01/10/2026
Congratulations to the winners of our 2026 Jane Hansen Excellence Awards, announced last night at our inaugural National Alumni Summit.
Our +1,700 Alumni are the lifeblood of our mission. Every day, they are using their immense effort and expertise to create change for our students: across their schools, but also in the wider community and system.
This is not easy work, and there are often as many steps backwards as forwards – which is why it’s important to pause and celebrate those that have persevered, and continued to innovate and push for improvement.
Across five categories, the 2026 winners are:
Classroom Impact – Bowden, for Kurious Beats, a music program to platform issues their students care about.
Policy and Strategy – Pearson, whose research into AI in schools prompted a NSW Government review of its impact on student learning and HSC assessment.
School Leadership – McLaurin, for eight years of work at Western Port Secondary College reintegrating students who had disengaged from school.
Advocacy and Innovation – Farrant, who built a STEM program with four remote schools around the offshore wind industry arriving on their doorstep.
Community Leadership – Stokes, for three years of conservation work with students at Hellyer College, in partnership with Friends of Don Reserve and Burnie Council.
Our thanks to The Hansen Little Foundation, whose support makes these awards possible.
Read more about each recipient: https://ap1.hubs.ly/H01pRF70
