Mr Hall-McMaster (21) recently gained the 2014 Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Premier Award in Wellington, ahead of 11 other finalists.
He received the award after giving a talk on the potential value of nanotechnology for New Zealand, including economically and socially.
The Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards programme identifies and fosters young leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who have entrepreneurial vision and ''persuasive communication skills''.
With the award came a trophy and a $5000 prize.
Mr Hall-McMaster also won a $1250 MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology silver scholarship.
The other Dunedin-based competition finalist, Grant McNaughton, a year 11 pupil at Logan Park High School, won a $2500 Treasury gold scholarship, towards his studies.
Mr Hall-McMaster received his award from the Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at an awards dinner at Government House.
It was ''fantastic'' to have won the award, Mr Hall-McMaster said.
His talk on nanotechnology had been outside his own neuroscience field.
''I did have to put a lot of work into teaching myself this new field and to make sense of the literature,'' he said.
Taking part in the contest had been ''really great'' and the outcome ''very encouraging''.
The other finalists had been very supportive and he had been impressed with their ''brilliant'' presentations, he said.
Francis Wevers, national convener of the EUREKA! programme, said he was impressed by the high quality of the talks by the two Dunedin finalists.
