National Science Week 2023

National Science Week next takes place on 12-20 August 2023 all over Australia

National Science Week 2022 theme

The school theme for National Science Week in 2022 is Glass: More than meets the eye.

The theme is based on the UN International Year of Glass and will celebrate the many roles that glass plays in our lives – from phone screens to optical fibre to glassware in labs – plus investigating glass as a part of our sustainable future.

For example, glass has been traditionally used for fishing buoys. Some deepwater buoys are still made of glass as they are incredibly resilient to pressure encountered in the deep sea.

Events listing

Join us as we build public support for sustainable fishing and demonstrate the science and impact behind MSC certification.

Check back soon for our 2023 event listing.

Activities for all ages

There are many ways to get involved in National Science Week to promote ocean literacy and learn about ocean risks and their solutions.

1 - Teach an ocean-themed lesson

Encourage your local school to teach an ocean-themed lesson using our Saltwater Schools teacher resources, activities and games.

Playback or take tips from something we prepared earlier: Ending Overfishing: Virtual Classroom with Marine Scientists.

2 - Organise a film screening

Learn more about overfishing and how we're tackling it. Screen Mission: Save the Ocean featuring Sir Richard Branson alongside some of our MSC colleagues or learn about the concepts of sustainable fishing by watching My Dad The Fisherman.

3 - Hold an event

From debates to workshops, get in touch and we can help you with content to put on your event.

The history of National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features more than 1000 events around Australia, including those delivered by universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres. These events attract a wide audience from children to adults and science amateurs to professionals. Over one million people participate in science events across the nation.

Established in 1997, National Science Week provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Australian scientists to the world of knowledge. It also aims to encourage an interest in science pursuits among the general public and to encourage younger people to be fascinated by the world we live in.