ACEL 2026 awardees –
recognition of the profession by the profession
We are delighted to announce this year’s 2026 National Award winners and New Voice Scholars and are looking forward to formally celebrating their achievements at our Awards Ceremony during the National Conference in Perth from 30 September - 2 October 2026.
These awards are presented to those individuals or teams who have made a significant educational contribution and influenced education at a national level in Australia and beyond.
ACEL Gold Medal
Andy Mison, Australian Secondary Principals' Association (ASPA)
ACEL National Fellowships
Dr Adrian Camm, Westbourne Grammar School
Associate Professor Matthew Harrison, The University of Melbourne
ACEL Hedley Beare for Educational Writing
Dr Christopher Hudson, Barayip Primary School
ACEL Nganakarrawa Award
Nicole Talarico, Talarico Consulting
ACEL Keith Tronc Award for Outstanding Teacher Leadership
Sophie O'Donnell, St Mary MacKillop College
Branden Peel, Glenroy College
ACEL Leadership Award
Steve Byrne, Cardijn College
Brendan Cahill, Brigidine College Indooroopilly
Michael Ha, Toogoolawa School
Professor Danny Liu, The University of Sydney
Mt St Michael's College
VIEW AWARDS HISTORY
New Voice Scholarships
New Voice Scholarships recognise forward thinking, contextually relevant and responsive educational leaders whose work has had an impact above and beyond their immediate context.
The 'New Voice' in School Leadership
Sidsel Farrimond, Canberra Girls Grammar School
Dr Jodi Gordon, OneSchool Global
Dr Lucas Johnson, Cornish College
Anja Reust, St Benedict's College
Rowan Richardson, Tasmanian eSchool
Sandie Simons, Canberra Girls Grammar School
Holly Wedd, Orara High School
The 'New Voice' in Educational Leadership Research
Dr Michael Graham, Matraville Sports High School
Carolyn Wade, Griffith University
The 'New Voice' in Early Childhood Educational Leadership
Sandra Olarte, Preshil, The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School
VIEW NEW VOICE SCHOLARSHIPS ALUMNI