About the Tall Poppy Campaign

The Tall Poppy Campaign was created in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) to recognise and celebrate Australian intellectual and scientific excellence and to encourage younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of our outstanding achievers. It has made significant achievements towards building a more publicly engaged scientific leadership in Australia.

The Tall Poppy Campaign currently recognises the achievements of Australian scientists through the prestigious annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards and the biennial CSL Florey Medal.

The Campaign’s Tall Poppies Reaching Students Program engages the winners of Young Tall Poppy Science Awards (‘Tall Poppies’) in activities to promote study and careers in science among school students and teachers as well as an understanding and appreciation of science in the broader community.

The objectives of the Campaign are to:

Engage the Australian public in celebrating Australian scientific excellence and recognising its relevance to public policy issues.
Foster an Australian culture which celebrates high achievers rather than ‘cutting them down’.
Inspire younger Australians about the possibilities of science.
Encourage younger Australians to take up tertiary study and careers in the sciences.
Improve the scientific literacy of the Australian public.
Encourage innovation and creativity through increased investment by government and industry-driven scientific research and development within Australia.

Over 2008 - 2009 alone, the Campaign's achievements included:

Launching the Campaign in Tasmania and Queensland alongside ACT, NSW, SA and Victoria
Recognising 45 young researchers in all fields of science (including technology and mathematics) across ACT, Queensland, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria with Young Tall Poppy Science Awards, bringing the national pool of Young Tall Poppies to well over 200;
Engaging Young Tall Poppies in school events reaching 68 schools in NSW, 25 in South Australia and 18 in Victoria.

The Tall Poppy Campaign is funded nationally by the Department of Health and Ageing with the aim of achieving sustainability nationally and in each state and sphere of operation by 2011, and also has significant partners in each state of current operation - see more at our partners.

Nationally, we also partner with the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and their state constituents, which includes annual support for CONASTA