Applicants must be women or non-binary people employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) roles at any career stage in any sector.  Applicants must be Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents or New Zealand Special Category Visa Holders and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Hold a PhD or higher or;
• Someone with more than 10 years of experience working in STEM and who has deep expertise in their STEM field
• An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person with an undergraduate STEM degree and at least 4 years STEM industry experience (this experience can have been gained concurrently with study); or
• A person with an undergraduate STEM degree and at least 4 years’ experience working in information technology, engineering, mathematics, agriculture, environmental science, geological sciences or science communication.

and have:

• A commitment to the two-year Superstars of STEM Program, including the training, practice, networking and mentoring components; and a commitment to participate where possible in opportunities provided to alumni participants throughout the life of the Superstars program
• A natural aptitude for oral and written communication
• A strong commitment to build a public and professional profile and to communicating with public audiences through the media, speaking engagements, social media, and written materials
• A commitment to being mentored
• A commitment to becoming a long-term role model for children and young people thinking of entering the STEM sector – especially young women and non-binary people
• Willingness to organise to speak at least three and up to five high schools, with support from the program

Read the statement of expectations for participants for more information.

Participants will be selected to ensure geographic and discipline diversity in the program as well as representation from all career stages and a range of sectors, including public, private and academic.

Current experience in the media is not required: we are looking for people who have a strong aptitude for communication and a very strong desire to build a media and public profile.

We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, people with disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, STEM professionals of all ages and career stages and LGBQTIA+ people.

Your role as a Superstar of STEM will require you to commit, on average, two days a month to training, events and taking full advantage of opportunities to build your public profile. As a participant, you will need to:

• Proactively seek to build your public and media profile by seeking media and speaking opportunities
• Attend all scheduled workshops and training sessions
• Visit 3-5 high schools, including one rural or remote school, either in-person or virtually. You are expected to arrange these visits yourself using the guidelines provided.
• Participate in media and speaking opportunities generated by Science & Technology Australia (STA) and use the skills learned to generate your own opportunities.
• Leverage your relationship with your mentor.
• Represent the Superstars of STEM program in a professional and positive manner when participating in networking, media or speaking opportunities etc.
• Adhere to the requirements of the STA Code of Conduct
• Behave in a way that positively influences group morale and is supportive of other participants. Any concerns should be raised directly with the Program Manager or CEO.
• Be inclusive and respectful towards others including fellow participants, STA staff and program facilitators at all times.
• Provide feedback through evaluation surveys at six-monthly intervals throughout the program and one 12-months after the program finishes. These are designed to track participants’ progress throughout the program and are used to continually improve the program design.
  Note: Feedback is welcomed; however, it is expected that it is constructive and provided in a professional and respectful manner.
• Be open to feedback, new learning and experiences.
• Advise STA should you be unable to participate at any time during the program.
• Keep STA updated of any changes to your circumstances, including change of job title, role and any developments that may be relevant.

The application process has two stages. For stage one, you are required to complete the application form, including the submission of a one-minute video. You can access the application form using the link to the left. A Word version of the application form to help prepare your answers is also available for download from the application form page. Please also read the instructions for creating your video below.

If you are shortlisted, you will need to submit some additional information, provide evidence of support from your employer and do a brief interview by videoconference. We anticipate the stage two application round will occur in October - November 2024.

We also recommend that you read the statement of expectations for participants before applying. You can find answers to your questions on our FAQs page.

One-minute audition video:
Prepare a one-minute audition video filmed on your own handheld device (smartphone, tablet or similar). Please note that we are testing for screen presence rather than production values. We strongly encourage you NOT to use a professional production crew. Please either film yourself ‘selfie-style’ or enlist the help of a friend to hold the device. Your video must be one continuous shot with no editing or production. We need to see your facial expressions, so your head and shoulders should be in frame.

The topic is: your elevator pitch.

What is an elevator pitch?
It’s the one-minute speech that summarizes who you are and what you do. Please do NOT use the video to explain why you think you should be selected for the program.

Your elevator pitch should stand alone without requiring an introduction, prior knowledge about you or on-screen graphics. You should pitch your video as if it would be viewed and understood by a 14-year-old.

How will it be judged?
We are looking for confident, articulate, creative and expressive pitches that show you are able to convey information in a concise fashion to a general audience. We want to see your personality and get a sense of your oral communication style. We’ll also be checking to make sure you can stick to one minute.

How to submit your video
Videos must be uploaded to YouTube and the link included in the application form. Please ensure your video has been uploaded to YouTube as 'unlisted'. DO NOT upload your video as 'private' – we will not be able to access it.

Please follow these instructions to upload your video:

1. Log onto www.youtube.com.
2. If you don’t have an account, create a new account.
3. Upload your video.
4. During the upload process, select ‘unlisted’ as your preference under visibility.
5. Include the link to your video in your application form.

It is important you, and your employer, understand the time commitment when applying.  We encourage employers to support participants to commit to the equivalent of approximately two days per month over the two-year duration of the program, during their normal work hours. The time commitment will differ from month to month. This includes in-person and online training sessions, networking, school visits, mentoring, media and speaking opportunities, social media and progress reporting. Participants may choose to dedicate additional time to the program and to developing their media and public profile.

Participants will receive advanced communication training delivered in a combination of in-person and online training modules over the 2 years of the program.

If you wish to apply for the program in 2025-2026 please block these days in your calendar now so you will be able to attend essential components of the program:

• Welcome meeting and introduction to media (online): 29 January 2025
• Communicating with influence and public speaking (in person): 2-3 April 2025
• Media training (in person): 24 October, 31 October or 7 November 2025 (you will attend one full day session depending on which state you reside in)

Other online training sessions will cover: Overcoming imposter syndrome, finding your platform on social media, writing for The Conversation, expertise engagement and school visit training.

Dates for online course content will be shared with successful participants. We strongly encourage participants to attend these sessions at the time they are run if possible, however they will also be recorded for later viewing if required.

Participants also have the opportunity to attend Science Meets Parliament once during the program including the full professional development and training opportunities that it provides. Science Meets Parliament is usually held in February or March, but dates can only be set once the Parliamentary sitting calendar is published.

We have the following places available for this cohort:

• Up to 20 scholarship places are available to participants who can demonstrate financial need and meet strict eligibility criteria. Please see the Scholarship section for more information.
• At least 40 fee-paying places, $2,800+GST per person (50% due upon acceptance of place (mid-December 2024) and remainder due 30 January 2025).

There is a $50 application fee as a partial cost recovery mechanism. Please note we have a deep commitment to inclusion and this fee should not dissuade you from applying. To have the application fee waived, please email superstars@sta.org.au.

What's included for successful applicants:

• Advanced communications training delivered through a series of in-person and online sessions.
• 1:1 coaching session with a career strategist.
• Domestic air travel and accommodation from the capital city nearest to where you live to attend up to three scheduled training and/or networking events during the program.
• Two years of support from specialised STA staff, including support to generate media and speaking opportunities.
• Invitations to networking opportunities with industry, government and sector leaders, media and Superstars of STEM alumni.
• Support to connect with an appropriate senior mentor.
• A network of like-minded supportive peers with an online platform to engage.
• STA will work to identify and make available other opportunities during the life of the program.
• Discounted registration to Science Meets Parliament (once during the two-year program).

For every program, participants or their employers will incur some out-of-pocket expenses, including local travel, ground costs, meals, incidentals and parking.

Science & Technology Australia is offering 20 scholarship places for applicants who meet the program selection criteria and prerequisites and are;

Part A:

• Able to demonstrate inability to pay

And;

Part B:

• Representative of a minority group i.e. identify as First Nations or LGBTQIA+ or English as a Second Language (ESL) or a person living with a disability, etc. OR;
• Working and living in remote or regional Australia, OR;
• Employed by a start-up that is no more than two years old, OR;
• Within two years of establishing your own business.

How to apply:

• Write a cover letter of no more than one-page outlining:
  • How you meet the financial criteria outlined in Part A.
  • How you meet the scholarship criteria outlined in Part B.
• Complete the Superstars of STEM online application form, including uploading your cover letter.
• Pay the $50 application fee. You can have the application fee waived by emailing superstars@sta.org.au

At the conclusion of the program, it is expected that participants will continue to grow their media and public profile using the tools and networks that the program has provided. Participants will be encouraged to continue their mentoring relationships. STA will continue to provide opportunities for alumni such as ad hoc speaking and media opportunities where available.