NAPSA Scholarships Program

Apply for a scholarship today!

About the NAPSA Scholarships Program

Each year, NAPSA offers over 30 scholarships for our members to attend key pharmacy conferences across the country, as well as funding to facilitate rural placements. The scholarships program aims to improve equity of access to professional development and experiential learning opportunities, ensuring that financial or geographic barriers do not limit students’ ability to engage with the pharmacy profession. By supporting attendance at national conferences and placements in rural and regional settings, the program helps students broaden their clinical exposure, build professional networks, and develop the skills and confidence needed for their future careers.

Applying for a NAPSA Scholarship

NAPSA Scholarships are open to eligible members and are awarded through a competitive but accessible application process. Applications typically involve short written responses to a set of questions, outlining your interest in the opportunity, your motivation to attend, and how the scholarship would support your professional development.

All applications are assessed by the NAPSA Scholarships Committee against set criteria, with an emphasis on fairness, and the potential impact of the opportunity on the student’s learning and career pathway.

2026 Scholarships Program

See below for an overview of scholarships available in 2026, with key dates such as when applications open, when applications close, when applicants will be notified of the outcome, and the conference dates where applicable. Once applications are open, you will also be able to apply here directly.

APP Conference Scholarship

About the conference

The Australasian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition (APP) is the largest pharmacy conference in the southern hemisphere, bringing together up to 7,500 proprietors, pharmacists, interns, students, pharmacy assistants and industry professionals for networking, upskilling and professional development each year.

APP 2026 will be held from 12-14 March 2026 at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre. Reflecting the conference theme ‘Beyond the script’, the 2026 conference program will address funding, scope of practice, and other opportunities stemming from the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA).

About the scholarship

NAPSA is providing scholarships for three (3) students to attend APP 2026 on the Gold Coast.

Two (2) scholarships will be selected from a “General” applicant pool and one (1) scholarship will be selected from a “First-Year Student” pool. These scholarships are kindly supported by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Each successful applicant will receive free full registration to APP 2026, and a subsidy of up to AUD$1,000 to help with accommodation and travel expenses related to attending the conference.

Timeline

Applications open	Wednesday, 28th January 2026
Applications close	Friday, 6th February 2026 at 11:59pm AEST
Successful applicants notified	Friday, 13th February 2026

Application process

All applicants must complete the scholarship application form and respond to the following prompts (maximum 200 words per response):

What is your motivation to attend APP 2026?
Describe how you have demonstrated leadership within community pharmacy and how attending APP 2026 will support your ongoing leadership and professional growth.
Over the next five years, how do you hope to use and expand your scope of practice in community pharmacy?

“First-Year Student” applicants must also respond to the following prompt:

What are the goals for the rest of your pharmacy degree – academically, professionally, or through leadership opportunities?

All applicants must also:

Upload a PDF version of their Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Indicate which scholarship category they are applying for (“General” or “First-Year Student”)
Submit via the application form

Selection criteria

This scholarship is aimed at students who are aspiring leaders in the pharmacy profession. Applicants will be assessed on their demonstrated motivation to attend APP 2026, their potential to contribute to and benefit from the event, and the quality of their application.

Key considerations include a demonstrated commitment to community pharmacy, a genuine interest in advancing the scope of pharmacy practice, and active or developing engagement within the local community.

Applications will be reviewed and selected by the NAPSA Scholarships Committee and a representative from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

After the conference

Successful applicants are required to submit a short reflection piece to NAPSA for use in the ePlacebo, social media and/or any other publication as requested by NAPSA or the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. The piece should outline the successful applicant’s experience at APP 2026, and should be accompanied by photos from the event to support their reflection.