Key scholarship details
Application status
Opening soon
Applications open
16 Oct 2026
Applications close
6 Dec 2026
Benefit amount
Up to $900
Eligible study level
Undergraduate, Honours, Graduate coursework, Graduate research
Eligible student type
Domestic and international students
Eligible study stage
Current study
Benefit duration
One-off
Summary
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission Centennial Prize was established in 2006 and is offered to students with the best essay or thesis in the field of Industrial Relations or Labour History.
About the donor
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) was a national tribunal dealing with employment issues. First established in 1904, when it was known as the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, over the Commission’s long history it was the central institution of Australian labour law, setting minimum terms and conditions of employment for workers within certain industries. While functions evolved between 1904 and 2009, the Commission was the principal regulator of work and labour standards in Australia. Today, many of the AIRC’s functions are continued through the Fair Work Commission.
In 2006, to commemorate 100 years of Federal conciliation and arbitration, members of the Commission established a trust to fund the Australian Industrial Relations Commission Centennial Prize.
Benefits
The prize is valued at the Net Annual Income of the award.
Amount:
Up to $900
Duration:
One-off
Quantity:
1
Eligibility and selection criteria
Eligibility
To be considered for this prize, you must:
- Be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree in the Faculty of Business and Economics or the Faculty of Arts
- Be undertaking a specialisation or an individual subject related to the field of Industrial Relations or Labour History. These areas are interpreted broadly to include essays or a thesis in any of the following areas:
- Industrial relations, employment relations, workplace relations
- Human resource management, personnel administration, careers, and organisational behaviour
- Labour economics and labour market analysis
- Labour law, labour market regulation, including aspects of public policy related to work, social protection and labour market policies, and labour market institutions
- Labour history, and the history of work, employment practices, labour markets and labour market institutions
Selection criteria
The prize will be offered to the student based on the fluency of their written essay or thesis submission and its ability to demonstrate relevance to the field of industrial relations or labour history. This includes industrial/employment relations, labour economics, labour history and labour/industrial law.
To be eligible, the research work (eg, essay or thesis) must have been submitted for assessment in 2026 (or be ready for submission by the application deadline) or published in 2026. Incomplete work will not be considered.
In the event of a tie, the prize shall be shared.
Study level:
Undergraduate, Honours, Graduate coursework, Graduate research
Student type:
Domestic and international students
Study stage type:
Current study
Study area:
Arts, humanities and social sciences; Business and economics
Need help understanding the process?
Visit our scholarship guideApplication
How to apply
When the prize is open for applications, click on the “Submit an application” link, below. Your application will require:
- An essay or thesis in pdf format related to the area of Industrial Relations or Labour History as described in the Selection Criteria.
- A copy of your current Statement of Results (available from the Student Portal)
There is no set word length for submissions, which are encouraged from both undergraduate and graduate students. The work submitted may be developed outside of the assessment for your degree.
When will I know the outcome?
Applicants will be advised of the outcome in late February after the closing date for applications.
Submit an applicationStatus:
Opening soon
Recipient feedback
This award reaffirms my commitment and passion for applied research that can lend support to the struggle of working people.
Lauren Kelly
The information listed here is subject to change without notice. Where we have listed information about jointly run scholarships programs, please also see our partners' websites. Information describing the number and value of scholarships awarded is indicative.
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