Nominations open for South Australian Citizen Science Awards

Held by Inspiring South Australia, the Department for Environment and Water and the South Australian Chapter of the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA), the awards are open to South Australian projects that currently engage citizen science activities and promote and increase community participation in projects that encompass quality science, engagement and education.

The award offers two prizes ­- a first prize of $5000 and a finalist prize of $2500 – which can be used to further support scientific projects or to generate new ones.

The winner of last year’s Citizen Science Award was FrogWatch SA, a conservation project recognised for engaging the local community in monitoring frogs through its FrogSpotter app. Eager frog fans can record frog calls and locations, boosting the state’s understanding of frog species populations and habitats.

The 2024 finalist prize went to The Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation’s partnership program the Thukubi (freshwater turtle) monitoring project. As part of the larger ‘1 Million Turtles’ program, citizen scientists came out of their shells to monitor and conserve freshwater turtle populations in the Murraylands and Lower Lakes area, recording their data in the TurtleSAT app.

Helen Donovan, Manager of Community and Nature Partnerships at the National Parks and Wildlife Service, said being involved in citizen science was a great way to support your local environment

“As well as benefiting research, citizen science projects foster community engagement,” Dr Donovan said.

“Regardless of our day-to-day roles, we can all actively participate and help expand knowledge of the world around us through citizen science projects.

“Citizen science appeals to the young and old. Being hands-on, it sparks an interest in connecting with science and contributing positively to society.”

For more information on the awards and to enter, click here.