The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to launch its grants program for 2026, giving SJAA members the opportunity to realise a science reporting project in text, audio, video or other visual mediums; undertake travel for a reporting project; or to pursue professional development opportunities.
This year, thanks to a generous donation by the Australian Skeptics, we will have a maximum of $13,000 in grant funding to provide to Australian science journalists.
First, the SJAA will provide up to a maximum of four grants, worth up to $2,000 each:
— one student and early-career journalism grant for journalists with up to four years’ experience
— one independent reporting grant
— one grant to support travel for a reporting project
— one grant for professional development opportunities
We also have a fantastic new opportunity, thanks to the Australian Skeptics, with a focus on helping to develop projects that highlight evidence-based decision-making and policy development, or reporting that counters misleading claims regarding science and medicine.
These grants will be worth $2,500 each and will be judged in collaboration with a member of the Australian Skeptics Inc.
Applications for the 2026 grants are due by 11:59pm AEST, Wednesday 1 June 2025. Further details are here.
Only SJAA members are eligible to apply for the 2026 grants round.
If you’re not currently an SJAA member, we encourage you to join. Your membership fee goes towards supporting the grant program and strengthening science journalism in Australia. All those details are available here.
The SJAA has provided more than $25,000 in funding to Australian journalists via our grants program since 2020, and in 2025 we launched a pilot Journalist in Residence program with the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland, awarding more than $30,000 to two Australian science journalists.
We are particularly thankful for the support from our Champions of Science Journalism — The Australian Skeptics, Swinburne University, STEM Matters, ANU’s CPAS — who have committed to supporting science journalism in Australia and enabled this grants program over the last six years with generous donations.
Any questions about membership, residencies or our grants program can be emailed to contact@sjaa.org.au.