Preschool Arts Award:  Meadows & Districts Kindergarten

Meadows and District Kindergarten will be using their award to further their journey with their cultural advisors as they collaborate to extend their art explorations at both Bush Kindy and at kindergarten. This will culminate with the establishment of a community art trail that goes across the three towns that are part of their community – Meadows, Macclesfield and Ashbourne.

Impact through the arts Scholarship: Tanja Hasan-Warner – Kilparrin Teaching and Assessment School and Services

Tanja is an outstanding Visual Arts educator who works in a highly specialised setting, adapting the secondary arts curriculum and SACE pathways so that students with complex physical, sensory and communication needs can participate as genuine artists. Tanja is hoping to use her award to explore a range of professional learning including Sensorimotor Art Therapy and other support through Access2Arts SA

Impact through the arts Scholarship Early Career Educator: Tahlia Pynor – Indulkana Anangu School

Tahlia is a currently working as a Special Authority Teacher of Visual Arts at Indulkana Anangu School. Tahlia will be using her award to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approaches and is looking forward to this strengthening her understanding of developmentally responsive Arts practices.

Award for Excellence in Financial Education Secondary Teacher or Leader: Sandra Barazin – Morialta Secondary College

Sandra’s learning journey with this award is starting soon when she will be heading to the VCTA Comview conference in Melbourne. She will then be undertaking a professional course around financial education, before she put takes some time to use these learnings to review some of the current financial elective pathways she has created for Year 9 and 10 at her site.

Award for Excellence in Financial Education Senior Secondary Teacher or Leader: Lai Wei – Norwood International High School

As part of his Award Lai will be engaging with professional learning and observation through Deakin University in Melbourne, and through the Ecstra Foundation it’s Talk Money programme in Sydney. He then wants to use student learning and feedback to refine and evaluate these resources before he shares his learning with colleagues and broader professional networks.

Flinders University Outstanding Graduate Award: Michael Russo

Michael Russo is an exceptional educator, community leader, and STEM advocate whose commitment to empowering young people has had a profound impact across South Australia. Through more than a decade of volunteer service with RoboCup Junior, robotics education, STEM outreach, and student mentoring, Michael has created opportunities for hundreds of students to develop confidence, skills, and a passion for STEM. Guided by a belief that accessibility should never be a barrier to learning, he continues to inspire future generations through his leadership, generosity, and unwavering dedication to education and community.

Adelaide University Outstanding Graduate Award: Xuan Luo

Xuan’s scholarship was consistently powerful and technically proficient, demonstrating rigorous engagement with the research scholarship, profound integration of her own lifeworld knowledge, deep insights, precision, and outstanding professionalism. Xuan demonstrated excellent capacity to bridge the research-teaching nexus to produce masterclasses in culturally responsive mathematics teaching. Xuan not only met the brief for assignments but exceeded expectations. She was always a brilliant member of workshops who raised the quality of discussion and practice for everyone.

Tabor College Outstanding Graduate Award: Rachel Ross

Rachel Ross is an exceptional Master of Teaching graduate, recognised for her academic excellence, professionalism and outstanding leadership in her cohort. She is highly regarded by her university peers and staff and recognised by every placement school leadership for her commitment to equity and creativity. Rachel is an exceptional graduate with specialisations in Enterprise Business and Visual Arts and her innovation and dedication to transformational education for all students, ensures she will make an outstanding and lasting impact on South Australian education.

WEF Award for Outstanding Contribution to Learner Agency in Education:
Taylor Goodwin and Charlotte Nixon

Taylor Goodwin – SA Wellbeing in Leaders in Schools Association

Taylor has created outstanding opportunities at his site to reshape his schools’ cultural practices, to influence formal policies and practices around learner agency, and through his connection with the Wellbeing Leaders Association these leadership levers have had an impact well beyond his site. Curriculum discussions, Harmony Club, a Multicultural Prefect position, a dedicated prayer space and a Multicultural Garden are all learner led impacts of his outstanding leadership.

Charlotte Nixon – SA Area School Leaders Association

Charlotte first experienced the Youth Ambassador programme as a student in Victoria where it originated. From this beginning, Charlotte has grown to play a key leadership role in the SA Area Schools Ambassador programme as well as being appointed as the student agency co-ordinator for the Yorke Peninsula Secondary Alliance. Her compassion, empathy, care and desire to impact has seen her continue to develop the impact of the Youth Ambassador programme statewide.

Credit Union SA Early Career Educator of the Year Award:
Emma Cresdee – Australian Association for Teachers of the Deaf

In only the second year of her teaching career, Emma is already having an outstanding impact on learners – both young people and adults. She is highly committed to her ongoing learning and while she was trained as a secondary History and Languages teachers, she has already embraced the challenge of learning her way into being a teacher of Mathematics and Science to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. As an active member of her Associations’ Professional Development Committee she is already contributing to the learning of her colleagues and showing that diverse perspectives are an important part of every professional learning story. Emma has already shown herself to be a key contributor to a culture of professional generosity, continual learning and accessibility.

Teachers Registration Board Outstanding Contribution to Regional Educators:
SASTA – The SA Science Teachers Association

Building on SASTA’s longstanding commitment to regional educators, their focus in 2026 shifted from providing individual regional learning opportunities to considering how regional accessibility could be a key feature of the everyday member experience. Listening to their regional members and their desire to experience a greater sense of belonging, they tweaked, adapted and added to their repertoire of offerings. The development of a Regional Science educators E-news was just one of their success stories as it created a new community and also made the learning and teaching stories of regional educators more visible across the wider science education community.

Calmwealth Outstanding Contributor to the Educator Profession:
Karen Inwood – Creative Arts Australia, CA3

Karen has been the driving force behind the establishment of the Creative Arts Association in SA. Her vision was to create a community where creative arts educators could collaborate, share expertise, mentor one another and lead. She has lead the association to connect and support large numbers of both pre-service and experienced educators, whilst creating innovative professional learning tools such as an online gallery of students work and resources, and an online course to support assessment within a Stage 2 subject. Karen identifies needs, creates pathways, advocates for colleagues and establishes collaborative structures that benefit the profession and the broader Creative Arts education community. We have great pleasure in recognising her contribution to the educator profession with this Award.

Educators SA Innovative Association of the Year Award:
ABODA – Australian Bands and Orchestra Directors’ Association

ABODA has worked to develop a vibrant and sustainable music education community – one that supports teachers, inspires students and one which is continually evolving to meet the changing needs of schools. They have focussed on developing an inclusive approach which focusses on providing practical PL that educators can immediately apply in their classrooms and with their ensembles, whilst also creating opportunities for teachers share ideas and learn with each other. Their approach to innovation in music education has ultimately been about opening doors. Whether a school is developing its first ensemble, building an established band programme or providing opportunities for experienced musicians, ABODA has worked to ensure there is a place for everyone.