National Excellence Award Winners

    • Mentoring - MREC
    • SWF - Feb-Mar
  • National Excellence Awards 2024 Winners

    The AASW congratulates our 2024 National Excellence Award winners for their outstanding contributions to social work.

    Social Work Student of the Year

    Cel Ileva

    Cel Ileva is a Master of Social Work student at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). Cel has represented UniSC as the International Student Group Co-Chair and Student Representative of the School of Law and Society. Cel’s essay ‘Engaging and Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ discusses a lack of cultural understanding in schools and highlights a disconnect between social work theory and educational practice. It demonstrates a link between Australian Evaluation Society (AES) Culturally Safe Evaluation, Wiradyuri, and IAHA Frameworks to the literature and aligning them with the profession’s values and AASW Practice Standards.

    Social Work Researcher of the Year

    Dimitra Lattas

    Dimitra (Dimi) Lattas is an early career social work academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast, passionate about advancing forensic social work education in Australia. Dimi’s research specialises in pedagogy and developing innovative educational practices that reflect industry expectations. As the first multi-national study, her paper informs and inspires how forensic social work is taught and applied globally. It presents an evidenced-based and innovative discussion of forensic education, regulation, and accreditation.

    Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Social Worker of the Year

    Associate Professor Caroline Atkinson

    Associate Professor Caroline (Carlie) Atkinson, a proud Bunjalung and Yiman woman and accredited Social Work with a PhD, is a nationally and internationally recognised advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As an international leader in complex trauma and Indigenous healing practices, she has championed culturally responsive interventions that have reshaped how social work is practiced internationally.

    Social Worker of the Year

    Mishma Kumar-Jonson

    As a social work practitioner Mishma (Mish) Kumar-Jonson embodies core social work values of integrity, empathy, respect, social justice and service. As a non-binary queer clinician of colour, Mish has redefined for many what therapy looks like by fully affirming each participants’ identity and resilience. Advocating for mental health social workers, Mish has worked with prominent organisations such as Beyond Blue, Mental Health Victoria, and Eating Disorders Victoria to highlight the essential role that social workers play in mental health support. By bringing attention to the unique skills social workers contribute, Mish strived to ensure that social work is recognised as a critical component of Australia’s mental health landscape.

    Congratulations to all shortlisted nominees for 2024:

    Social Work Student of the Year 2024
    Trent Kooyman 

    Social Work Researcher of the Year 2024
    Associate Professor Ines Zuchowski 

    Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island Social Worker of the Year 2024
    Breanna Langenbaker
    Ken Brown
    Iesha Nixon 

    Social Worker of the Year 2024
    Eliza Pike
    Pamela Pazmino Espin
    Gary (Tao) Xia
    Atlanta Blount
    Nina Azam
    Bekah Hayes
    Josephine Lee
    Sally Rhodes
    Justine Brogna
    Mark Pavilach
    Latha Vikraman
    Patricia McDonald
    Professor Tanya Robinson
    Paula Johnstone