Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize (Australia)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems are informed by the ways of being, knowing and doing of the Indigenous peoples of Australia. As Australia’s first scientists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge systems are dynamic, adaptive, interdisciplinary, profound and sophisticated. They are developed and preserved by the practice of the diverse cultures and the ongoing observations, predictions, interpretations, questionings and understandings of our world through enduring connection to communities and/or place over thousands of years.

The Prize will be awarded to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led project that benefits Australian Indigenous peoples, communities or place, and contributes to solving a significant challenge through the practice and preservation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. The project will demonstrate sincere connection and respectful engagement with community and Australian Indigenous peoples, and elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.

Prize Information

• For the Knowledge Systems Prize grant opportunity, the grant will be $250,000 in prize money.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for this Prize, nominees must:
  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person; or members of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led team (including family groups);
  • Representatives of a community group.
  • Not be self-nominated
  • Not have a concurrent nomination in the 2025 Science Prizes or the Science Teaching Prizes
  • 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.
• Nominees do not need to have a formal qualification, be a member of a professional association or have received any prior award to be eligible.
• They cannot consider nominations that do not satisfy all eligibility criteria.
• As a Nominator
  • The nominator is the person nominating a nominee. To be eligible to submit a nomination for the prize, a nominator must:
    • Not be a close family member of the nominee.
    • Be personally knowledgeable of the nominated achievement and be able to offer informed opinions about its significance.
    • Ensure the nominee is eligible and willing to be nominated and provide evidence necessary to support the nomination.
    • A person can be a nominator for more than one nominee.
• As a Supporter
  • A supporter is an individual identified by the nominator as someone who will support the nomination. A supporter cannot also be a nominator or an independent referee for the same nomination. At least one supporter should be able to confirm the Indigeneity of the nominee. If this is not possible, one additional person may be identified by the nominator for the sole purpose of confirming the Indigeneity of the nominee.
    • A supporter must:
      • Not be a close family member of the nominee
      • Be personally knowledgeable of the nominated achievement and be able to offer informed opinions about its significance
      • Not have a role in the nominated project
      • Provide a written statement (up to 4,500 characters in total, including spaces and special characters) or a audio/video submission (up to 5 minutes in length) that independently addresses each assessment criterion. A template for a written submission and further instructions for audio/video submissions will be provided on Stage 2 nominations open.
• As Independent Referee
  • An independent referee is an individual identified by the nominator. An independent referee cannot be a nominator or supporter for the same nomination.
  • The independent referee’s role is to review the statement of claims against the assessment criteria provided by the nominator and supporters when contacted by the department.
    • To be eligible to be an independent referee, the person must:
      • Not be related to the nominee or have a professional relationship that would cause a conflict of interest that could unnecessarily bias the independence of the referee
      • Provide a referee report in writing (up to 4,500 characters, including spaces and special characters) or by audio/video submission (up to 5 minutes in length). A referee report template and further instructions will be provided when Stage 2 nominations open.
• The nominator must contact independent referees to gain their commitment to provide a referee report on the template provided by the department before submitting their details at Stage 1. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Program Delegate agree to a nominator’s request to change an independent referee at Stage 2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize Committee (the Committee) may also identify additional independent referees from whom to seek additional information to verify the nomination.

Ineligibility Criteria

• A nominee is not eligible for this prize if they are:
  • Non-Indigenous, regardless of whether they work in partnership with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples within the nominated project.
  • An Indigenous researcher who is not practicing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems as a significant part of their nominated project.
  • A past recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science or the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation.

For more information, visit Australian Govrnment.