Young Future Shapers

We’re looking for the curious, for those that invent things, or want to make a positive change. We hope to open the door for students that are from underrepresented groups in STEM that may not have the same access to learning opportunities and resources as others.

Girls, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, students from regional schools or lower opportunity areas are groups that are underrepresented in STEM.

Young Future Shapers don’t need to be at the top of the class. If they have a passion, or even an inkling of an interest in STEM, then we’d love to hear about them.

No, they don’t. Ideally, we’re looking for young people that identify as at least one of, but not necessarily all of our priority groups.  So, they could be an Indigenous student; or a girl; or from a regional area; or from a lower opportunity area – or a combination of these groups.

Absolutely! (As long as you do not work for CSIRO, BHP Foundation or BHP).

Of course you can! Just make sure you have your parent's permission.

No, absolutely not. While any Year 5-10 student in Australia can be nominated, Young Future Shapers is not designed for students that already have access to the level of support and resources that come with being involved with STEM projects and competitions. The program aims to open the door for those that may have limited access or exposure to STEM opportunities.

Yes you can. Girls, Indigenous students; those from lower opportunity areas and those from regional areas are underrepresented in STEM. This is why we prioritise opportunities for these groups; but that doesn’t exclude other students from being considered.

Not at all. The focus of this program is not on academic achievement. We are looking for those that have something of an interest in STEM that we can help to draw out and develop further.

Maybe they just like reassembling things they’ve pulled apart, or they’re passionate about a cause that STEM could help, or they’re naturally inquisitive. Maybe they’re obsessed with a niche facet of science; or maybe they haven’t found their favourite topic in STEM (yet). Young Future Shapers is about giving them opportunities to explore more and build their STEM capabilities.

Read these T&Cs.

Yes. For one of the questions, we need to hear from the student, whether that’s in written or video formats. If you are not the nominee’s parent, you will also need the parent/guardian’s permission.

We’ll ask you to provide some demographic, consent, and contact information, then ask for two responses, which you and the nominee can submit in writing or as a video:

Part 1 - Submitted by an adult or by the young person: "Why would the nominee make a great Young Future Shaper?"

Part 2 - To be answered by the young person themselves: "How would being a Young Future Shaper help you?"

Absolutely! A top tip from our judges is to resist using copy/paste across the nominations. Make each nomination as unique as the young person you're putting forward.

Artificial Intelligence can be a helpful tool; but the judges will be looking for information that is specific to the nominee: their interests, their journey so far and their access to opportunities.

Apply online using short written responses or videos.

Written: Type responses no longer than 500 words into the free text fields provided, or upload documents as .doc, .docx, .PDF, .jpeg, .jpg, .ppt, or .pptx files; OR

Videos: Three minutes max per question. Upload as .mov, .mp4, .wmv or .avi files

If you need to email or post your submission, contact us at STEMTogether@csiro.au and we’ll send you a form to print.

We will be in touch in Term 2 to notify all applicants of the outcome of the nomination.

No. The program is all inclusive.

It is up to the Future Shaper. First, they will meet with our team to map out their individual success plan. Then they can choose to:

• attend camp (usually 3-5 days including travel); or

• attend a local learning adventure (usually a one-day excursion); or

• design their prize pack (no formal time commitment, other than what they spend choosing and using their new equipment).

There will also be a number of virtual events for Future Shapers to opt into.

We need parental consent for the young person to take part in the program. We encourage parents to attend the meetings between our team and the Future Shaper to map out their individual success plan and look at the options for their prize.

For Year 5-6 students that choose to go on a STEM camp, a parent/legal guardian will also need to attend (the travel/camp costs for this will be covered). Future Shapers on the Year 7-10 camp do not need to be accompanied by a parent.

If the Future Shaper would like to take their class on a local excursion, we will get in touch with the teacher to see what options we have to take this further. Our team can handle key logistics (e.g. booking venues, experts and transport; providing information for risk assessments etc.)