The Prime Minister's Science Prizes

The Prime Minister's Future Scientist

This prize is worth $50,000. The Prize will be awarded to either a Year 12 or Year 13 student who has undertaken an outstanding science, technology, mathematics or engineering project.

The Prime Minister's Science Teacher

This Prize is worth $150,000. The Prize will be awarded to a registered primary, intermediate or secondary school teacher who is teaching science, mathematics, technology, pūtaiao, hangarau or pāngarau learning areas of the New Zealand curriculum. Teachers must be teaching in a registered New Zealand school.

The Prime Minister's Science Prize

This Prize is worth $500,000. The Prize is for a transformative scientific discovery or achievement, which has had a significant economic, health, social and/or environmental impact on New Zealand or internationally in the last five years. It will be awarded to an individual or team instrumental in creating the impact.

The Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist

This Prize is worth $200,000. This Prize will be awarded to an outstanding emerging scientist who has had their PhD or an equivalent qualification conferred within the past eight years.

The Prime Minister's Science Communicator

This Prize is worth $100,000. The Prize will be awarded to either a practising scientist who can demonstrate an interest, passion and aptitude for science communication and public engagement, or to a person who has developed expertise in public engagement with, or communication of complex scientific or technological information to the public.

Reflections from past winners

News

2018 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes

The 2018 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes will open on Monday 18 June and close on Wednesday 5 September 2018. Read More

The 2017 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes will be announced mid February 2018

Professor Richie Poulton receives a CNZM

Professor Richie Poulton, the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Science Prize receives a CNZM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. more information … Read More

Prime Minister’s Science Communicator Prize Winner Dr Rebecca Priestley is the brainchild behind new Science Journalism fund

A new fund to support science-related journalism projects is now taking applications. The Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund is offering grants of between $500 and $10,000 for projects exploring science-related issues of importance to New Zealand. The independent fund is the first of its kind … Read More

Prime Minister’s Prize Winners announced on 21 March

Yesterday the five recipients of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Science Prizes were announced at an award ceremony held at Parliament, attended by Prime Minister Bill English and Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith, together with two hundred guests. The Prime Minister’s Future Scientist Prize was awarded to Former Onslow College pupil Catherine Pot. Read … Read More

Entering PM Science Prizes was excellent professional development

A former winner of the Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize says entering the awards helped her to become a better teacher. Terry Burrell, who is the Learning Area Leader for Science at Onslow College in Wellington and won the Prize in 2014, says she emerged from the application process with … Read More

Science a dinner table conversation

Dr Michelle Dickinson’s heart breaks when the word science conjures up negative experiences of text books and difficult exams. The University of Auckland biomedical and materials engineer, who set up and runs Australasia’s only nanomechanical testing laboratory, won the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize in 2014. “Science affects … Read More

Rewarding scientific research

Winning the Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize has led to numerous opportunities to share his research and establish research collaborations says Dr Karl Iremonger. The 2014 University of Otago prize recipient says his research into brain cell functionality has been widely publicised as a result of his … Read More

Kiwi scientists’ electric dream closer to reality

Two Kiwi scientists’ dream of highways being filled with electric cars that drive without ever having to fill up or plug in has taken a big step closer to reality. Two major US companies have just announced a major deal to bring wireless electric vehicle charging pioneered by University of … Read More

Prizes bring international acknowledgement

Winning the 2014 Prime Minister’s Science Prize was a huge boost in confidence for researchers involved in the He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme, led by Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman from the University of Otago. “Many in our group are young researchers so it was a boost and affirmation for … Read More

Hard to win but a great Prize!

Professors John Boys and Grant Covic from the University of Auckland won the 2013 Prime Minister’s Science Prize for world-leading inductive power transfer (IPT), which is the high-efficiency transfer of electricity across large air gaps. “We could never have made the progress that we have without the Prime Minister’s Science … Read More