NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED
We’ve had a fantastic response to Fresh Science with 178 nominations from around the country. Thank you to everyone who applied. Judging is in progress. watch this space…
Are you an early-career researcher?
Have you got a peer-reviewed discovery, invention, or results and want some publicity?
You might be one of this year’s Fresh Scientists.
Nominate for Fresh Science – a national competition that finds researchers with discoveries, helps them find the key, compelling ‘story’ in their research and then puts them in the spotlight, showcasing them to the public and the media.
Here’s a copy of the application form so you can draft your answers before applying.
Have a look at the stories of last year’s Freshies to see what we are looking for.
Why nominate?
Get some media training. Find your voice. Learn how to tell your research story in a compelling way – be it to a journalist, politician or philanthropist. Practice being interviewed by journalists and be a part of the media landscape.
Have some fun at the pub. Take the spotlight and practice your new communication skills in front of a small audience.
Get your profile online with other Fresh Scientists.
Perhaps get into the media. We will work with you and your organisation to see if we can put out a press release. In previous years our Fresh Scientists have attracted national and international interest resulting in hundreds of media stories in Australia and overseas.
Inspire the next generation of scientists by getting your story out and, in some states, talking directly with school students.
What does it involve?
Fill out a short, painless nomination form online. We ask you to explain your research briefly and provide evidence of peer review.
If selected, you will take part in:
- a one-day media and communication training course where you will meet and chat with journalists from TV, newspaper and radio; do some practice interviews
- an evening event at the local pub where you get to practice presenting your results in an understandable and fun way
- In some states you will get an additional day of professional development where you will meet people from business and government; learn how to pitch and make a pitch; write a short profile and some social media posts with the guidance of two professional science communicators
As part of Fresh Science we will publish a short, media-ready profile on you and promote via social media channels. See previous stories.
We will also work with you to see if your organisation can issue a press release about your work. See previous stories in the news.
Eligibility
We are looking for:
- Early-career researchers. Age per se is not a criterion, but you must have completed your PhD (if you have one) no more than five years ago. If you’re earlier in your career, that’s fine. This means you could be an honours student, a PhD student, or post doc.
- Researchers currently working in Australia and preferably for work done in Australia.
- Research which has produced peer-reviewed results i.e. you have a discovery, invention, patent etc.
- Research which is currently being undertaken, or has been published/concluded since June 2020
- Research that is newsworthy but has not had significant media coverage.
- Researchers who can demonstrate, through the nomination form, some ability to present your research to a lay audience in a clear, interesting and informative way.
Your research must be cleared for public and media presentation. You may need to consult with your collaborators and commercial partners before nominating.
You may represent a research team if you have played a substantial role in the research and can act and be named as spokesperson. Only one member of any particular research team will be invited to participate in Fresh Science
If you’re interested in being involved and supporting Fresh Science, please contact freshscience@scienceinpublic.com.au or call Sarah Brooker on (03) 9398 1416.
Spread the word
We know most nominations from early-career researchers come because they’ve been encouraged by a their colleagues or supervisors. So make sure you give any great early-career researchers you know a tap on the shoulder.
Want to share this call-out? Here are some images you can use:
Fresh Science is on hold for 2022. We will be back in 2023.