The 2004 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes launched recently - Australia's premier science awards - include an exciting new prize sponsored by Land & Water Australia.

The $10,000 Land and Water Australia Eureka Prize for Water Research is a significant addition to the Eureka Prize family, dealing as it does with a major and highly topical issue facing Australia.

The Land & Water Australia Eureka Prize is designed to highlight a scientific research project that has the potential to lead to substantial change in the way Australia manages, uses or protects its water and water-dependent ecosystems.

The Land & Water Eureka Prize will be awarded to an individual, team or organisation for highly innovative research that has made, or has the potential to make, an outstanding contribution to the protection, sustainable use and management of Australia's water resources and water-dependent ecosystems.

Research entered for this new prize can cover any aspect of sustainable use or protection of water resources and ecosystems, including research fields such as ecology, economics, policy, societal change, water use and reuse, engineering and the biophysical sciences. The research must have been undertaken in Australia within the past five years by Australian residents.

Entries in the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes close on Friday 14 May 2004. Candidates can enter themselves or be nominated by others. Information and entry forms for all prizes are available at www.amonline.net.au/eureka/water_research/index.htm