On Monday, 26th June 2023, the Harding Miller Education Foundation held the Sydney Awards Night at the Sofitel Hotel Wentworth. It was the foundation’s biggest event this year, with over 300 people in attendance. On the day of the event, the scholars participated in a series of expos and workshops. For the Sydney event this year, HMEF invited Playwave and Ernst & Young to host a workshop about Public Speaking and Women in Leadership respectively. The scholars then had the opportunity to meet their coaches and donors during the evening reception. The day concluded with the awards ceremony during which 75 Year 9 scholars were presented with their certificates and 35 Year 12 scholars received gifts.
Earlier in the year, HMEF held awards nights in Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. HMEF Awards Night are an annual event to welcome the new Year 9 scholars to the Harding Miller Scholarship Program and celebrate their achievements. In 2023, we celebrated 201 new scholars from all states and territories of Australia, which brings the total number of our current scholars to 608 nationally. In addition to the new Year 9 scholars, for the Awards Night this year, we invited Year 11 and 12 girls who did not get the chance to celebrate their achievement during the first year of the program due to the pandemic.
The first awards ceremony in Perth was held on the 3rd of April at the University Club of Western Australia, attended by 31 scholars from across Western Australia. We invited scholars from Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory for the next awards night in Melbourne. On the 8th of April, 72 scholars attended the Melbourne event at the State Library Victoria. The celebration in Melbourne was followed by the Brisbane Awards Night on the 22nd of May, which brought together all Queensland-based scholars to the State Library of Queensland. Wrapping up the series of events was the Sydney Awards Night which was attended by a total of 110 scholars from New South Wales and 2 scholars from the Northern Territory.
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 2024 will open on 13th July and close on 14th September 2023. 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.
