Simpson Prize winners headed to Gallipoli

Eight young Australians, winners of the 2014 Simpson Prize, will travel to Gallipoli to attend this year’s Anzac Day commemorations. Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today presented prizes to eight winners and eight runners-up, while Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator the Hon. Michael Ronaldson, spoke on the significance of the Centenary of Anzac. Mr Pyne congratulated the students on their ANZAC-inspired essays, remarking that students were able to really delve into the experiences of Australian soldiers in the First World War. “I was impressed by the sophisticated understanding of historical concepts displayed in many of these entries and by the in depth discussion of the Anzac story,” Mr Pyne said. Senator Ronaldson said the Anzac story is part of who we are as a nation. “The Centenary of Anzac will be this nation’s most important period of commemoration. For students in particular, knowing where we fought, when we fought and the values we fought for is critical to understanding the Anzac story,” Senator Ronaldson said. The Simpson Prize recognises outstanding work in historical research around the Anzac story. It is funded through the Australian Government’s Civics and Citizenship Education programme. The Government provided $190,000 for this year’s Prize and will provide a further $190,000 for next year’s Prize. It was established in 1998, to honour John Simpson Kirkpatrick, of ‘Simpson and his donkey’ fame, the man famous for his bravery under fire at Gallipoli in 1915. The prize aims to highlight outstanding historical research by Year 9 and 10 students. For this year’s prize, 920 students submitted an essay or an audio visual presentation. Students were asked to consider how well the Anzac legend tells the story of individual Australian soldiers during the First World War using their own research and selected sources from the Australian War Memorial. Winners and runners-up also receive a medallion to celebrate their achievements and take part in a special two-day Canberra study programme, which includes visits to Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia. Entries are now open for the 2015 Simpson Prize. Next year’s winners will attend ANZAC Day commemorations on the Centenary of the original ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915. The list of 2014 Simpson Prize winners, runners-up and teacher chaperones is attached. For more information on the Simpson Prize, visit: www.simpsonprize.org 17 March 2014