Nominate by Monday 7 June to highlight the inspirational work of education professionals.
The Victorian Education Excellence Awards are open for nominations now, to recognise school staff for their outstanding dedication and achievement in government school education.
For 20 years, the awards have been the state's biggest celebration of the difference that teachers, principals and education support staff make to the lives of students and their communities.
Over the last two decades, the awards have built an alumni of inspirational teachers and education leaders who are passionate about their profession and improving outcomes for students.
One such inspirational alumnus is Sarah Asome.
Sarah received the Outstanding Primary Teacher award in 2015 for her work in supporting students with dyslexia.
Thinking back on her win, Sarah said it was a very exciting time and she felt extremely humbled.
'There are so many great teachers out there,' she said.
'I was proud to have won the award and be able to share my knowledge with colleagues from across the state and really get best practice for all kids, not just the ones at our school.'
Building professional knowledge
To further extend her knowledge and skills, Sarah used the award professional learning grant to undertake specialised study in dyslexia and was certified for Effective Reading Instruction through the Centre for Effective reading Instruction (CERI) USA.
Sarah was the only person to achieve this certification in Australia at the time. Gaining the credential displays an educator's knowledge of, and ability to, positively impact students identified as 'at risk' for reading failure or identified with a specific learning disability, including dyslexia.
Sarah also put the grant towards attending the 67th Annual International Dyslexia Association
Reading, Literacy and Learning annual conference in the United States. The conference gave her access to the latest research in dyslexia and allowed her to visit four schools dedicated to dyslexia and learning difficulties.
Sarah said the professional learning opportunities she completed within Australia and internationally have made a significant impact at her school.
'Once I had increased my knowledge through the courses I had undertaken, I was able to finetune our practice and program to better support our students,' she said.
'What was a tier 3 intervention for those kids who struggled has become a whole-school mainstream instruction for everybody.
'It's now benefiting every student at our school, not just those with additional learning needs.'
Sarah, now Assistant Principal at Bentleigh West Primary School, strongly encourages people to nominate for this year's awards.
'I highly encourage others to nominate themselves or a colleague for the Victorian Education Excellence Awards, it was a game changer for my career,' she said.
'Awards like this are so important in our profession because we need to recognise that best practice is happening on a daily basis in so many schools.
'We also need to give our school staff the recognition for the hard work, the hours and the endless effort they put in.
To hear from more alumni and learn about their journey from nomination to the impact winning had on their career, visit the
Victorian Education Excellence Awards- Alumni Stories web page.
Award categories
The 2021 Victorian Education Excellence Awards include individual and team award categories.
To recognise the value that new teachers bring to the profession, two new categories have been added this year which highlight the great work of teachers in the first five years of their career.
To view all award categories visit the
Victorian Education Excellence Awards – Categories web page.
Winners of each category will receive professional learning grants of up to $25,000.
How to nominate
Nominate yourself or a colleague today to recognise the outstanding work of education professionals.
To submit a nomination visit the
Victorian Education Excellence Awards web page.
Nominations close Monday 7 June.
Find out more
For more information about the awards, visit the
Victorian Education Excellence Awards web page.
For further enquiries, contact the Victorian Education Excellence Awards team by email:
excellence.awards@education.vic.gov.au