The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is pleased to announce eight recipients of the 2026 Spark Grants program, providing funding of up to $1,000 for events planned for Social Sciences Week 10 to 20 September 2026.
Spark Grants were decided using a lottery system, a process found to reduce the influence of conscious and unconscious bias in assessment processes, providing a more equitable process for grant applicants.
Congratulations to the following organisations, randomly drawn from a pool of eligible applicants and awarded Spark Grants for 2026:
Charles Darwin University
Waste from energy transitions
A webinar exploring more inclusive and justice-oriented approaches in integrating Circular Economy principles within the energy transitions. The discussion will highlight how different geographic regions navigate waste challenges from renewables, emphasising the importance of social science insights in shaping equitable and effective solutions.
University of Wollongong and Liverpool City Council
Beyond the Headlines: Real Talk on Crime and Community
Drawing on widespread public interest in true crime media, academic criminologists unpack the social science behind crime, justice, and community safety.
University of Sydney
Our Stories: Make a Film with Your Community
Hosted by Dr Habib Moghimi, a sociologist and filmmaker at the University of Sydney, the event draws on ideas from his forthcoming book, Writing with the Camera: Documentary as Method and Methodology in Sociology , which examines film as a tool for community knowledge production. The event includes a screening of Parramatta Redux by Malini Su, a 38-minute documentary exploring communities that have called the Parramatta River home, from First Nations Darug custodians to European settlers and contemporary migrants.
Macquarie University
Why We Eat What We Eat: Food Writing, Social Science and the Stories Behind the Plate
Social science invites people to think differently: about food as gathering, community practice, and culture. What we eat, how we eat, where we eat, and what foods we value are shaped by culture, family, class, migration, memory, markets, health messages, gender, place, and power. This event will combine talks, live food storytelling, tasting, and guided food writing.
Friends of ANZAC Cottage
Games with Grannies
An interactive event for primary school children to try out games that kids played during World War 1 such as “knucklebones”, “leapfrog” and “the Bells of St Clements.”
RMIT University
The Blueprint documentary
A special film screening and Q&A event exploring the lived experience of young people who were formerly incarcerated and are now mentoring in justice settings in their programs.
University of Queensland Library
A Wicked Problem: AI, Intellectual Property and Copyright
Explore the challenges, possibilities and impact of artificial intelligence on our understanding of intellectual property (IP) and copyright. Four speakers from the University of Queensland will present lightning talks on the theme before participating in a panel discussion with questions from the online and in-person audience. This hybrid event is part of the Connected Conversations event series.
WA Branch of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society
2026 Environmental Policy Lecture: Presented by Professor Ben Newell
The Environmental Policy Lecture is a series that has run since 2020, and provides an opportunity for students, academics, policy and industry professionals, and the public to engage in topical environmental policy discussions. This year, the event will be co-hosted by the Forrest Research Foundation (FRF), the UWA Centre for Environmental Economic and Policy (CEEP), and the WA Branch of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (WA AARES).