The Science Journalists Association of Australia is delighted to announce the successful applicants in the 2026 science journalism grants round.
This year was the most hotly-contested grant round we’ve held and we saw applications of exceptional standard across all five categories, including the Australian Skeptics grants.
Thank you to all those who took the time to put an application together. It’s not an easy task, and we hope you find homes for your stories and ideas.
This year’s program features eight winners across five categories, each receiving up to $2,000 in funding, with the opportunity for mentorship, with a special category sponsored by the Australian Skeptics Inc with two grants worth $2,500 each. The SJAA extends its congratulations to this year’s recipients and can’t wait to see the work produced.
First up, our two Skeptics Grants winners.
Niki Bezzant has been awarded an Australian Skeptics grant to deliver a feature series investigating menopause research and the menopause industry in Australia and New Zealand.
Clare Watson has been awarded an Australian Skeptics grant to aid in delivering an investigation on the herbicide paraquat and its dangers to human health.
And our other winners:
Catherine Williams has been awarded an early-career grant to report on the Mulyamiji March, an annual survey of the great desert skink, and how traditional knowledge informs conservation efforts.
Jess Cockerill has been awarded an independent reporting grant to dive into the case of the missing cuttlefish in the Spencer Gulf.
Kate Evans has been awarded a professional development grant to support her attendance at the World Conference of Science Journalists in 2027.
Yasmine Wright Gittins has been awarded a travel grant to travel to French Polynesia and report from the field, capturing high-quality audio, photography, and video for a climate change related reporting project.
Ruby Prosser Scully has been awarded a discretionary grant to undertake an independent reporting project on maggot therapy.
Lucy Campbell has also been awarded a small discretionary grant to take part in a radio broadcasting training course.
Congratulations to all the awardees.
The SJAA Grants Program is now in its sixth year and has awarded $45,000 in funding to support international travel, in-depth science feature writing and professional development programs. The program has been supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas and SJAA’s Champions of Science Journalism: Swinburne University, the ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and STEM Matters. Our biggest thanks, this year, goes to the Australian Skeptics Inc, for their sponsorship.
We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the judging committee and we’d encourage those who missed out on this year’s grant funding to apply again in the future. We expect to open grants again in 2027.
If you’d like to support the SJAA and this initiative, we’d love to hear from you! External support would help supercharge this program and provide opportunities to Australia’s vibrant science journalism ecosystem. Contact our executive team at contact@sjaa.org.au about how we might partner together.