ACEL NSW Branch Awards 2026
 

Call for Nominations

A highlight of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders New South Wales Branch is the annual celebration and presentation of awards. ACEL NSW honours those educational leaders who in the view of their peers have made a significant contribution to the understanding and practice of educational leadership.

To assist in this process, we urge all ACEL NSW educators to consider nominating worthy candidates for recognition of their leadership and service to education. The award nomination process is confidential until completed, and nominations have been approved. The ACEL NSW Awards committee will evaluate nominations with respect to the essential criteria.

The ACEL NSW awards committee will contact successful nominees on the completion of the process. In all cases the Committee Convenor will also contact all nominators in relation to the outcome of their nomination. Nominators seeking further information or assistance should contact the ACEL National Office at [email protected] to obtain contact details for the NSW Committee Convenor.

Branch processes and celebrations will be staggered across the calendar year. Information in regard to the awards ceremony is available on our website at: acel.org.au/calendar

Nominations close
Wednesday 8 April at 11.59pm (AEDT)

ACEL NSW Fellowships

ACEL NSW Fellowships are awarded to educators 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 educator 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.

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.

ACEL NSW Leadership Awards

Up to ten leadership awards are available that include the Individual and Team Leadership Awards. The Leadership Award acknowledges individual educators and teams who have demonstrated outstanding leadership through specific projects or initiatives. This award celebrates leadership excellence in driving innovation, conducting impactful research, or influencing educational policy. Recipients of this award are acknowledged for their role in achieving measurable improvements for students and/or colleagues.

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.

Team Leadership Awards:

Up to five Leadership Awards are available to teams of 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.

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.

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.
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