Herrero 2022 – Brett Hallam 2022 – Pip Karoly 2021 – Michael Bowen For his work in the discovery and development of KNX100 2020 – Justin Chalker For inventing a new class of polymers 2019 – Luke Campbell For inventing the nuraphone, headphones that adapt to an individual's unique sense of hearing 2018 – Geoff Rogers For creating and commercialising his pioneering biomedical engineering 2016 – Colin Hall For his contribution to a new manufacturing technology
Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year This award is for early to mid-career scientists, not more than ten years or full-time equivalent past the award of their highest degree (e.g. Master's or PhD), working in the life sciences. The recipient receives $50,000, a medal and a lapel pin. Prizewinners 2025 – David Khoury 2024 – Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg 2023 – Chris Greening 2022 – Si Ming Man 2021 – Sherene Loi For translating scientific findings into innovative treatments that can improve the survival of breast cancer patients in Australia and around the world 2020 – Mark Dawson For pioneering research in the field of epigenetics and its impact on human health and disease 2019 – Laura Mackay For her leadership in the field of immunological memory 2018 – Lee Berger For solving the global mystery of disappearing frogs and challenging paradigms about wildlife health 2017 – Jian Yang For creating ways to understand inherited traits and the human genome 2016 – Kerrie Wilson For optimising the global allocation of scarce conservation resources 2015 – Jane Elith For her contributions to environmental management worldwide 2014 – Ryan Lister For his contribution to the understanding of gene regulation and its potential ability to change agriculture and the treatment of disease and mental health 2013 – Angela Moles For transforming our understanding of the ecosystems and overturning some of the dogmas of ecology 2012 – Mark Shackleton For identifying and isolating stem cells in the female mammary gland to develop a fully functional breast 2011 – Min Chen For her contribution to our knowledge of chlorophyll and cyanobacteria 2010 – Benjamin Kile For his achievements in molecular genetics 2009 – Michael Cowley For his contribution to our understanding of metabolism and obesity 2008 – Carola Vinuesa For her contributions to immunology 2007 – Elizabeth (Beth) Fulton For her leadership in mathematics and ecosystem modeling 2006 – James Whisstock For his discoveries of novel serpins, and his research leadership in protein biology 2005 – Harvey Millar For his leadership in plant biochemistry 2004 – Jamie Rossjohn For his leadership in structural biology and X-ray crystallography 2003 – Christopher Helliwell For isolating the genes that control the biosynthesis of gibberellin, a plant hormone that controls plant growth 2002 – Joel Mackay For his discovery of new methods of controlling DNA transcription to repair malfunctioning genes 2001 – Bostjan Kobe For research contributions that have increased our understanding of protein interaction and cellular processes 2000 – Una M. Ryan For DNA detection and characterisation methods for the parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia
Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year This award is for early to mid-career scientists, not more than ten years or full-time equivalent past the award of their highest degree (e.g. Master's or PhD), working in the physical sciences. The recipient receives $50,000, a medal and a lapel pin. Prizewinners 2025 – Yao Zheng 2024 – Tianyi Ma 2023 – Yuerui (Larry) Lu 2022 – Adele Morrison 2021 – Keith Bannister For his pioneering research into fast radio bursts 2020 – Xiaojing Hao For her research into solar cells made from 'sulphide kesterite''' 2019 – Elizabeth New For pioneering new chemical imaging tools to observe healthy and diseased cells2018 – Jack Clegg For creating flexible crystals and new separation technologies2017 – Dayong Jin For creating new technologies to image the processes of life2016 – Richard Payne For his revolutionary drug development technologies2015 – Cyrille Boyer For his contribution to polymer science, nanotechnology and nanomedicine2014 – Matthew Hill For his work in the development of metal-organic frameworks for practical industrial applications2013 – Andrea Morello For intellectual leadership in developing a trillion-dollar global industry, the building blocks of a quantum computer, a working prototype silicon component to make quantum computing possible2012 – Eric May For significant research in the field of natural gas processing2011 – Stuart Wyithe For his work on the physics of the formation of the Universe2010 – Katherine Trinajstic For her early career achievements in palaeontology2009 – Amanda Barnard For her achievements in modelling nanoparticles2008 – Tanya Monro For her leadership in photonics2007 – Mark Cassidy For his leadership in offshore civil engineering2006 – Naomi McClure-Griffiths For her insight into the structure of our galaxy, and her research leadership2005 – Cameron Kepert For his leadership in chemistry and molecular nanoscience2004 – Ben Eggleton For pioneering research in photonics and optical physics2003 – Howard Wiseman For advancing our understanding of the physical effect of observations in quantum system monitoring and measurement2002 – Marcela Bilek For the design and fabrication of plasma processing devices and new materials using thin film lamination technology2001 – Peter Bartlett For his research into artificial intelligence and discoveries in the area of machine learning and information processing2000 – Brian Schmidt For his leadership of an international team that uncovered evidence that the universe was expanding at an accelerating rate.''
Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools