Applications have opened for the 2026 Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in STEM education, with a total prize pool of $140,000.
The award is part of the Queensland Government’s plan for the state’s future, after reducing red tape for teachers by 25% to give them more time in the classroom, building student skills for future industries including engineering, science, technology and mathematics.
Now in the 23rd year, the annual award recognises contributions to STEM education in Queensland across eight categories.
The categories include Senior STEM Student, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Senior STEM Student, Rural and Remote Senior STEM Student, Teacher of STEM, Rural and Remote Teacher of STEM, STEM Support Officer, School STEM, and Educational Partnership awards.
Queensland year 12 students, teachers, support officers, schools and education partners are encouraged to apply for the awards.
Since 2004, 599 individuals, schools and organisations have received a Peter Doherty Award, including: 304 students; 184 teachers; 37 support officers; 37 schools; and 27 education partnerships.
28 prize winners across the eight categories will receive a $5,000 prize each, with the award ceremony to be held in Brisbane on Tuesday 18 August 2026.
This news comes after a recent survey from MPI Recruitment revealed the main motivators behind why workers are leaving the mining industry or changing jobs.
According to the survey, 86% of Australia’s mining workers are movable, with only 14% ‘empathetically’ planning to stay put in 2026. Out of the 217 employees surveyed, 66% prioritise leadership and culture, while only 6% care mostly about pay.
Previously speaking to Mining.com.au, Mark Pearce, marketing business partner of MPI Recruitment, says although leadership and culture is not exactly underestimated, giving someone a pay rise is considered “quick and easy”.
“But really putting in place the strategies that create a great culture is a much longer and harder process,” Pearce says.
“It’s always been an industry where people tend to be promoted into positions of authority at a relatively young age, often before they’ve developed the communication skills to call out bad behaviour in more experienced workers.”
In recent years, young people have been steering away from choosing careers in the mining sector. For example, a 2023 McKinsey report showed a 63% decline in Australian mining graduates from 2014 to 2020, while the US saw a 39% decline from 2016 to 2020.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: STEM Department of Education
