Awards and Prizes

The National Museum of Australia Student Prize for the History of Australian Science

The National Museum of Australia Student Prize for Australian Environmental History

The National Museum of Australia has joined forces with the Australian Academy of Science and its National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science to establish two essay prizes, to be known respectively as The National Museum of Australia Student Prize for the History of Australian Science and The National Museum of Australia Student Prize for Australian Environmental History.

In each case, the Prize will be a certificate and $2,500.

The prizes will be awarded for original unpublished research undertaken whilst enrolled as a student (postgraduate or undergraduate) at any tertiary educational institution.

The research should be presented as an essay not exceeding 8,000 words in length (exclusive of endnotes). Essays must be written in English and fully documented following the style specified for the Australian Academy of Science´s journal, Historical Records of Australian Science.

The prizes will be awarded in alternate years in May. Applications will normally close on 28 February each year, with the history of science prize being offered in even-numbered years and the environmental history prize in odd-numbered years.

Entries should be sent to the Librarian, Australian Academy of Science, GPO Box 783, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia, to be received by the closing date. A cover sheet should be attached giving the following information: full name, contact details (postal and e-mail addresses and telephone number), title of submission, university course (and year of course if undergraduate), student number. Inquiries: rosanne.walker@science.org.au

Entries must be accompanied by a letter from the candidate´s academic supervisor attesting that the entry meets the eligibility criterion set out above.

In the case of the history of science prize, essays may deal with any aspect of the history of Australian science, pure or applied, or its cultural influences. The winning entry will be considered for publication in Historical Records of Australian Science.

In the case of the environmental history prize, winning entries will be considered for publication in the National Museum of Australia´s new journal, reCollections: Journal of the National Museum of Australia.

The judging panel will comprise the Chair (or nominee), National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science (who will chair the panel), the Editor (or nominee) of Historical Records of Australian Science, and the Director of Research (or nominee), National Museum of Australia.