The ninth annual Australian Education Awards drew the country’s most senior education professionals to the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney on 7 August 2026. Across 29 categories, the night recognised Australia’s best schools, principals and teachers whose work is reshaping what Australian education looks like.
Student participation in one of Australia’s best schools
One of the clearest threads running through the winners was a shift in how schools define student participation. At Ballina Coast High School in New South Wales, winner of the Innovation in Learning Environment Design award, principal Peter Howes described an approach that goes well beyond student surveys.
“We’ve been partnering with students on key decisions around what we do at the school in a genuine way – rather than just asking them, but partnering with them from beginning to end and having them drive the project,” Howes said. “They’ve gone on to deliver professional learning for staff as well, present at conferences. It’s been wonderful.”
The emphasis on student voice and agency in Australian schools has grown steadily in recent years. The 2026 winners suggest the approach is maturing from aspiration into structured practice.
Country miles and cultural pride
Some of the most affecting moments of the night came from schools operating far from the conference circuit. Torres Strait Kaziw Meta – a fully Indigenous school whose students travel from the outer islands of the Torres Strait – won Boarding School of the Year. That clearly meant more than a trophy. Houseparent Karen Auda became visibly emotional accepting it.
“It’s been recognised, the Torres Strait Islander people – so it is a really good thing,” Auda said. “I guess we did it. It’s all about time and effort.”
Also recognised on the night was Dhupuma Barker for Best First Nations Educational Program. Valerie Dhamarrandji of Dhupuma Barker described how the school came to exist: “It was a dream for old man Giwai and Philip, our principal, and they got together and they made it happen.”
Phillip Heath AM, head of Barker College, underscored the significance of this partnership. “It’s been a privilege for a school like Barker College to partner with First Nations people. Their school previously had just two sheds and not many resources, and many challenges.
“We worked together to create something beautiful at home with the families in community – bilingual, where first language is given as much honour as English. And this should be replicated all over the country.”
Emily Graham from Tagai State College, St Paul’s campus, who won Primary School Teacher of the Year (government), put her win in a larger frame. “First Nations need a lot more recognition in education, and I hope this award just represents the work that they’re doing in the Torres Strait,” she said.
“We’re not just going to these communities to teach – we’re there to learn and to listen deeply. Really take those experiences that we have in remote and rural parts of Australia and really let that change you as a person and not just an educator,” Graham said. “They have so much knowledge that we can learn and grow from. I’m very privileged to have spent time in the Torres Strait.”
The work being done to embed First Nations knowledges into Australian classrooms remains one of the sector’s most important – and most unfinished – conversations.
From 20% attendance to aerospace engineering
Jade Bassett, a teacher from Rutherford Technology High School in New South Wales, won the Education Rising Star of the Year award for championing women in STEM. She pointed to two students who inspire her.
“I had a year eight student, she was only 14 years old at the time, and she got a quarter of a million dollar investment from a pinnacle investor into a company that she entrepreneured herself,” Bassett said.
“And I’ve got a graduating student who’s just gone through and is now pursuing aerospace engineering with NASA. Given that she had an attendance record below 20% and didn’t want to come to school – to see her now achieving that just from being a part of the program and that giving her the opportunity to believe in herself, is every reason that I need to keep doing what I’m doing.”
‘The classroom is my happy place’
Daniel Crump, principal of Stuartholme School in Brisbane and Australian School Principal of the Year (non-government), talked about what kept him going: “It’s the ups and downs of it all – but it’s the experience of young people, seeing the spark in their eyes as they’re about to learn something new, and to think that you’re a part of something bigger than just yourself,” he said.
Crump added that he still teaches in the classroom. “It’s my happy place. Connecting with the kids and finding that opportunity to learn alongside them – we’re all growing together no matter our age.”
On what makes a great school leader, Crump said: “Listening, connecting, and having great heart. It’s not just about the intellect, but having that connect to the heart – and that is often what we need in this world today.”
The ninth annual Australian Education Awards recognised schools and educators whose work is reshaping what Australian education looks like – from remote Torres Strait islands to suburban Brisbane classrooms. Read the complete list of Australian Education Awards 2026 winners.