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University Medal and academic prizes

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The University Medal

University Medals are awarded annually at the discretion of the Academic Board (on the nomination of a School Board) to candidates who have completed the requirements of a Bachelor degree with first-class honours and who at all times have demonstrated a very high standard of academic achievement. Current University Medal criteria can be found under Rules Relating to Awards - Rule 10 - Section 7 - University Medal and the Prizes and Medals Policy.

Chancellor’s Medal

Where all PhD examiners comment on the outstanding nature of the thesis of a PhD candidate that they have examined, such a candidate may be eligible to receive special acclamation, known as “The Chancellor’s Medal for Outstanding PhD Thesis”. Chancellor’s Medal may be awarded by Southern Cross University Council based on recommendation of The Dean, Graduate Studies and Academic Board. Current Chancellor’s Medal criteria can be found under the Prizes and Medals Policy.

Academic prizes

Prizes are a merit based award, based on specific criteria, which recognise and reward individual students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. Prizes are offered by Schools and Campus for continuing and graduating students and are generously supported by private and public donors. If you wish to establish a prize at Southern Cross University, email prizes@scu.edu.au.

Only students admitted at Coffs Harbour campus are eligible to be considered. These prizes are presented at the annual Coffs Harbour campus prize giving event.

Gairbraid Scholarship

  • Awarded to the most meritorious male or female school leaver in their first year of a course at Southern Cross University (Coffs Harbour campus), who in their previous year gained their HSC from a public high school in the Coffs Harbour region.
  • Determined Annually
  • Donated by the Estate of Mrs Edith Maclean.

Jim Bloomfield Memorial Prize

Quota International of Coffs Harbour Prize

  • Awarded to a full-time continuing student enrolled at the Coffs Harbour Campus of Southern Cross University, who, if of sufficient merit, achieves the most distinguished results in their course of study. Merit will be determined by Grade Point Average and evidence of an ongoing commitment to community service in the Coffs Harbour area.
  • $1000
  • Donated by Quota International of Coffs Harbour Inc.

Real Estate Institute Prize

  • Awarded to the student enrolling in the second year of full-time studies in the Bachelor of Business at the Coffs Harbour Campus achieving the highest overall Grade Point Average in the unit ECON1001 - Economics for Decision Making.
  • Determined Annually
  • Donated by the Coffs Harbour Branch of the Real Estate Institute of NSW.

The Yeates Prize

  • Awarded to the full-time student enrolled at the Coffs Harbour Campus of Southern Cross University, who, if of sufficient merit, achieves the most distinguished results in the first year of their course of study. Merit will be determined by Grade Point Average.
  • Determined Annually
  • Donated by the Estate of Mrs Marnie Yeates

Gnibi Indigenous Community Engagement Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating student from a course coordinated by Gnibi. The student must have demonstrated significant contributions to Indigenous Communities.
  • $500
  • Donated by the Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

Gnibi Indigenous Support Prize

  • Awarded to an Indigenous graduate with the highest grade point average in his/her course.
  • $500
  • Donated by the Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

Gnibi School Prize

  • Awarded to any student on graduation with the highest grade point average in any Gnibi course.
  • $500
  • Donated by the Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

ABC North Coast Cultural Diversity Prize

  • Awarded to the most outstanding graduating student in the Bachelor of Digital Media and Communications as determined by the highest grade point average.
  • $200
  • Donated by ABC North Coast

Barry Poole Memorial Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating student with the highest postgraduate (coursework masters) across Tourism, Hotel and Hospitality courses within the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts.
  • $500
  • Donated by the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts.

Byron Writers Festival Prize for Associate Degree of Creative Writing

  • Awarded to the graduating student in Associate Degree of Creative Writing who has achieved a course grade point average of 5.5 or above.
  • 12 month membership to Byron Writers Festival and your choice of a 1-day Byron Writers Festival pass OR book bundle valued at approx. $150
  • Donated by Byron Writers Festival

Byron Writers Festival Prize for Bachelor of Arts

  • Awarded to the graduating student in Bachelor of Arts majoring in Writing who has achieved a course grade point average of 5.5 or above.
  • 12 month membership to Byron Writers Festival and your choice of a 1-day Byron Writers Festival pass OR book bundle valued at approx. $150
  • Donated by Byron Writers Festival

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) Award for Outstanding First Year Accounting Student

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student achieving the highest grade in ACCT1002 Financial Accounting, with the highest overall course .
  • $250
  • Donated by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) Award for Outstanding Second Year Accounting Student

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student achieving the highest grade in ACCT2003 Management Accounting, with the highest overall course .
  • $250
  • Donated by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) Award for Outstanding Third Year Accounting Student

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student achieving the highest grade in ACCT3004 Auditing with the highest overall course .
  • $500
  • Donated by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Coffs Harbour City Council Prize

  • Awarded to the highest performing undergraduate graduating student (as determined by the highest ) across Tourism, Events and Hospitality within the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts whose permanent address is within the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area
  • $300
  • Donated by Coffs Harbour City Council.

Coffs Harbour Rotary Club Prize

  • Awarded to the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts undergraduate student who has achieved the highest  in the second year of study across Tourism, Events and Hospitality courses related courses whose permanent address is within the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area.
  • $1000 to student and Perpetual Trophy presented each year
  • Donated by the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour Incorporated.

CPA Australia Prize for Best First Year Accounting Student

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student achieving the highest in all of the first year CPA accredited core units.
  • $300
  • Donated by CPA Australia.

CPA Australia Prize for Best Second Year Accounting Student

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student with the highest in the 2nd year CPA accredited accounting units
  • $300
  • Donated by CPA Australia.

CPA Australia Prize for Best Graduating Student

  • Awarded to graduating Bachelor of Business (Accounting Major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student with the most outstanding result in third year accounting units.
  • $300
  • Donated by CPA Australia.

Elevator ARI Prize

  • Awarded to graduating Bachelor of Art and Design student.
  • Solo Exhibition
  • Donated by Elevator ARI.

Environmental Defender’s Office — Environmental Law Prize

Far North Coast Law Society Prize

  • Awarded to the student achieving the best result in the unit LEGL1004 Australian Legal System.
  • $100
  • Donated by Far North Coast Law Society.

Fred Herron Prize for Mediation

  • Awarded to the student achieving the best result in the unit LEG2001 Mediation and Dispute Resolution.
  • $100
  • Donated by Far North Coast Law Society.

Jack Riley Prize for Commercial Law

Jeremy Buultjens Memorial Prize for Excellence in Economics

  • Awarded to the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts student achieving the highest grade in ECON1001 Economics for Decision Making with the highest overall course grade point average.
  • $1000
  • Donated by Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Judith McGilvray Memorial Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating student with the highest undergraduate  across Tourism, Events, Hospitality and Hotel courses within the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts.
  • $500
  • Donated by the School of Business and Tourism.

Kaske Memorial Fellowship

  • Awarded to an outstanding graduate in the Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours or Bachelor of Arts with Honours. Student must complete a written proposal.
  • $5000
  • Donated by John and Sheilagh Kaske.

Kaske Prize – Year 1

  • Awarded to an outstanding student in their first year of study in the Bachelor of Visual Arts or the Bachelor of Art and Design. Selection is based on studio artwork and grades.
  • $500
  • Donated by John and Sheilagh Kaske.

Kaske Prize – Year 2

  • Awarded to an outstanding student in second-third year of study in the Bachelor of Visual Arts or Bachelor of Art and Design. Selection is based on studio artwork and grades.
  • $500
  • Donated by John and Sheilagh Kaske

Kaske Prize – Year 3

  • Awarded to the most outstanding third year Bachelor of Visual Arts student. Selection is based on studio artwork and grades. Selection is based on studio artwork and grades.
  • $2000
  • Donated by John and Sheilagh Kaske

Law Society of New South Wales Prize for Professional Conduct

  • Awarded to the undergraduate Bachelor of Laws student who receives the highest mark in the unit LAWS3003 Professional Conduct.
  • $1000
  • Donated by The Law Society of New South Wales.

Meredith Prize

  • Awarded to the the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts graduating student with the most outstanding doctoral thesis in the discipline areas of Business or Management.
  • $2,000 and plaque
  • Donated by Emeritus Professor Meredith

National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) Ignition Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating Bachelor of Visual Arts or Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) student who demonstrated the most professional development in their final year. Only available to graduating students exhibiting in the SCU Graduate Exhibition of the year the prize is offered.
  • 1 year NAVA Premium membership
  • Donated by National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA).

New South Wales Bar Association Prize

  • Awarded to an exceptional Bachelor of Laws student in the units LAWS2013 Civil Litigation and Procedure and LAWS2016 Evidence as determined by highest grade point average across both units.
  • $1000
  • Donated by The New South Wales Bar Association.

Northern Rivers Community Gallery Prize

  • Awarded to a student with the most outstanding exhibited artwork or installation at the SCU Graduate Exhibition.
  • exhibited in the gallery or space at Northern Rivers Community Gallery
  • Donated by Northern Rivers Community Gallery.

Ray Balzer Prize for Criminal Law

Ross Reid Prize for Conveyancing

Southern Cross University Chancellor’s Art Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating Bachelor of Visual Arts or Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours student for an artwork in any medium exhibited at the Southern Cross University Graduate Exhibition and judged as demonstrating a high degree of artistic merit.
  • $2500
  • Donated by Office of the Chancellor, Southern Cross University.

S+P Lawyers Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating student with the best academic performance in the Bachelor of Laws with Honours or Bachelor of Laws (double degrees) with Honours courses, as determined by the highest grade point average.
  • $300
  • Donated by S+P Lawyers.

TNR Chartered Accountants Prize for Business and Accounting

  • Awarded to the graduating Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student with the highest overall course.
  • $250
  • Donated by Thomas Noble and Russell, Chartered Accountants.

Tony Pagotto Prize for Law Placement

Verge Graduate Art Award — Art and Design

  • Awarded to Graduand of the Bachelor of Art and Design student with the most outstanding exhibited artwork or installation at the Southern Cross University Graduate Exhibition.
  • $500
  • Donated by Lismore Regional Gallery.

Verge Graduate Art Award — Creative Writing

WCA Chartered Accountants Prize for Financial Accounting

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Business (Accounting major) or Bachelor of Business and Enterprise (Accounting Specialisation) student achieving the highest grade in the unit ACCT2002 Financial Reporting.
  • $250
  • Donated by WCA Chartered Accountants.

 

The Bishop Druitt College Arts Education Prize

  • Awarded to the Coffs Harbour undergraduate Education student with highest ranking in the unit CRTV1001 Foundations: The Arts.
  • $250
  • Donated by Bishop Druitt College

The Bishop Druitt College STEM Education Prize

  • Awarded to the Coffs Harbour undergraduate student with highest combined rank in the units MATH1002 Mathematics and Numeracy and SCIN1003 Foundation: Science and Technology.
  • $250
  • Donated by Bishop Druitt College

The Bishop Druitt College Wellbeing Education Prize

  • Awarded to the Coffs Harbour undergraduate Education student with highest ranking in the unit HLTH1002 Foundations: Personal Development, Health and Physical Education.
  • $250
  • Donated by Bishop Druitt College

The Early Childhood Outstanding Student of the Year

  • Awarded to the graduating early childhood education undergraduate student who has attained the highest course grade point average combined with an excellent professional experience report.
  • Early Childhood Australia membership
  • Donated by Early Childhood Australia (NSW) North Coast.

The Maurie Ryan Prize for Local History

  • Awarded to the student with the most meritorious assignment on local history in the unit CLST1002 Foundations: Human Society and its Environments or EDUC2013 Human Society and its Environments: Curriculum and Pedagogy — either a contribution to local history, a children’s resource for local history, or a teaching plan for local history.
  • $500
  • Donated by Dr Robert Smith.

The Primary English Teaching Association Australia English Excellence Award

  • Awarded to the graduating undergraduate Education student who has achieved the highest ranking in the unit EDUC3011 English Education: Issues.
  • Four × 12-months free membership to the Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
  • Donated by the Primary English Teaching Association Australia.

Jetty Dive Centre Prize for Academic Excellence in Marine Science and Management

  • Awarded to the graduating student with the highest grade point average in the Bachelor of Marine Science and Management or the combined degree Bachelor of Environmental Science/Bachelor of Marine Science and Management.
  • voucher for diving/snorkelling services
  • Donated by Jetty Dive Centre.

Lismore City Council Mayoral Prize for an Integrated Project topic relevant to Lismore City Council

  • Awarded to the student who achieves the highest grade in the third year units SCIN3002 Impactful Science and Practice 1 and SCIN3003 Impactful Science and Practice 2 on a topic relevant to Lismore City Council.
  • $500
  • Donated by Lismore City Council.

Lismore City Council Mayoral Prize for Waste Related Studies

  • Awarded to the student who achieves the highest grade in any unit concerned with waste-related studies
  • $250
  • Donated by Lismore City Council.

Prospectors Supplies Pty Ltd Prize

  • Awarded to the most outstanding student with the highest grade in the unit GLY00201 SCIN1004 Earth Systems.
  • Gift from Don.
  • Donated by Prospectors Supplies Pty Ltd.

Faculty of Science and Engineering Prize of Excellence

  • Awarded to the graduating student with the highest grade point average in the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering Systems (Honours), Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Forest Science and Management, Bachelor of Environmental Science, Bachelor of Marine Science and Management or the combined Bachelor of Environmental Science/Bachelor of Marine Science and Management courses.
  • $250
  • Donated by the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia (SRIA) Award for Excellence in Reinforced Concrete Design

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Civil Engineering student who achieved the highest grade in CIVL1007 - Construction Materials - Concrete and CIVL2013 - Concrete Structures Fundamentals.
  • $500
  • Donated by Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia (SRIA).

The Australian Computer Society Medal

  • Awarded to the graduating student of the ACS-accredited Bachelor of Information Technology who normally reside in Queensland.
  • $1000
  • Donated by Australian Computer Society.

The Brushett Chemistry Prize

Australian Psychological Society Limited (APS) Prize

  • Awarded to the graduating student from Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours who achieved the highest overall performance in the degree.
  • 12 months Student or Associate Membership of the APS and an invitation to present a poster at the APS Congress.
  • Donated by The Australian Psychological Society Ltd.

Darrel Chapman Memorial Prize

Harry Shand Memorial Prize

  • Awarded to the Bachelor of Nursing graduate with an interest in Community Health Nursing as well as high academic performance over the duration of the course.
  • $300
  • Donated by the Far North Division, Australian Dental Association, NSW Branch.

Occupational Therapy Australia QLD Division Prize for Academic Excellence

Osteopathy Australia Prize for the Graduate Osteopath of the Year

  • The Osteopathy Australia prize awarded to the graduating student from the Master of Osteopathic Medicine with the highest involvement in professional activities and success in their studies.
  • $500 cash prize and up to 18 months free membership of Osteopathy Australia once registered with AHPRA.
  • Donated by Osteopathy Australia.

Speech Pathology Australia Prize

  • The Speech Pathology Australia prize awarded to the graduating Bachelor of Speech Pathology student with outstanding academic achievement and/or excellent clinical achievement throughout the course with demonstrated community engagement.
  • 12 months Ordinary Membership
  • Donated by Speech Pathology Australia

Southern Cross University reserves the right to withdraw or amend any of the listed prizes and criteria without notice.

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