Land & Water Australia Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation

Entries are now open for the 2008 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, including Land & Water Australia’s Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation.

The Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation is awarded for a scientific research project that has the potential to lead to substantial change in the way Australia manages, uses or protects its water resources, particularly in rural Australia.

The emphasis is on the extent to which the research is genuinely original in its thinking, rigorous in its application and of practical benefit.

The research entered can cover any aspect of sustainable use or protection of water resources, including inter-alia research fields such as water use and reuse, ecology, hydrology, economics, policy, societal change, engineering and the biophysical sciences.
Judging Criteria

Entries must address each of the following criteria:

1) Innovation
- to what extent does the research contribute original thinking, new insights or conceptual frameworks to the management of Australia’s water resources?
- does the research address new and emerging issues or does it offer a new perspective or substantial advance in understanding current problems?
- has the research developed new techniques or methods, or substantially improved existing ones to enhance their usefulness?

2) Relevance
- does the research have the potential to change the way people, primary industries or institutions act or think? If so, how?
- how can this research lead to a practical improvement in the use, management or protection of water resources in Australia?
- how widely applicable are the results to the Australian economy, primary industries or environment?

3) Communication
- how was the research communicated to the target audiences? (Identify the key stakeholders - eg scientists, land managers, policy makers, and general public - and explain how the research was communicated to them.)
- has the research reached, or will it reach, those responsible for managing and/or protecting our water resources?
- what examples are there of how the research has changed the management of water resources or related ecosystems?