Winners announced: 2026 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes

The 2026 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, awarded last week, recognised outstanding achievement across scientific research, innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science — with highlights including a marine heatwave forecasting system, a solar panel recycling solution, research helping remove the stigma from a common women’s health condition and a melanoma breakthrough.

Since the prizes began 36 years ago, the Australian Museum has awarded more than $5 million in prize money while celebrating hundreds of the nation’s leading scientists, researchers, communicators and innovators, many of whom have achieved international success. The 2026 awards are particularly notable in that they highlight the extraordinary contribution of women in Australian science, with 11 Eureka Prizes awarded to individual women, or teams made up entirely or predominantly of women. This year’s full list of winners and their projects can be found below.

Research & Innovation

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Eureka Prize for Environmental Research

Marine Heatwave Forecasts: CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology

Marine Heatwave Forecasts delivered Australia’s first operational long-range forecasts for unusually warm ocean temperatures, giving marine industries, conservation managers and coastal communities weeks to months of warning and helping them to protect vulnerable ecosystems.

Australian Research Data Commons Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Platforms

EcoCommons Australia: QCIF Digital Research

EcoCommons Australia integrates thousands of environmental datasets from different institutions into an easy-to-use, cloud-based platform to help tackle climate change, species loss and ecosystem management.

University of Technology Sydney and Australian Federal Police Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science

Associate Professor Helen Paterson: The University of Sydney

Associate Professor Helen Paterson is advancing how police and courts understand victim-survivor testimony in domestic and family violence cases. Her research shows how repeated abuse and coercive control affect memory, supporting more accurate investigations and fairer justice outcomes.

Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research

Professor Ivan Kassal and Associate Professor Ting Rei Tan, The University of Sydney

Achieving a step change in the way quantum computers can simulate complex molecular function, Professor Ivan Kassal and Associate Professor Ting Rei Tan improved quantum resource efficiency by more than a million-fold, leading to advances in materials, energy and drug discovery.

Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research

Women’s Microbiome Innovation Group: Melbourne Sexual Health Centre; Monash University; and Alfred Health

Women’s Microbiome Innovation Group challenged the prevailing dogma that bacterial vaginosis is a bacterial imbalance and proved it is sexually transmitted. The StepUp trial showed treating male partners improves bacterial vaginosis cure and is cost-effective.

Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology

C2X: RMIT University

C2X integrates CO₂ capture and conversion into a single process, reducing the cost, energy loss and engineering complexity of traditional systems.

Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher

Dr Aidan Cashin: UNSW and Neuroscience Research Australia

Dr Aidan Cashin is changing chronic pain care by determining which treatments help, why they work and how to deliver them widely. His research clarified whether back pain medicines help or harm, developed a non-drug program that improves recovery and is now shaping clinical training, digital care and international trials.

Department of Defence Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia

Professor Vincent Gramoli: The University of Sydney and Redbelly Network

Professor Vincent Gramoli researched and designed the Redbelly Blockchain — a cybersecurity software innovation that enables users to exchange assets more securely, safeguarding Australia’s financial resilience. It is one of the fastest blockchains in production.

UNSW Eureka Prize for Scientific Research

Professor Georgina Long AO: The University of Sydney and Melanoma Institute Australia

Professor Georgina Long transformed melanoma care by pioneering neoadjuvant immunotherapy, given before surgery, and leading international drug development. Her research reduced recurrence or death risk by 68%, lifted survival tenfold in stage IV disease and 24-fold in brain metastases, and created tools to identify patients needing new approaches.

Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research

Professor Yansong Shen: UNSW

Professor Yansong Shen has developed a low-cost, scalable, portable process to recover valuable metals and silicon from used solar panels, supporting more sustainable solar waste management.

Leadership

University of Sydney Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science, Technology and Engineering

Dr Jane Tiller: Monash University

Dr Jane Tiller led a research-driven campaign that in 2026 helped ban Australian life insurers from using genetic test results to discriminate in underwriting. By uniting researchers, clinicians, patient groups and policymakers, she removed a major barrier to potentially life-saving genomic testing, enabling more equitable access to preventive medicine.

University of Sydney Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science

Distinguished Professor Maree Teesson: The University of Sydney

Distinguished Professor Maree Teesson is an international leader in mental health and substance use research, especially the overlap between these disorders. As Director of the Matilda Centre, she has advanced prevention and treatment, including school-based programs reaching 300,000 students in Australia and overseas.

University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Researchers

Associate Professor Karen Lamb: The University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Karen Lamb has ensured Australian statisticians’ careers are enriched by mentorship. She created the Statistical Society of Australia’s national mentoring program, supporting more than 200 statisticians, and assisted mentoring program development in the UK, New Zealand and Canada.

Science Engagement

Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science

Miyawaki Forest Program: Murdoch University

Since 2021, the Miyawaki Forest Program has brought more than 5200 participants together to plant 22 fast-growing forests in schools and communities. Participants have greened local landscapes and reconnected with nature, while the forests have increased biodiversity and reduced local temperatures.

Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science

Dr Lila Landowski: University of Tasmania and Science and Technology Australia

Dr Lila Landowski makes neuroscience accessible through her TEDx talk, viral videos and media appearances. She has appeared in hundreds of stories, reaching more than 46 million people in the past year and combating misinformation as a World Health Organization Fides ambassador.

Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism

‘Follow the Mice’: Liam Mannix, The Age and William Davis, Brisbane Times

After four years of research, Liam Mannix and William Davis published their investigative articles revealing major scientific misconduct at leading research institutions, including the fabrication of animal experiments for drugs in development.

UNSW Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science

OurFutures Vaping Program: The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney; The University of Queensland; Curtin University; Monash University; UNSW; and The University of Newcastle

OurFutures Vaping Program empowers adolescents to avoid vaping through evidence-based digital lessons co-designed with students and teachers. Trialled in 40 schools, it reduced the odds of vaping by 65% after one year and has now reached more than 300,000 students.

Department of Industry, Science and Resources Eureka Prize for STEM Inclusion

Science Gallery Melbourne

Through co-design, free access and inclusive practices, The University of Melbourne’s Science Gallery empowers underrepresented communities in STEM. Blending science, creativity and culture, its exhibitions and programs have attracted 350,000 people since 2021 and achieved inspiring levels of engagement with diverse and disadvantaged audiences.

Australian Museum School Science Eureka Prize — Primary and Secondary

Poppy H, Homeschool Perth

Poppy’s delightful and humorous film ‘How the Brain Processes Patterns’ focuses on her love of optical illusions, including one on a wall near her dance studio, and the neuroscience behind them. She conducted a study to see whether adults or children are more likely to be deceived by these illusions.

Millie B, Homeschool Karrinyup

In ‘Freshwater Turtle Nesting: From Patterns to Protection’, 13-year-old Millie explains that freshwater turtles follow predictable patterns when choosing nest sites. She reveals how these patterns can predict nesting hotspots with 90% accuracy and guide local protection measures, such as turtle-safe roads.

2026 Australian Museum Research Institute Medal

The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) Medal is presented to an individual staff member, senior fellow or team from AMRI for outstanding science and communication of their research outcomes. This year’s medal was awarded to Australian Museum researcher Dr Frank Köhler for his internationally significant work documenting Australia’s mollusc diversity. Köhler has described more than 100 new species of land snail, expanding scientific understanding of Australia’s biodiversity.

Image caption: The winners of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for 2026. Image credit: Australian Museum.