Celebrating the UNSW Awards for Teaching

Colleagues gathered to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of their award-winning peers at the 2024 Awards for Teaching.

At the ceremony, hosted at the Education Festival Finale on Wednesday 27 November, more than 40 UNSW staff across categories were greeted on stage and presented with their awards by our Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Attila Brungs.

The UNSW Awards for Teaching celebrate the achievements of our educators and third-space professionals, and acknowledge winners for excellence in education, outstanding contributions to student learning and student wellbeing. Other accolades celebrated during the session acknowledged our UNSW citation winner in the national scheme, Australian Awards for University Teaching, as well as excellence in the supervision and leadership of higher degree research. All the awards are a testament to the dedication, creativity, and passion that our colleagues offer their students and they help to celebrate how these colleagues strengthen UNSW’s reputation for academic and educational excellence.

The Students’ Choice Teaching Award

Special congratulations were shared in a unique award that honours both academic and professional staff who have had a profound impact on their students’ learning experience. The Students’ Choice Teaching Award, nominated and judged by students, returned for its fourth year to celebrate five exceptional educators from across UNSW campuses. Whether through inspiring teaching, thought-provoking challenges, unwavering support, or simple acts of kindness, these individuals have gone above and beyond to shape their students’ journeys.  

Watch this video to learn more about the 2024 winners. 

Senior students offer impactful mentorship

A special award was introduced this year for senior students who are exceptional learning mentors to their peers.  

The Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program is one of UNSW’s key commitments to academic success and peer learning. It offers regular study sessions in key courses, both online and in person, led by trained PASS Leaders, with groups of around 5-20 participants. Students who attend PASS tend to achieve higher grades and report feeling more confident in their studies as well as connected to their peers.  

To honour their invaluable contributions, the PASS Leader Participants’ Choice Award was introduced at UNSW’s Education Festival this year. Students who attended PASS were asked to nominate a leader who has made meaningful impact on their learning journey. The response was overwhelming, with nominations sharing stories of support, mentorship, and academic inspiration. 

The ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our educators and staff, and we congratulate them on receiving recognition this year!  

Join the UNSW Education & Student Experience community on LinkedIn or Viva Engage, to support our winners. 

View the award winner names on the UNSW Education & Student Experience site.

Pictured top: Award winning educators celebrate on the Education Festival Finale stage with VC and President, Prof. Attila Brungs