The Eurekas – the Oscars of Australian science – announced tonight, Sydney Town Hall

Eureka Prizes 2013, Media releases

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be announced tonight Wednesday evening, 4 September at Sydney Town Hall in the presence of 700 science, government, cultural and media leaders.

Photo opportunity on the red carpet from 6 pm.

The 2013 Eureka Prizes finalists have discovered:

  • Better bulls emit less methane (Armidale)
  • How to use car tyres to make steel (Sydney/Newcastle)
  • The causes and effects of catastrophic firestorms (Sydney/Canberra)
  • How bats can help us treat deadly diseases (Geelong)

They’ve invented:

  • A hypodermic camera to guide surgeons (Perth)
  • A bionic eye to proof-of-concept stage (Melbourne/Sydney)
  • Nanotechnologies to deliver drugs to their targets (Melbourne)

They’ve revealed:

  • The sinister effects of micro-plastics in the oceans (Sydney)
  • How to personalise leukaemia therapy (Sydney)
  • How to slow the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Melbourne)
  • The mysteries of locust swarming (Sydney)

There are 52 finalists. They won’t know if they’ve won until each of the 18 prizes is announced in the course of the evening. As each prize is announced we’ll tweet from @eurekaprizes with the hashtag #Eureka13.

The finalists are from every state and are available for interview now.
We also know who will win, and where they’ll be so we can line up interviews for them for Thursday. If you have a critical need to know about any winners on embargo then we may be able to brief you. We’re very cautious about damaging the atmosphere of the evening.

Want to chat with the Eureka Prize winners and finalists?

To line up interviews with winners or finalists, contact:

There are short videos featuring each finalist online – which you’re welcome to use in your coverage of the Eurekas.

And there’s a full list of finalists with a bit of background at the Australian Museum website.