New South Wales Branch


To all our valued ACEL New South Wales Members,

A highlight each year for the Australian Council for Educational Leaders NSW South Wales Branch (ACEL NSW) is the annual presentation of Fellowships and leadership awards. It is through these awards that ACEL NSW honours educational leaders who have made a significant contribution to education, educational leadership and the improvement of child or student learning outcomes, teacher professional practice and/or effectiveness. Specific details of the criteria for each award are in the section below.

All members of ACEL are eligible to act as a nominator for an ACEL NSW Fellowship or other leadership award. Nominations cannot be accepted from organisations or non-members of ACEL. Non-members can serve as a second nominator if the first nominator is an ACEL member. Self-nomination is not permitted.

The online nomination form below is to be completed and must include two nominators, one of whom must be an ACEL member. Each nominator must tick the nominator declaration box located underneath their details to confirm the truth and accuracy of the information provided in their nomination.

Important information about the award selection process

  • Self-nomination is not permitted, as an individual or a member of a team.
  • The award nomination process is confidential. The person nominating must not advise the nominee of their submission.
  • All essential criteria must be met to be an eligible awardee.
  • The ACEL NSW awards committee independently evaluates each nomination using a rating process aligned to the award criteria. The ACEL NSW awards committee and Branch President collectively moderate all the individual evaluations to determine award recipients, aligning with the pre-determined number of awardees.

Specific details on the criteria for each award and the awards process are below.

Thank you,

Nominations must be received by midnight Sunday 4 June 2023


Kylie Lipscombe
ACEL NSW Branch President


AWARD DETAILS AND CRITERIA:

ACEL NSW FELLOWSHIPS

 

ACEL NSW Fellowships are awarded to members of ACEL who have demonstrated outstanding educational leadership and made a significant impact and contribution over an extended period of time to educational leadership and educational outcomes within their workplace and beyond, e.g. at a local, regional, system, state and/or national level.

Please note that Fellowships are not awarded simply for the performance of a person's normal employment duties at a high standard - this is taken as a given. Rather they are for a significant, sustained contribution to educational leadership and educational outcomes above and beyond that person's current paid role and responsibilities.

Any member of ACEL in the field of educational leadership or education may be nominated for an ACEL NSW Fellowship. This person may work at any level of education - in early childhood education or any type of school, system or sector, in tertiary education or in a training institution, in system administration or in any other educational setting.

Nominees for ACEL NSW Fellowships must be members of ACEL with at least five years standing, or if retired, must have been a member of at least five years standing at the time of retirement. (Please note, however, that the Committee may waive this condition and accept a shorter period of membership in the light of special circumstances or other evidence provided.) Nominees are also expected to have made an active contribution to ACEL.

Members receiving this award are permitted to use the post nominal FACEL (NSW) after their name.

Criteria to address: Nominators should specifically address the Fellowship criteria listed below and focus on describing and demonstrating the nominee's outstanding educational leadership and significant impact and contributions over an extended period of time within their workplace and beyond. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominees should have:

  • made a significant and sustained contribution to:
    • the achievement of educational outcomes; and/or
    • the professional learning of others
  • High level leadership capabilities
  • A demonstrated ability to inspire, influence and implement educational change
  • Made a significant contribution to the practice and/or theory of educational leadership within their workplace and beyond, e.g. at a local, regional, system, state and/or national level
  • Contributed actively to the life of ACEL.

ACEL NSW LEADERSHIP AWARDS

 

A total of ten leaderships awards are available that includes the Individual and team leadership awards

Individual leadership awards:

Leadership Awards are available to individual educators who have:

  • Demonstrated exemplary performance in leading an educational organisation or initiative which has made a significant impact on or contribution to:
    • ○ outcomes for children and students; or
    • teacher professional learning; or
    • the practice or culture within that organisation or the profession at large
  • Contributed to building the capacity of colleagues through engagement with their initiative

Nominees for these awards need not be members of ACEL.

Team leadership awards:

Up to five Leadership Awards are available to teams of from 2 to 10 educators who have:

  • Demonstrated exemplary performance in leading an educational organisation or initiative which has made a significant impact on or contribution to:
    • outcomes for children and students; or
    • teacher professional learning; or
    • the practice or culture within that organisation or the profession at large
  • Developed their collective capacity as an effective team

Nominees for these awards need not be members of ACEL.

ACEL NSW MARY ARMSTRONG AWARDS FOR EARLY CAREER TEACHER LEADERSHIP

 

Up to five of these awards are available to educators in the first five years of their professional career who have:.

  • led innovative practice which has influenced the learning agenda in their community; and
  • consequently, made a significant difference to:
    • child or student learning; or
    • teacher professional practice; or
    • organisational effectiveness.

Nominees for this award need not be members of ACEL.

ACEL NSW PATRICK DUIGNAN AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP

 

This highly prestigious award is given to an outstanding NSW or National Fellow who exemplifies the ideals of ACEL through:

  • Sustained modelling of transformational educational leadership;
  • Significant contributions as an educational leader to one or more organisations or sectors;
  • Ongoing contribution to ACEL initiatives and activities at local, state and/or national level

ACEL NSW AWARD FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

 

ACEL NSW encourages and promotes the principles and practices of excellent educational leadership through partnerships with tertiary institutions, and the application of research and scholarship to practice. This award will be given to educational researchers with a focus on educational leadership or related fields for work which has:

  • outstanding academic value;
  • impacted on practice in educational organisations: schools, centres, systems, universities; or
  • led to significant improvement in:
    • child or student outcomes; or
    • teacher professional practice; or
    • organisational effectiveness.

ACEL NSW TRADITIONAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA AWARD

 

This award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to raising the level of public awareness and the quality of debate on significant local, state and/or national education issues.

DR PAUL BROCK MEMORIAL MEDAL

 

This medal is awarded annually to a prominent educational leader who has:

  • significantly impacted educational direction and achievement.
  • demonstrated the values of social justice in making a substantial contribution to evidence informed policy, practice and research.