An award of $1,500 is available for any full-time student who is or was enrolled at a South Australian or Northern Territory tertiary educational institution in 2025 and undertook a substantial research project concerning an energy geoscience topic.
Annual Prize for Full-Time Students
Each year, the South Australia & Northern Territory Branch of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA) and Santos Ltd give out the Santos / PESA SA-NT Scholarship Prize worth $1,500 to a deserving full-time Honours, Master’s or PhD candidate at a recognised South Australian or Northern Territory tertiary education institution.
This winning candidate should be someone who produced research on subsurface energy geoscience in 2025, with direct relevance to the exploration, development, or production of energy resources that will help with the development of technologies that can contribute towards the Energy Transition in Australia.
2025 SANTOS / PESA SA-NT SCHOLARSHIP VALUE:
$1,500
APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM:
Thursday 5th February 2026
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
Thursday 19th February 2026 (5:00 PM Australian C.D.T.)
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be current members of PESA. They must either be currently enrolled as a full-time Honours, Master’s or PhD degree student with a South Australian or Northern Territory tertiary education institution, or were enrolled there in 2025 during their time of research.
Their research project should be geoenergy resources-related, ideally with a focus of study located in Australia or across its continental shelf. The scope of eligible geoenergy resources projects includes studies in conventional and unconventional petroleum, carbon capture & storage (geosequestration) and new geoenergy resources (e.g. native hydrogen, underground hydrogen storage, deep hydrogeology, geothermal energy), which are relevant to the exploration, development or production of subsurface energy resources and/or development of technologies that may contribute towards the Energy Transition in Australia. Geoscience projects concerning critical minerals that are directly applicable to the Energy Transition will also be considered.
Selection
The Scholarships Sub-Committee of the PESA SA-NT Branch Committee will assess candidates based on:
- The standard of their academic record
- Their curriculum vitae and their nominated referee’s comments
- The relevance of their project topic to exploration or development of petroleum or associated geoenergy resources; a project description may include short statements summarising early findings (if free from confidentiality constraints).
- A letter that may detail the context of the candidate’s particular circumstances
How To Apply
Download the PDF containing the application forms for the 2025 Santos/PESA SA-NT Scholarship Prize. Read through the terms and conditions for the prize and complete all forms.
- Application Form A – to be completed by the candidate
- Applicated Form B – to be completed by the candidate’s referee or research supervisor, with comments attesting to the quality of the candidate’s research.
These forms should be submitted together with:
- Their CV/résumé;
- Proof of enrolment in a valid study program at a recognised South Australian or Northern
Territory tertiary education institution; - A certified copy of their Tertiary Academic Record;
- A research project summary / abstract
- A supporting cover letter from or on behalf of the candidate outlining how their research project is relevant to the exploration, development, or production of subsurface geoenergy resources or contributes towards the Energy Transition
within Australia (maximum 1 page)
For more details on eligibility, selection and application, please see the downloadable PDF containing the prize’s terms and conditions.
Submit all completed application forms and accompanying documentation to
Mark Bunch – PESA SA-NT Scholarships Sub-Committee at mark.bunch@adelaide.edu.au
by 5 PM Australian C.D.T. on Thursday 19th February 2026.
NOTE: PESA will not consider applications received after the deadline.
For further information, candidates or research supervisors may contact Mark Bunch (Scholarship Sub-Committee, PESA SA-NT Branch) via telephone at (08) 831 34292 or via e-mail at mark.bunch@adelaide.edu.au