Supporting emerging voices in educational leadership

About ACEL

The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) is a not-for-profit company that actively supports the development of leadership capabilities across Australia through conferences and workshops, leadership programs, in-house publications, online learning and resources, and a bookshop.

Access to these leadership-focused opportunities is available for classroom teachers through to system leaders.

As the premier provider of resources and experiences for educational leaders, ACEL continues to expand with a growing network of over 35,000 and more than 6500 members actively connecting and participating in regular professional learning.

The ACEL ‘New Voice’ initiative recognises ‘new voices’ in educational leadership. These ‘new voices’ are recognised as forward-thinking, relevant and responsive to issues in contemporary Australian education.

About the Scholarships

In 2017, ACEL will award a total of 20 ‘New Voice’ Scholarships across three categories. Each scholarship aims to welcome the recipients into the ACEL network and support the dissemination of new learning and thought. The recipients will be recognised in public as forward-thinking, relevant and responsive educational leaders by peers and the wider education community.

Recipients of the ACEL ‘New Voice’ Scholarships will receive:

  • Complimentary attendance at the 2017 ACEL National Conference in Sydney from October 4th – 6th, including tickets to social events, valued at $1,000
  • Return flights to/from Sydney
  • 1 Year ACEL individual membership
  • 1 Year Resource Centre individual subscription

Other Features and Benefits:

  • Featuring of their work in ACEL’s ‘Perspectives‘ publication
  • Engagement with their local ACEL Branch
  • Opportunity to have their work published in other ACEL publications

How to Apply:

Click here to download the application form
Send to [email protected]
Submissions close 12th May 2017


Category 1: The ‘New Voice’ in Educational Leadership

This scholarship recognises an impressive ‘new voice’ in educational leadership from each state and territory of Australia.

Criteria for selection:

  • An aspiring educational leader
  • Teaching qualifications
  • Currently employed in an educational institution in the state/territory
  • Demonstrated excellence in current educational role
  • Demonstrated capacity as a forward-thinking, relevant and responsive educator

Category 2: The ‘New Voice’ In Educational Leadership Research

This scholarship recognises an impressive ‘new voice’ in educational leadership research from each state and territory of Australia.

Criteria for selection

  • An aspiring educational leader
  • Teaching qualifications
  • Currently employed in an educational institution in the state/territory
  • Currently completing or recently completed (in the past 5 years) a Master of Education or Doctorate in Education
  • Demonstrated excellence in educational leadership research
  • Demonstrated capacity as a forward-thinking, relevant and responsive educator

Category 3: The ‘New Indigenous Voice’ in Educational Leadership

This scholarship recognises impressive new indigenous voices in educational leadership, with a total of four of these scholarships available nationally.

Criteria for selection

  • An aspiring educational leader
  • Teaching qualifications
  • Currently employed in an educational institution in Australia
  • Of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
  • Demonstrated excellence in current educational role
  • Demonstrated capacity as a forward-thinking, relevant and responsive educator


​Click here to view the winners of the New Voice Scholarships.