Excellence & Awards

Plain English Speaking Award

2019 registrations are open

The Plain English Speaking Award celebrates excellence in public speaking by students aged 15–18 years on a wide range of student-directed topics, and is a highly valuable opportunity for young people to speak on issues they feel passionate about. Teachers can register students to participate via the online entry form. Refer to Notice to Schools 20/2019.

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Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarships

Scholarships for Performance announced

In 2019, for the first time in the scholarship's history, there are five winners of the Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for Performance. The successful applicants received their awards at the VCAA Top Class Music concerts on Tuesday 19 March 2019 at the Melbourne Recital Centre, as part of the annual VCE Season of Excellence.

Chi-Ting (Candice) Yang performed the joyous Tambourin Chinois by Fritz Kreisler before the sold-out crowd. A violinist since the age of three, Candice said that receiving the $5,000 scholarship will provide the luxury of rehearsal time.

'It will help me to have more time to practice, to have rehearsals with orchestras and chamber music,' she said. 'It's definitely a personal achievement, as well as representing my school.'

Accompanied on stage by Julie Haskell on piano, self-taught bassoonist Louis Georgiou performed the lyrical Romance for Bassoon by composer Edward Elgar (who also taught himself the bassoon as a teenager). Louis said that the scholarship will help him to flourish during his Bachelor of Music at The University of Melbourne.

'As a bassoonist, it's a very specialised instrument and it needs a lot of upkeep. So it has sort of taken the burden off that and allows me to play.'

Also self-taught, pianist Noah Meletis performed Armando's Rhumba by renowned composer Chick Corea. He marvelled at his personal journey from the Music Department at Werribee Secondary College to winning a scholarship and playing at the Recital Centre.

'To get this award, this honour, is such a humbling experience for me,' Noah said. 'Seeing everyone come together for music, it's what it's all about.'

Cellist Charlotte Miles has been selected for the Australian National Academy of Music Professional Performance Program. She performed the virtuosic Danse Macabre Op. 40 by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Charlotte said that the scholarship will help to further her career on the international stage. 'I'm touring with the Australian Youth Orchestra from July to August. We're going to Europe, China and Sydney, so the scholarship will enable this opportunity,' she said.

The fifth recipient, jazz pianist and saxophonist John Bennett, was in South Australia and could not attend. He is currently studying at James Morrison Academy, Mount Gambier, in order to continue his performance career.

The scholarship was established by the family of the late Margaret Schofield in recognition of her outstanding achievements as a musician and her lifelong commitment to music education. Coordinated by the VCAA, the scholarship is available to government school students who achieve high study scores in VCE Music Style and Composition, VCE Music Investigation, VCE Music Performance and/or VCE VET Music, and who demonstrate commitment to pursuing a career in music performance.

Margaret Arnold, VCAA Performing Arts Curriculum Manager, hosted several Top Class Music concerts and also helped to select the scholarship winners. 'It's quite a privilege to meet the students who apply for a scholarship and to interview them with the selection panel, along with a member of the Margaret Schofield Memorial Trust,' she said.

The winner of the Margaret Schofield Memorial Scholarship for Composition, Nathan Zammit, was announced at the Top Class Sound concert on Friday 1 March 2019.

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VCE Season of Excellence

Top Arts and Top Designs 2019 launched

Exhibitor Tarni Jarvis (left) with special guest Lyn-Al Young and
Dr David Howes, CEO, VCAA at the launch of Top Designs

Top Arts 2019 was launched at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square, on Thursday 21 March 2019. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the NGV, Top Arts is an annual showcase of Victoria's most exciting emerging young artists who have excelled in VCE Art and Studio Arts.

The works of 46 VCE students from across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria were drawn from more than 2200 submissions. The diverse selection of art curated for the exhibition covers a myriad of topics, including gender identity, climate change and consumerism, and the immersive experience of sporting arenas. This year, portraiture is a popular genre, along with photography and sculpture.

Since its first showing in 1995, an estimated 1200 VCE students have had their work displayed in Top Arts and over a million people have visited the annual exhibition.

Last month also saw the launch of Top Designs on Friday 29 March 2019 at the Melbourne Museum, Carlton.

Top Designs showcases the work of the highest-achieving students from across Victoria who completed VCE Media, Product Design and Technology, Theatre Studies, Systems Engineering and Visual Communication Design, and VCE VET Creative and Digital Media.

This year, 88 works by 85 students were selected from 1153 submissions. Chris Wardlaw, Chair of the VCAA, said, 'Year after year I am impressed by the capabilities of our VCE and VET students selected for Top Designs. They have demonstrated through their work an understanding of sophisticated problem-solving techniques and applied them to real-world solutions.

Congratulations to all the students who are taking part in this inspiring exhibition showcasing Victoria's emerging young designers, being held again this year at the iconic Melbourne Museum.'

Top Arts and Top Designs also provide an opportunity for current VCE students and the wider community to view development materials that give insight into student ideas and working practices.

Top Arts and Top Designs both run until Sunday 14 July 2019. They are part of the VCE Season of Excellence, which includes Top Talks, Top Class, Top Screen and Top Acts.

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