Citizen Science Award
Every year in autumn, researchers can submit their project to the Citizen Science Award. As part of the competition, they benefit from many advantages: At workshops they can exchange ideas with projects and teachers. By advertising the OeAD competition through a variety of channels and distribution lists, the projects attract new citizen scientists. The most committed citizen scientists will be honoured at a ceremony for their participation.
The Citizen Science Award has been inspiring citizens throughout Austria for science and research since 2015 and contributing to making scientific processes transparent and tangible. More than 22,500 children, young people and adults have now taken part in 58 research projects. So far citizen scientists have supported researchers with almost 192,000 contributions.
The call for applications for projects for the Citizen Science Award 2024 is closed. School classes, youth groups, families and individuals will be able to contribute to the selected projects in spring and summer 2024.
What benefits does the Citizen Science Award offer to research projects?
The OeAD Center for Citizen Science organises the entire Citizen Science Award on behalf of the BMBWF (see "Citizen Science Award process"). How do researchers benefit?
- Capacity building through workshops as well as networking and exchange of experience with other citizen science projects
- Extensive promotion of the award and the participating projects and thus reaching more citizen scientists
- Personal contact with interested teachers at a teacher training in cooperation with the PH Vienna
- Generation of new data and research contributions
- Organisation of a festive event for the presentation of the awards
- Financial support for cash and non-cash prizes
Citizen Science Award process
School classes, individuals and families can participate in the Citizen Science Award every year from April 1 to July 31. But there is also a lot going on before and after the co-research period! Therefore, the entire competition is divided into several phases.
To become part of the research competition "Citizen Science Award", Citizen Science projects can apply every year in autumn via a simple online form. The OeAD and the BMBWF jointly select the most suitable six to eight projects from all submitted projects. These will be notified in early December.
The call for applications for the Citizen Science Award 2024 runs from 25 September to 13 November 2023.
The OeAD Center for Citizen Science organises a workshop in mid-December so that the selected projects can get to know each other and learn details about the competition process.
In March, an online training for teachers takes place. The aim is to motivate them to participate in the competition. All projects will present how school classes can participate.
During the marketing phase of the Citizen Science Award, all schools in Austria receive a brochure presenting the current projects. The OeAD promotes the Citizen Science Award extensively through different channels and the projects also motivate their communities.
Starting April 1, the OeAD and the projects invite all school classes, individuals and families in Austria to join in the research until July 31. The most committed school classes win cash prizes, and individuals and families receive non-cash prizes.
While the OeAD prepares the award ceremony, the projects evaluate the entries received from school classes, individuals and families to determine the winners. They will then be notified by the OeAD.
During a festive event, the most committed participants will be awarded prizes by the projects, the OeAD and the BMBWF.