We’re incredibly proud to celebrate the researchers behind the OurFutures Vaping Program, who have been awarded the 2026 UNSW Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science.
Presented as part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the award recognises research that has delivered significant benefits to society.
The OurFutures Vaping Program was developed by researchers from the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Queensland, Curtin University, Monash University, UNSW and the University of Newcastle.
For us at OurFutures Institute, this recognition is particularly meaningful because it celebrates something we believe deeply in: great research can have an extraordinary impact when it reaches the people who can put it into practice.
Research that is changing outcomes for young people
The OurFutures Vaping Program was evaluated through a randomised controlled trial involving more than 5,000 students across 40 secondary schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
The results were significant.
Students who received the OurFutures Vaping Program were 65% less likely to vape one year later compared with students receiving their usual health education. The program also improved students’ knowledge about vaping, smoking and associated harms.
The program was co-designed with students and teachers and combines evidence-based information with practical skills, including critical thinking and assertive refusal skills.
It is exactly the kind of research that deserves to make its way beyond academic journals and into classrooms.
From evidence to impact
This is where OurFutures Institute is incredibly proud to play a role.
Our work is about taking this world-leading research and supporting its adoption and distribution at scale, getting proven prevention into the hands of the teachers and educators who work with young people every day.
Today, the OurFutures Vaping Prevention Program has reached more than 300,000 students across Australia, demonstrating the real-world reach, adoption and societal impact of the research, key factors recognised through the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Societal Impact in Science.
Behind that number are hundreds of thousands of young people receiving practical, evidence-based education designed to give them the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their health.
There are also teachers delivering prevention education with resources that have been rigorously tested, curriculum-aligned and designed for the realities of the classroom.
For OurFutures Institute, that is what impact looks like.
Celebrating an extraordinary research team
We congratulate Dr Lauren Gardner, lead researcher on the OurFutures Vaping Program, Distinguished Professor Maree Teesson AC, and the researchers and collaborators across the Matilda Centre and partner universities whose years of research made this achievement possible.
Professor Teesson was also recognised individually with the University of Sydney Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science, making the evening an extraordinary celebration of the Matilda Centre’s contribution to mental health and substance use research.
We are incredibly excited to see the research recognised at this level, and proud that the adoption and national distribution of the program is helping demonstrate what is possible when rigorous research is translated into everyday practice.
The work continues
Awards are an important moment to celebrate progress, but the greatest recognition is the impact we see happening in classrooms every day.
Every school that adopts evidence-based prevention education means more young people have access to information and skills that can support their health and wellbeing.
We are proud to work alongside the Matilda Centre to help bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation, ensuring exceptional Australian research doesn’t simply demonstrate what works, but reaches the young people it was designed to support.
Congratulations to the entire research team behind the OurFutures Vaping Program on this outstanding and well-deserved recognition.
