Competitions: STEM

The Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize encourages students to communicate a scientific concept in a way that is accessible and entertaining to the public while painlessly increasing their science knowledge or, as prize patrons Dr Karl and Adam Spencer like to say, "Learn something without even noticing". It is intended to support budding young scientists across the nation, who will be our future leaders in research, discovery and communication.

Theme: The 2022 theme is 'Change'.

Entry fee: Free

Prizes: Secondary School - First place: $3,000, Second place: $2,000, Third place: $1,000 (N.B. Prize money is divided equally between the winning student/s and their school, with the school receiving 50% of the prize money.Representatives from the finalist teams will also win a trip to Sydney for the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Award Ceremony, and each finalist will receive an Abbey’s book voucher.)

Closing Date: Friday 6th May 2022

More information: Click here for FAQ's

The Brief: 2022 Topic: What is science?

What do we mean by science? Science is defined as an intellectual and practical activity investigating the nature of the world, and is characterised by the scientific method.

In this essay topic, you’ll explore what shapes your own interpretation of science by looking at your personal experiences, defining moments Science has played a part in, cultural perspectives, family conversations and experiences first hand of how Science has impacted on life-long memories.

Craft an opinion piece, or historical or cultural research to inform and persuade your reader: what is Science and why do we need it?

Your 800-word essay might consist of:

– Reflections on First Nations science;

– Science through time; or

– How science is represented through traditional or social media.

Open to: Students in Years 7 - 10

Entry fee: Free

Prizes: The winner will be awarded a $500 UNSW Bookshop voucher. Two runners up with receive $250 book vouchers.

The winning essay will be included in the 2023 edition of NewSouth Publishing’s highly acclaimed anthology The Best Australian Science Writing, where it will appear alongside essays by some of the country’s leading science writers. It will also appear in an issue of CSIRO’s Double Helix Magazine, on CareerswithSTEM.com and on newsouthpublishing.com

Closing date: Entries close on 19 August 2022

More info: https://careerswithstem.com.au/bragg-student-science-prize-2-2/

The Brief: Your challenge is to build a game that involves a network in some way. Check out the 2022 theme sheet to get your creative juices flowing.

Open to: Students can enter in teams of 1- 4 members. All members of a team must be registered by their Mentor to participate and be eligible for a prize. All registrants must be Australian citizens and have consent from a parent or guardian.

Entry fee: Free

Prizes: Click here for information about prizes and awards

Closing date: 5th August 2022

More info: https://www.stemgames.org.au/

The Brief: This is not so much a competition but a rich & inspiring 12 day STEM experience. Watch the video above to see what exciting opportunities await you at the National Youth Science Forum.

Open to: Open to students in Year 11, conducted in January holidays prior to Year 12. 

Entry fee: $1950

Closing date: 5 October 2022

More info: https://www.nysf.edu.au/programs/year-12-program/