Brisbane student named 2023 Young Historian of the Year
Year 12 student from Brisbane, Isaac Robinson, is the 2023 Young Historian of the Year.
The Brisbane Grammar School student has been awarded the title for his outstanding essay and video on ‘The Collapse of the USSR’ to the National History Challenge.
Isaac and the 21 winners were recognised for their independent research and critical thinking skills.
Students from primary school through to Year 12 researched their chosen topic under the theme of ‘Change and Continuity’.
More than 6,500 students from more than 700 schools entered this year, the highest number since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian Government is providing $568,000 to support the History Teachers’ Association of Australia to host the challenge over four years to 2025.
A full list of 2023 winners is available at: https://historychallenge.org.au/2023-winners
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“Understanding history helps us to question, to analyse to interpret, to connect the dots.
“It helps us to better understand the world we live in today and who we are.
“Isaac’s essay examining the USSR was a standout entry and he should be very proud of what he has achieved.
“Congratulations Isaac, and all the winners of this year’s awards, their teachers and their schools.”
Category | Name | Title | School | State |
National Young Historian | Isaac Robinson | The Collapse of the USSR | Brisbane Grammar School | QLD |
Year Level 11-12 | Isaac Robinson | The Collapse of the USSR | Brisbane Grammar School | QLD |
Year Level 10 | Olivia Tsigaropolous | The Torch of Tradition | Casimir Catholic College | NSW |
Year Level 9 | Ruby Rubinstein | How has Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activism changed throughout the twentieth century? | Ascham School | NSW |
Year Level 8 | Anabel Liu-Mu | News Across Time | Ruyton Girls’ School | VIC |
Year Level 7 | Grace Genford | The Change and Continuity of Women in Theatre | Clarence High School | TAS |
Year Level 5-6 | Ava Percy | Australian Women in Sport | Howrah Primary School | TAS |
Asia and Australia | Selina Chen | Reforms and legacies of the Whitlam government | Sydney Girls High School | NSW |
Democracy | Abbey Quinlan | Inclusive Democracy | Victory Lutheran College | VIC |
Sport | Emma Choi | An Olympic Gold Medal for a Country Not His Own – Marathoner Sohn Kee Chung | Loreto College Marryatville | SA |
Women’s History | Grace Genford | The Change and Continuity of Women in Theatre | Clarence High School | TAS |
Indigenous | Ethan Widjaja | The Great Australian Silence | Perth Modern School | WA |
Australia’s Wartime Experiences | Micah Andrews | Cyril Emerson Hughes | Emmanuel Christian School | TAS |
Using Primary Sources | Olivia Tsigaropolous | The Torch of Tradition | Casimir Catholic College | NSW |
Museum Exhibit | Arlo Temple | Bikinis and Beach Bans – The continuity and change of Australian beach culture and how it reflects our evolving sense of morality. | Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School | NSW |
ACT Young Historian | Victor Ni | The Asia Pacific Legacy- Change and Continuity in the Australian Macassan Trade | Canberra Grammar School | ACT |
NSW Young Historian | Joy Ye | From the Great Southern Land to the Land of the Rising Sun | Pymble Ladies’ College | NSW |
NT Young Historian | Monishi Rangchak Tripura | Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord 1997 | Darwin High School | NT |
QLD Young Historian | Isaac Robinson | The Collapse of the USSR | Brisbane Grammar School | QLD |
SA Young Historian | Emma Choi | An Olympic Gold Medal for a Country Not His Own – Marathoner Sohn Kee Chung | Loreto College Marryatville | SA |
TAS Young Historian | Grace Genford | The Change and Continuity of Women in Theatre | Clarence High School | TAS |
VIC Young Historian | Anabel Liu-Mu | News Across Time | Ruyton Girls’ School | VIC |
WA Young Historian | Ethan Widjaja | The Great Australian Silence | Perth Modern School | WA |