Student equity champions celebrated at 2026 ACSES Awards

Dear colleagues,

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 ACSES Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Impact on Higher Education Policy and Practice.

Presented last night at the ACSES Policy Symposium 2026 in Brisbane, the Awards celebrate the outstanding individuals and teams transforming outcomes for students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.

From delivering inclusive career pathways for students with autism to fostering Indigenous business leadership, this year’s recipients—who took out five awards across four categories—are among Australia’s foremost student equity trailblazers.

AWARD WINNERS

Evidence and Research-Based Approach: Tapping and strengthening the talents: Inclusive Education and Employment Pathways for Autistic Individuals – Autism Academy, Autism-Specialist Mentoring Program and Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin University

Since 2014, the Curtin University Autism Academy, Autism-Specialist Mentoring Program and Curtin Autism Research Group have collaborated to support hundreds of autistic people in their journey from secondary school to employment. By delivering co-designed outreach, mentoring, internship, and community engagement initiatives, the team helps neurodivergent students leverage their strengths and skills through accessible STEM pathways in areas such as cybersecurity, software testing, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation.

Innovation and Originality: Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership

Led by Professor Michelle Evans, the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership has been at the forefront of Indigenous business research and education since 2021. With the goal of building an economically powerful Indigenous Australia, the Centre’s extensive research has led to the creation of unique and immeasurably valuable intellectual property. Its education programs are generating invaluable connections to Country, regional communities, Indigenous leadership, and economic potential for students, educators, researchers, and Indigenous agents of change. The benefits that flow across this ecosystem are relational and shared, creating new opportunities for all participants.

Innovation and Originality: The Small Schools Program, University of Canberra

The Aspire UC Small Schools Program delivers community-embedded careers education to kindergarten and primary school-aged students in rural and regional areas, promoting higher education as an exciting and achievable goal. The program is grounded in evidence that shows early exposure, repeated contact, and authentic university experiences significantly increase the likelihood that primary school-aged students from equity backgrounds will imagine themselves as future university learners.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Employing Queensland: Innovative Pathways to Teaching (EQuIPT), Queensland University of Technology

Employing Queensland: Innovative Pathways to Teaching (EQuIPT) is an employment-based teacher education initiative that addresses two linked challenges: access to higher education in regional and remote areas, and persistent teacher workforce shortages. Through its hub model, participants combine employment and study with local academic and wellbeing support, mentoring, and opportunities to build connection and belonging. EQuIPT has supported nearly 80 participants since commencing in 2025, increasing university participation and building sustainable local teacher workforces.

Impact and Effectiveness: Transforming Student Outcomes through the Southern Cross Model, Southern Cross University

Developed at Southern Cross University (SCU), the Southern Cross Model (SCM) is a transformative, equity-focused curriculum reform that embeds inclusive, active, and manageable learning into higher education. Across SCU, the SCM has replaced semesters, lectures, and exams with focused six-week terms, one- or two-unit enrolment loads, blended and active learning, and authentic assessment. This internationally recognised, whole-of-institution curriculum redesign has led to sustained improvements in student outcomes, including a 15 percentage point increase in the overall academic success rate to 91%.

I’d like to congratulate all recipients for their extraordinary efforts in shaping a fairer and more inclusive higher education landscape across Australia and beyond.

Whether through groundbreaking research, transformative partnerships, or visionary advocacy and leadership, their contributions to the sector will have a profound and lasting impact.

You can read more about the winning projects on the ACSES website: Student equity champions celebrated at 2026 ACSES Awards - ACSES.

Kind regards,

Professor Shamit Saggar CBE FAcSS
Executive Director
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

Livestream registration still open | ACSES Policy Symposium 2026

Day two of the ACSES Policy Symposium 2026 is underway—but you can still register for the livestream of this crucial gathering to advance equity in higher education.

Held on 8–9 September in Brisbane, the Symposium brings together national leaders and stakeholders in tertiary education including executives, policymakers, experts, and diverse student voices.

This year’s theme, "The Evolving Student in Higher Education", is spurring conversations on how the profile, needs, and experiences of students are changing—across study modes, life stages, identities, and economic context—and what this means for policy, practice, and funding in Australian higher education.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear from the sector’s leading voices on how to make higher learning more attainable for all Australians.

📆 8–9 September 2026
🕒 8.30am – 5.00pm AEST
📄Program
🔗Register for livestream here

ACSES in the news

• "Update poverty data and widen student discounts, say universities", Times Higher Education

• "Universities demand pensioner-style concession cards for all Australian students", The Australian

• "Concession card call for all Aussie uni students", PerthNow