2025 VCASS AWARDS
Academic
2025 Major Awards
Principal’s Award | Oscar Edwards
Ema Yandall Citizenship Award | Neeharika Shyju
Lenton Parr Academic Award | Mark Hartland Van Driel
Nominations | McKinley Markham, Raistlin Chan, Mark Hartland Van Driel, Sophie Ellis & Mae Robinson
Anne Woolliams Dance Award | Ryan Black
Nominations | Sharon Jiang, Ryan Black, Chantal Banks & Yolanda Zhu
John Hopkins Music Award | Neeharika Shyju & Tom Protat
Nominations | Oscar Edwards, Poppy Savage, Tom Protat, Raistlin Chan, Neeharika Shyju & Mark Hartland Van Driel
Theatre Arts Award | Aerin Sutherland
Nominations | Aerin Sutherland, Isabelle (Izzi) Jones, Cameron Langeveld & Jane (Janey) Rika
Dorothy Doicinov Visual Arts Award | Ayla Johnston
Nominations | Sophie Ellis, Ayla Johnston, Zoe Adams, Umit (Gece) Isik & Bonnie (Saskia) Lastdrager
Simon Hisheh Award | Grace Annan
2025 Academic Most Improved
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 7 | Lucy Hawkins
Nominations | Lucy Hawkins, Billie Myers, Fantasia Papaioannou & Harper Warburton
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 8 | Hamish West
Nominations | Sunnie Barr, Alexandra (Alex) Gay, Mia-Jane Kelly & Hamish West
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 9 | Emily Holloway
Nominations | Aspen Edwards, Marcus Harders, Emily Holloway, Rian Narang, Kazuki Pincheira & Sora (Sola) Takeda
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 10 | Arthur Toovey
Nominations | Amilea (Lea) Davie, Eden-Rose Driver, Siyona Goel, Arthur Toovey & Jovina Zhu
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 11 | Olive Forbes
Nominations | Olive Forbes, Sophia (Sophie) Cowall, Yingze (Abby) Zhao & Milla Rigazzi
Academic Most Improved Award – Year 12 | Mia Barlow
Nominations | Mia Barlow, Annabel Edwards, Lucia Patton & Abbey Jones
2025 Academic Excellence
Academic Excellence Award – Year 7 | XinXin (Michelle) Fan
Nominations | Macey Andreana, Xinxin (Michelle) Fan, Garim Kim, Declan Loh
& Yiming (Oliver) Zhong
Academic Excellence Award – Year 8 | Lana Dafnias
Nominations | Lana Dafnias, Alexandra (Alex) Gay, Hamish West, Minglang (Michael) Wu
Taki Yatabe & Tiffany Zhou
Academic Excellence Award – Year 9 | Scarlett Weaver
Nominations | Victoria Akhramenko, Emily Holloway, Leni Howlett, Leo Puech, Scarlett Weaver & Jasper Zajacek-Tieu
Academic Excellence Award – Year 10 | Xiaoqi (Kate) Yin
Nominations | Ally Gillespie, Benjamin Makelainen, Ethan Nistor, Ebony Veitch & Xiaoqi (Kate) Yin
Academic Excellence Award – Year 11 | Thea Sydes
Nominations | Thea Sydes, Stella Carlon-Tozer, Yingze (Abby) Zhao & Jesse Pollitt
2025 VCE Unit 3 & 4
Art Creative Practice Award | Ayla Johnston
Art Making and Exhibiting Award | Sophie Ellis
Biology Award | Umit (Gece) Isik
Dance Award | Misa Titcher
Dance (VCE VET) Award | Ryan Black
Drama Award | Isabelle (Izzi) Jones
English Award | Mckinley Markham
General Mathematics Award | Ryan Black
Health & Human Development Award | Abbey Jones
History Award | Mark Hartland Van Driel
The Leviston Foreign Language Award | Mae Robinson
2025 VCE Unit 3 & 4
Literature Award | Sophie Ellis
Mathematical Methods Award | Roy Gao
Media Award | Jane (Janey) Rika
Music Composition – Ian Harrison Award | Mark Hartland Van Driel & Raistlin Chan
Music Composition – Musicology Award | Ji Hun Hwang
Music – Contemporary Performance Award | Finlay (Finn) De Blacquiere-Clarkson
Music – Repertoire Performance Award | Evan O’Connor
Philosophy Award | Mark Hartland Van Driel
Psychology Award | Chloe Dan
Theatre Studies Award | Cameron Langeveld
2025 Music Awards
Music Most Improved Award – Year 7 | XinXin (Michelle) Fan
Nominations | Judy Mok, Xinxin (Michelle) Fan, Declan Loh, Josh Chan & Ethan Li
Music Most Improved Award – Year 8 | Anthony (Herbie) Cox
Nominations | Taki Yatabe, Topaz Tong, Oriana Kang-Kurniawan & Anthony (Herbie) Cox
Music Most Improved Award – Year 9 | Marcus Harders
Nominations | Inouk Majcen, Edward (Eddie) Forrester, Leo Puech, Marcus Harders & Rian Narang
Music Most Improved Award – Year 10 | Benjamin (Ben) Williams
Nominations | Benjamin (Ben) Williams, Keeley Abrahamson, Sophia Arcinue, Arthur Toovey, Amilea (Lea) Davie & Benjamin Makelainen
Music Most Improved Award – Year 11 | Innes Thistleton
Nominations | Evan O’Connor, Innes Thistleton, Ahra Kim, Angelique Narita-Johnson & Matthew McEniery
Music Most Improved Award – Year 12 | Anna Davidson
Nominations | Tom Protat, Anna Davidson, Cameron Edwards, Jade Cheung & Elizabeth Russell
Music Excellence Award – Year 7 | Yiming (Oliver) Zhong
Nominations | Prince Peng & Yiming (Oliver) Zhong
Music Excellence Award – Year 8 | Taki Yatabe
Nominations | Taki Yatabe & Daniel Man Jun Cheung
Music Excellence Award – Year 9 | Jack Brunialti-Sykes
Nominations | Alexandros (Alex) Papatsonis, Jack Brunialti-Sykes & Leonardo Hawco
Music Excellence Award – Year 10 | Ethan Nistor
Nominations | Issac Cheng, Ethan Nistor & Yaxuan (Anny) Wang
Music Excellence Award – Year 11 | Evan O’Connor
Nominations | Grace Annan, Sophia (Sophie) Cowall & Evan O’Connor
The Robert Salzer Voice Award | Lucy Nieuwesteeg
Nominations | Neeharika Shyju, Lucy Nieuwesteeg, Ji Hun Hwang & Lucas Calzado-Yubero
The Paul McConkey Brass Award | Benjamin (Ben) Williams
Nominations | Quinn O’Neil & Benjamin (Ben) Williams
Austral Salon Outstanding Soloist Award | Cameron Edwards
Nominations | Leo Liu, Ava Loke, Oscar Edwards, Lucy Nieuwesteeg, Issac Cheng, Grace Annan & Jay-Keane Lee
Chamber Music Award – Vocal Nonet | Lucy Nieuwesteeg, Sophia (Sophie) Cowall, Neeharika Shyju, Angelique Narita-Johnson, Tom Protat, Ji Hun Hwang, Lucas Calzado-Yubero, David Jones-Lerdprakun & Evan O’Connor Edwards
Chamber Music Award – String Quintet | Ava Loke, Evan O’Connor, Evan Widjaja, Raistlin Chan & Poppy Savage
Jazz and Improvisation Ensemble Award | Marlon Shaw, Mark Hartland Van Driel, Oscar Edwards & Isaac Gardner
2025 Dance Awards
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 7 | Macey Andreana
Nominations | Fantasia Papaioannou, Shiloh Fragapane & Macey Andreana
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 8 | Hamish West
Nominations | Sienna Lee, Huon Parfitt, Yuri Ko & Hamish West
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 9 | Mina Annan
Nominations | Mina Annan, Harrison Lloyd & Emily Holloway
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 10 | Ally Gillespie
Nominations | Abigail (Abby) McTaggart, Ally Gillespie & Isabella Newcombe
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 11 | Chloe Moulton
Nominations | Chloe Petrovic, Chloe Moulton & Harry Pennell
Dance Most Improved Award – Year 12 | Abbey Jones
Nominations | Abbey Jones, Keira Lee, Jocelyn Wee & Eliza McTaggart
Dance Excellence Award – Year 7 | Harper Warburton
Nominations | Blake Robertson, Harper Warburton & Lucy Hawkins
Dance Excellence Award – Year 8 | Luke Holt
Nominations | Lana Dafnias, Yu Ching (Luna) Yuen, Luke Holt & Harry McNamara
Dance Excellence Award – Year 9 | Lara Kafkis
Nominations | Lara Kafkis, Sora (Sola) Takeda, Quinten Kamupala & Jasper Zajacek-Tieu
Dance Excellence Award – Year 10 | Eden-Rose Driver
Nominations | Eden-Rose Driver, Krychel Teng & Charlotte Trapani
Dance Excellence Award – Year 11 | Nico Lundqvist
Nominations | Aaron David, Misa Titcher & Nico Lundqvist
2025 Theatre Arts Awards
Theatre Arts Most Improved Award – Year 11 | Claudia Dugo
Nominations | Claudia Dugo, Thea Sydes & Elizabeth Bergodaz
Theatre Arts Most Improved Award – Year 12 | Thomas (Tom) Cucinotta
Nominations | Thomas (Tom) Cucinotta, Lucia Patton & Sierra Pelsoczy
Excellence Award: Interpreting & Presenting – Year 11 | James (Dante) Cappola
Nominations | Jesse Pollitt, James (Dante) Cappola, Stella Carlon-Tozer & Atlas (Ash) Jackson
Excellence Award: Making & Creating – Year 11 | Atlas (Ash) Jackson
Nominations | Atlas (Ash) Jackson, Alexia Coulloupas, James (Dante) Cappola & Scarlett Troise
2025 Visual Arts Award
Visual Arts Most Improved Award – Year 11 | Mars Saunders
Nominations | Mars Saunders, Christopher (Chris) Hall & Wai Shan (Celia) Zhou
Visual Arts Most Improved Award – Year 12 | Umit (Gece) Isik
Nominations | Toby Gleeson-Hooper & Umit (Gece) Isik
Excellence Award: Concepts and Creation – Year 11 | Eva (Rowan) Lacey
Nominations | Eva (Rowan) Lacey, Ceylin Karyagdi, Zarabella Raumer, Nivedha Ramanathan & Zayn Ulfan