The Prime Minister recognises outstanding talent through a series of awards which celebrate outstanding Australian talent.
Presented every year, the Prime Minister’s Awards include:
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrates outstanding Australian literary talent and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation's cultural and intellectual life.
To be nominated, the book must be in English and been first published during the previous calendar year (January to December). Nominations generally run from February to early April each year.
Awards are presented in six categories; fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry and Australian history.
A total prize pool of $600,000 is available for shortlisted and winning books.
The Prime Minister’s Literary Award is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science recognises outstanding achievements in scientific research, research-based innovation, and excellence in science teaching. The prizes highlight the contributions Australian scientists, innovators and science teachers make to Australia's scientific and commercialisation capabilities.
Nominees must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and meet specific eligibility criteria, which are different for each category.
A total prize pool of $750,000 is available for prize recipients across the five Science Prizes and two Science Teaching Prizes.
The Prime Minister’s Prize for Science are managed by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
Prime Minister's Veterans' Employment Awards
First run in 2018, the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Awards recognises the achievements of organisations which support and employ veterans, as well as veterans who make a significant contribution to their workplace.
Nominations open at the end of each year for the next year’s awards and there are ten categories from which to choose.
The Veterans Employment Awards are coordinated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee
The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee aims to help students in Year 3 to 8 expand their vocabularies and encouraging them to continue reading.
Registration is free for all students at Australian schools, including home schools.
The first Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee was run for the first time in 2021. Find out more about the winners of the inaugural competition.
The Prime Minister also presents the Australian of the Year Awards annually which recognise outstanding achievements of Australians.
There are four award categories: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero.
Nominations are accepted from members of the public for Australian of the Year are accepted year-round on the Australian of the Year Awards website.