Call for Entries: The Disaster Challenge (Australia)

Benefits

• Make a difference – the judges are involved in day-to-day management of natural hazards around Australia. Half a day of your time to put together your entry and your ideas will help them work with communities to improve preparedness, resilience, save lives, protect property, keep people safe and recover better after disasters
• Boost your credentials – your entry may be used to support your current education or research, or take it to the next level
• Make networks – the finalists will be supported and encouraged by professionals within the emergency management sector and by senior academics, with opportunities to showcase your idea at forums over the next 12 months
• Career advancement – work on real problems with industry mentors that can help you develop your concept
• Unlock future opportunities in emergency management research.

Funding Information

• The winning team will receive:
  • $5,000 cash
  • Promotion of their winning concept by the Natural Hazards Research Australia
  • The opportunity to work with the Natural Hazards Research Australia and its Participants to explore the winning concept further
  • Opportunities to showcase your idea at forums over the next 12 months.
  • Two runners up will each receive $2,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Early career researchers – up to five years post PhD or Masters (excluding periods of parental leave, other family caring duties or ill health), no matter their role or organisation within Australia. Does not need to be currently employed by an Australian organisation or enrolled at a university or TAFE, but postgraduate qualification must have been completed in Australia.
• Postgraduate students – you need to be enrolled with an academic institution such as a university or a TAFE in Australia. Students can be either full-time or part-time. Universities and schools within may field multiple entries or collaborate between universities.
• Undergraduate students– you need to be enrolled with an academic institution such as a university, TAFE or registered training provider in Australia. Students can be either full-time or part-time. Universities and schools within may field multiple entries or collaborate between universities.
• Entries are encouraged from a range of academic disciplines such as humanities, education, health and medicine, information technology, engineering, visual arts, marketing, business, law, urban studies, architecture and more.
• Participation is only open to entrants from organisations based in Australia, where the entrants are also based in Australia.
  • The Disaster Challenge aims to engage and inspire early career researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students in relevant research and to encourage them to explore careers in natural hazards science, disaster management or community resilience.

Application Requirements

• Focused – identifies a specific, real-world example of this wicked problem in practice that the submission seeks to address
• Informed – demonstrates why this specific example needs new and innovative solutions
• Impactful – Australia needs this now and the benefit is clear
• Credible – based on sound academic principles
• Innovative – -one else has tried this or combining ideas in a new way in Australia
• Affordable – this could be realistically achieved with a reasonable budget
• Adaptable – it could work in different places in Australia
• Scalable – good for big and small disasters
• Achievable – there is a clear pathway to bring your approach to life, at least as a proof of concept.

For more information, visit Humanitix.