Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize

Applications open 20 May 2025

Applications close 19 August 2025

 

About this Prize

One the applicant has read all of the following material they can apply to the portal.

Forms

2025 Emerging Scientist Application Form

2025 Emerging Scientist Referee Form

2025 Emerging Scientist Budget Template

 

Eligibility

• The Prize will be awarded to an outstanding emerging scientist¹ who has had their PhD conferred within the past eight (8) years. i.e. (1 January 2017)
• If the applicant has had career interruptions after the conferral of their PhD which has affected time spent on their postdoctoral research time e.g. being a primary caregiver of dependent children; an illness or some other reason then they can make mention of this on their application form. 
• The applicant must be either a New Zealand citizen or a New Zealand permanent resident, currently domiciled in New Zealand
• The recipient of the Prize is expected to remain active in research in New Zealand for at least the year following the presentation of the Prize.
• Re-application by candidates from previous years is encouraged, as long as they still meet the current eligibility criteria.  Past winners of the Prize are not eligible to apply for this particular Prize.

¹Taken to include natural, physical, mathematical and information sciences, applied science, technology, engineering, social science and multi-disciplinary science

 

Criteria 

The application will be judged on the following criteria. (with cross references to an evidence portfolio):

• The research carried out by the applicant is leading edge in its field.
• The research has already, or is likely to result in the generation of valuable new knowledge in the field, or have wider impact.
• The applicant is able to effectively communicate their research.

Each applicant should address these criteria in their application and cross-reference that statement with an Evidence Portfolio to support their application. Assessment will include consideration of referee statements and possibly an interview of shortlisted applicants.

Value

• The total value of the Prize is $200,000.
• $50,000 is for the recipient and can be used at their discretion.
• $150,000 must be used for the recipients ongoing research.

 

Selection panel 2025

The Panel Members for 2025 are:

Professor Priscilla Wehi, (Chair), University of Otago

Professor Richard Beasley, Medical Research Institute of NZ

Professor Margaret Hyland, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington

Dr Hin Lim, University of Waikato

Professor Alice Theadom, Auckland University of Technology

Associate Professor Jonathan Tonkin, University of Canterbury

 

Expert panel members are appointed by the Pou Whakahaere Chief Executive of Royal Society Te Apārangi based on the recommendation of the panel Chairs and Secretariat. Appointments are made on a year-by-year basis for each calendar year. Panel members can be appointed for more than one year and must be experienced in an appropriate field or community and may be drawn from outside New Zealand if necessary.

Panels will consist of established leaders and researchers in their field, their research and in their communities.  We will also aim to bring emerging people to panels to ensure diverse views and allow for the development of people and new talent.

In considering the suitability of potential panellists, the following requirements for panel composition is considered as appropriate:

• Mix of discipline/expertise
• Sector and institutional balance
• Geographic representation
• Ethnicity
• Gender balance.

Royal Society Te Apārangi is committed to following best practice in being inclusive of diversity within our activities.

 

Conflicts of Interest – Panel Members

It is recognised that occasionally members of the selection panel will know applicants or have other conflicts of interest. They will be expected to declare all such knowledge and conflicts of interest. In cases where an applicant is the colleague of a panellist, the Chair of the selection panel will rule if this conflict is significant enough for the panellist to be stood down from the panel for that entry. (In the case of the Chair having a conflict of interest the decision will be made by another member of the panel who has been identified in this role at the beginning of the process).

If the applicant is no sure about whether they have a conflict of interest with a panel member then please contact the Prime Minister’s Science Prize Secretariat.

 

Confidentiality

The Secretariat gives no undertaking to keep confidential any information that is provided in this application unless this is identified as information that should be treated as such. It may, for example, be used to prepare promotional material for the prize in future years.

The selection panel will not enter into any correspondence concerning its deliberations. All inquiries should be directed to the Secretariat. Note that information on matters such as ranking, or names of unsuccessful entrants, will not be disclosed.

Please note that information submitted on the entry form may be subject to the Official Information Act.

Referees

• Two referees will be required to support the Applicant’s application.
• The Selection Panel at its sole discretion, may request further referees or make contact with outside parties.
• The panel also reserves the right to hold interviews to help inform their decision.

Navigating the portal

• Everyone must register in the portal (this includes applicants, referees, mentors etc). The only exception is if they have registered in the portal previously. also
• The application and referee forms can downloaded from the portal also.
• Everyone must first set up a profile where some compulsory questions will need to be answered but other questions are optional. If this has been entered in previous years this will not be required again but the applicant may want to update information.
• The applicant will be prompted by the portal to supply referee details. This will trigger an email which is sent to the referee which contains a unique link for referees to log into the portal, but this will not happen until the applicant has uploaded their application which will stay in ‘draft form’. The application can be updated at any time.
• A completed application cannot be submitted until referees have submitted their referee reports.

Contents of application 

1. The completed application template and evidence portfolio must be uploaded by the applicant.  This will stay in ‘draft’ form and can be edited at anytime by the applicant until they are ready to submit but remember to ‘save’ if it is edited.
2. Applicants must have submitted their CV.
3. Before the applicant can submit the completed application, both referees need to have submitted their referee forms.
4. The applicant must have agreed to the Terms & Conditions.

Expectations

• The recipient of the Prize will be expected to be involved in promotional opportunities appropriate to receiving The Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize. This may include giving talks in various locations in New Zealand in 2026.
• The recipient will be expected to attend the announcement of the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes in March/April 2026.
• The $150,000 will be used for the winner’s ongoing research.

Timeline

20 May 2025  –  Applications open

19 August 2025  –  Applications close

August/Sept  –  Online judging

Oct/Nov  –  Selection panel meetings take place

January 2026  – All applicants notified

Closing

Applications close at midday on 19 August 2025.  Late applications will not be eligible.

 

Ko te Kaiwhakahaere the Secretariat for The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes is Royal Society Te Apārangi.  Contact details are:

Te Kaiwhakahaere the Secretariat
The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes
Royal Society Te Apārangi
PO Box 598
Wellington

Waea telephone: (04) 470 5762

Īmēra email: pmscienceprizes@royalsociety.org.nz.