This year the Harding Miller Education Foundation held awards ceremonies in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. We welcomed 229 new scholars to the scholarship program in 2024, marking our largest intake of scholars yet. This brings the total number of current scholars to 704 nationally. Our awards events were held between March and May with our Perth event to be held in July.
We began our awards season welcoming scholars from across Victoria at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 26 March. Then came the Brisbane awards ceremony where we welcomed scholars from Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory at the State Library of Queensland on 22 April. We held our Sydney awards event, welcoming scholars from across New South Wales, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory at the Sofitel Darling Harbour on 6 May.
Each of the events included an expo, where scholars learnt about each other and met HMEF alumnae, public speaking workshops, afternoon tea with coaches and a reception with families, school representatives, donors and supporters. Our scholars took part in fabulous public speaking workshops provided by Playwave in Sydney and Brisbane and NIDA in Melbourne. The day culminated in the evening awards ceremony where scholars were presented with their certificates.
We were so excited to have amazing keynote speakers in Summer Howarth, Nicola Hazell and Mariam Mohammed. We were also treated to wonderful performances by The Arts Unit and The Australian Girls Choir. This year we were delighted to have a HMEF alumna speak at each event. Makayla Witte, Hannah Daley and Gwen Rumbel gave inspiring alumna addresses in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney respectively. Many of our alumnae also volunteered at the awards events, helping throughout the day and evening.
HMEF Awards Nights are not simply events to celebrate the achievements of wonderful scholars from across Australia, but they are also an opportunity for scholars to gain insights and build networks with peers and people from different backgrounds.
We would love to see more girls being a part of this event and the scholarship program next year. HMEF scholarships are the most generous scholarships available to public school students in Australia and provide the tools and resources for scholars to reach their academic potential. Each scholarship is valued at $20,000 over four years from Year 9 to Year 12 and include a laptop, broadband, IT support, personal tutoring, prepaid card for school essentials, online homework help, a personal coach/mentor and extensive enrichment opportunities that build pathways to tertiary education and fulfilling careers.
Scholarship applications for 2025 will open on 15th July and close on 18th September 2024. Students must apply when they are in Year 8 as the scholarship starts when they commence Year 9. If you are interested in learning more, please contact 1300 103 896 or watch this video that briefly explains the application process.
