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TOP 5 – ABC Media Residency Program

Are you a dynamic early-career PhD scholar with a flair and passion for communicating your work to a non-academic audience?

The ABC TOP 5 program is tailored for early-career researchers. Program graduates are equipped with career-long skills, knowledge and confidence to communicate with media and their audiences about their field of expertise.

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The ABC is seeking Australia's best and brightest young minds

The ABC has selected the pick of Australia's dynamic early-career research talent for its 2024 TOP 5 media residencies who will spend two weeks "in residence" working with some of Australia's best journalists and broadcasters.

Published: 13 Feb 2024Tue 13 Feb 2024 at 9:00pm

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The Residency Programs

ABC TOP 5 Arts

The ABC TOP 5 Arts media residency is for graduate early-career PhD researchers in visual arts, architecture, design, performance, screen, literature and music.

Published: 9 Apr 2024Tue 9 Apr 2024 at 5:05am

ABC TOP 5 Humanities

The ABC TOP 5 Humanities is for early-career PhD-qualified humanities and social sciences (HASS) researchers.

Published: 9 Apr 2024Tue 9 Apr 2024 at 5:15am

ABC TOP 5 Science

The ABC TOP 5 Science is open to early-career PhD-qualified university researchers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medical research (STEMM).

Published: 9 Apr 2024Tue 9 Apr 2024 at 5:11am

Apply

Apply for the 2024 ABC TOP 5 program

Apply for one of the three ABC TOP 5 programs — science, humanities or the arts. The application is via the external site Submittable.

Published: 28 Mar 2023Tue 28 Mar 2023 at 6:27am

Program partners

The three ABC TOP 5 media residencies are presented with the support of our four program partners.

Published: 21 Mar 2024Thu 21 Mar 2024 at 4:14am

Why apply?

Why should you apply for the TOP 5 program? Hear from some of the past participants. (Video)

Top 5 Science winners visit the ABC TV News set.

Duration: 1 minute 15 seconds

Published: 21 Mar 2024Thu 21 Mar 2024 at 4:18am

Stories from previous Top 5 participants

The artist who recreates 'petrichor' plus James Tylor and painting house flies

Catherine Sarah Young is an artist working with science to talk about the climate crisis.

Duration: 53 minutes 56 seconds

Published: 17 Oct 2023Tue 17 Oct 2023 at 11:55pmwith Daniel Browning

People have to solve the climate crisis — technology alone is not the answer

Science and technology cannot solve our most challenging and complex environmental problems. At least not on their own, not without a greater emphasis on person-to-person engagement — people working together across knowledge systems.

Several hands reach across a hologram of a map

Duration: 29 minutes 8 seconds

Published: 12 Oct 2023Thu 12 Oct 2023 at 11:33pmwith Antony Funnell

Australia's feral cat problem could be fixed with powerful new gene editing tools

A new genetic tool may be crucial to eradicating the millions of feral cats wreaking havoc across Australia — not to mention other pests such as foxes, rabbits, cane toads and carp, writes invasive species management researcher Ellen Cottingham.

A hissing tabby cat

Published: 27 Nov 2023Mon 27 Nov 2023 at 5:54am

Your nose is the window to your brain — and some potentially deadly infections

The shortest distance from the outside world to your brain is up your nose. While this is fantastic for detecting odours, it can be deadly when dangerous microbes use this pathway, writes Dr Lynn Nazareth.

Close up of man's face looking up his nostrils

Published: 4 Dec 2023Mon 4 Dec 2023 at 5:58am

Terms and Conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the program.

Top 5 Science winners meet Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Published: 20 Mar 2024Wed 20 Mar 2024 at 2:22am

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