Australian Rural Education Award (AREA) 2015

Nominations for the 2015 Australian Rural Education Awards are now closed. Thank you to all nominees for your submissions. SPERA will be in touch in due course.

Since 1994, the Australian Rural Education Award has been awarded annually to an institution, organisation or industry to recognise excellence in rural education in Australia.

Nominations are sought in three categories:

Category 1 – Existing projects that demonstrate a proven link between a school or learning context and the rural community, and that benefit a defined group.

Category 2 – Future projects that support new and creative thinking in professional practice, aimed at improving student outcomes in rural and remote settings.

Category 3 – Five pre-service citations will be awarded to pre-service teachers or institutions, recognising demonstrated excellence in professional learning practice in rural and remote settings.

Category 1 and 2 winners will be sponsored to attend the 31st National SPERA Conference, 4-6 November 2015, at Deakin University’s Waterfront campus in Geelong, Victoria where they can showcase their successful projects. Winners also receive a further prize of $2,000 each.

Nominations are open to community groups, schools or other institutions that can demonstrate a commitment towards the positive aspects of rural education in Australia.

To be successful, nominations must clearly demonstrate an initiative that expands education opportunities for rural Australian communities.

How to Nominate

Category 1

The AREA will be awarded at the 31st National SPERA Conference dinner to an existing project that has a proven link between a school or learning context and its community in a rural and remote setting that works and improves outcomes for a defined group of students.

To nominate, please email admin@spera.asn.au with the subject line 2015 AREA Nomination, and provide the following information:

  • Name of school / organisation / learning context
  • Postal address
  • Principal / Chief Administrator
  • Name, telephone number and email address for the person who would accept the award
  • Category you are entering, ie. Category 1, 2 or 3
  • 300 words describing the nature of the project
  • Any additional materials to support your nomination, ie. graphics, photos, videos, details of previous awards, etc.

Category 2

The AREA will be awarded at the 31st National SPERA Conference dinner to a future project that supports new and creative thinking in professional practice, aimed at improving student outcomes in a rural and remote setting. This award seeks to encourage innovation and provide seeding resources to support the ongoing development of the project. The winner is required to provide SPERA with an update on their project ahead of the 2016 National SPERA Conference.

To nominate, please email admin@spera.asn.au with the subject line 2015 AREA Nomination, and provide the following information:

  • Name of school / organisation / learning context
  • Postal address
  • Principal / Chief Administrator
  • Name, telephone number and email address for the person who would accept the award
  • Category you are entering, ie. Category 1, 2 or 3
  • 300 words describing the nature of the project
  • Any additional materials to support your nomination, ie. graphics, photos, videos, details of previous awards, etc.

Category 3

In this category, five pre-service citations will be awarded to pre-service students or institutions, recognising demonstrated excellence in professional learning practice in rural and remote settings.

To nominate, please email admin@spera.asn.au with the subject line 2015 AREA Nomination, and provide the following information:

  • Name of pre-service teacher
  • Institution name / Details of sponsoring school
  • Postal address
  • Name, telephone number and email address for the person who would accept the award
  • Category you are entering, ie. Category 1, 2 or 3
  • 300 words describing the nature of the learning practice being recognised
  • Any additional materials to support your nomination, ie. graphics, photos, videos, details of previous awards, etc.

But hurry! Nominations close Friday 4th September 2015.