Award Programs – District 22

International and District Awards

Zonta International has developed the Amelia Earhart Fellowships program, the Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award (formerly the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships), the Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award (formerly the Young Women in Public Affairs Award) and the Zonta Women in STEM Award (formerly the Women in Technology Scholarship) as a strategy to achieve its mission of Building a Better World for Women and Girls. All four awards are offered annually at an international level to assist and recognise the achievements of women, and apart from the Amelia Earhart Fellowships, the awards are also offered at Club and District level.  To Find out more about the Zonta International Education Awards  Click here

To read more about our previous award winners at District and International level Click Here

2025 District Zonta Young Women in Business Leadership Award

District 22 congratulates Francesca Goodman-Smith, nominated by Zonta Club of Brisbane as the winner of the district Women in Business Leadership award.
She wins $2000 and her application will be forwarded to Zonta International for a chance to win an international award of $10000 USD.
Francesca is the Research, Development and Extension Director at End Food Waste Australia (EFWA). She leads a research portfolio designed to reduce, transform, and understand behaviours to combat food waste. She is also currently Acting Industry Action Director, responsible for the Australian Food Pact food waste voluntary agreement program. Prior to joining EFWA she worked as Waste Minimisation Manager for Foodstuffs NZ, New Zealand’s largest grocery retailer. Francesca works globally across the sector, having co-chaired the Standards Committee for the pioneering Upcycled certification in the USA and her recent Churchill Fellowship which saw her travel to the USA, UK and Europe to investigate upcycled food opportunities.

2025 District and Zonta International Young Women in Leadership Award

Congratulations to Allegra Nutley, nominated by the Zonta Club of Brisbane Inc, on her success at District and Zonta Internal levels. Allegra is a high achiever academically completing the International Baccalaureate program at the Queensland Academy of Health Sciences on the Gold Coast last year. She then successfully applied for a scholarship to Bond University and recently completed her first semester of Business Law this year with a Distinction. Allegra has a strong interest in business and believes this is where her studies will lead but community involvement will always be a strong component of what she does in life. While completing her Baccalaureate last year she also undertook a business extension program offered by Bond University. Through this she identified a gap in financial literacy amongst school-aged students and true to form she set about change. Undeterred by initial reluctance by some, Allegra sought involvement from Bond University to help organise a Personal Finance Session for the wider student population and parents. Her meticulous planning and organisation led to a highly successful event, impressing Bond University and Academy teachers alike praising her initiative, determination and ability to drive change. Advocacy for women and girls in STEM education and professions also has featured in her extra-curricular involvement. As a STEM mentor at the Academy, she fostered younger students transitioning to secondary school encouraging their interest in STEM subjects. She also participated in a Women’s Leadership Development Day with the Australian Defence Force and a Women in Engineering event at Griffith University. Last year she received an Outstanding Student in STEM Scholarship Award from the Peter Doherty Trust. Her interest in women and girls’ advancement also has a global focus. In 2023 she obtained sponsorship from the Rockefeller Foundation to attend the Women Deliver conference in Rwanda. She was the youngest sponsored delegate meeting world leaders such as Malala Yousafzai and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Allegra says her commitment to, and love of volunteering started as a Nipper with the Surf lifesaving movement but not merely by turning up to participate in activities. Rather, the volunteering component encouraged by her mother included helping with event set- up and pack-up as well as fundraising drives selling raffle tickets, car washing and other activities. As a teenager now highly trained in surf lifesaving, Allegra’s volunteering has included beach patrolling and other water safety duties run by surf lifesaving clubs and at her school. She has also been involved in a range of citizen science projects as a team leader and mentor on whale watching expeditions and in land-based projects such as Turtle Watch, Tree Planting at the Spit and Ocean Clean Up Day. A people person concerned with the welfare of others, Allegra has fundraised for and volunteered with support services such as St John’s Crisis Centre on the Gold Coast, the Qld Cancer Council, Rotary’s Youth program of Enrichment, Trek for Rec running programs helping those with disabilities complete runs ranging from 1km to 10km.Allegra’s wide-ranging volunteering has been officially recognised with a Queensland Youth Volunteer of the Year award. She was one of the three 2024 finalists. She also completed her Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award last year.

2024 District and Zonta International JMK Women in Business Scholarship Winner

We congratulate Jenny Luong, nominated by Zonta Club of Brisbane on winning the district award. She is studying Finance and Economics at UQ. From her submission: I am an advocate for initiative and taking chances and so, I participated in the EY NextGen Women Competition and successfully placed as a regional finalist for Queensland; this opportunity really opened my eyes to challenging traditional ways of thinking and asking questions to drive perspectives and growth. Financial independence lies with knowledge and in collaboration with the University of New South Wales, a team of seven UQ students (including myself) are seeking to launch the first ever UQ Real Estate Investment Student Association. My plans are to showcase and bring about opportunities for students to understand more about the investment side of real estate, private equity and advisory; I will also be able to broaden my understanding of different investment classes and improve my financial knowledge through seminar, panels, and networking events

2024 Young Women in Public Affairs Award

Congratulations to Mary Do on being announced as a 2024 Zonta International and the District 22 YWPA winner.  Mary attends the Queensland Academy for Science, Maths and Technology and was nominated by the Zonta Club of Brisbane North Inc. Mary is interested in pursuing a career in healthcare or education, as they are avenues for service, advocacy, and empowerment, especially for women and girls. Having immigrated from Vietnam, a developing country, she understands how limited education can hinder an individual’s future, which has fuelled her passion for teaching. Therefore, as a teacher, she believes she could empower girls by providing them with the necessary tools to pursue their dreams and bridge the gender gap. Similarly, as a healthcare professional, she could promote female representation in the field, inspiring other young girls whilst simultaneously advocating for women’s health. Ultimately, these professions will allow her to pay forward the education opportunities she has been given. Mary intends to maintain her current volunteer commitments as well as join the Charlie’s Angels team at Prince Charles Hospital in the future, so she can gain both valuable healthcare experience and provide compassionate patient support and services. For  the past four years, she has volunteered as a cashier at Citipointe Marketplace, an op-shop offering emergency food assistance to vulnerable individuals,  is a volunteer tutor at eTutorsProject, participated in the Ekka Strawberry Sundae Stall for the past two years, raising funds for medical research and attended the annual Youth Roundtable during Queensland Youth Week, where she advocated for issues such as mental health support, female representation in the community, and the importance of equal access to high-quality education. Overall, these experiences have improved her advocacy skills and shaped her into a more compassionate and empathic individual.

2023 Women in STEM Scholarship

Congratulations to Shayna Spencer a Zonta International Women in STEM scholarship winner.

Shayna is a fourth-year student at Griffith University (Gold Coast, Australia) pursuing a dual degree in mechanical engineering and industrial design. Prior to starting her degree, she explored various industries trying to find her passions. She loved problem-solving, math and science and wanted to work in a field where she was working toward addressing climate change.
Meeting an engineer in her mid-20s inspired Shayna to pursue engineering. She has consistently excelled in her courses, receiving academic excellence awards each year and gaining admission to the prestigious Griffith Honours College, which comprises the top two percent of students. During her academic journey, Shayna discovered a deep passion for teamwork, learning from others and collaborative efforts. Beyond the classroom, she actively engages in extracurricular activities to work with diverse teams and contribute to positive change. Recognizing the gender gap in engineering, and the importance of diversity of thought when working toward complex global challenges, Shayna took on the role as chair of the Griffith University Women in Engineering club in the second trimester of her studies. In this capacity, she has led initiatives to support, encourage and celebrate women in engineering and those aspiring to join the field. Her efforts were recognized with the Griffith University Student Guild Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. Shayna is eagerly looking forward to completing her degree and applying the knowledge and experiences she has gained to work toward a better future and contribute to sustainable solutions through engineering.

2023 District and Zonta International JMK Women in Business Scholarship Winner

Congratulations Tara McCarthy on being the 2023 winner of this scholarship.  Tara was nominated by the Zonta Club of Brisbane Inc. Tara is the recipient of a QUT Business School Deans Honors Award 2021, 2022 and QUT Executive Deans’ Commendation for Academic Excellence. She showed entrepreneurial talents from a young age, with early inspiration to be a business leader, becoming Moreton Bay College Captain and Public Speaking Captain in 2020. Her academic leadership and community achievements during her schooling are impressive. She actively seeks additional development opportunities: six month (2022-23) in Netherlands on an exchange program studying Designing Sustainability Transitions at Delft Technological University – providing her with direct business client contact experience including making future business recommendations. She works part time (2-3 days weekly) with Business Models Inc (BMI) a global business innovation and strategy firm where she has displayed natural talents in entrepreneurship and communications juggling priorities and delivering high-quality products within tight deadlines.

2023 District and International Young Women in Public Affairs Winner

Charlotte Gillies, the Brisbane Zonta Club Young Women in Public Affairs award recipient, is one of 31 recipients around the world to receive an international YWPA award and one of only three Australians. She will receive $5000 US for her international award. Studying International Security at the Australian National University, Charlotte won the club award in recognition of her service to the community and alignment with the objectives of Zonta International. A former student at Hillbrook Anglican School, Charlotte was involved in school governance on student council, as a participant in UN activities and a key member of the school’s Z club.

 

2022 District and International JM Klausman Women in Business Scholarship

Congratulations to Clare Isaac who has been announced as the District 22 and ZI JMK Klausman Women in Business Scholarship Winner for 2022. Clare is studying Business at the Queensland University of Technology and was nominated by the Zonta Club of Brisbane Inc.

 

2022 District 22 Young Women in Public Affairs Award Winner

Mahsa Nabizada, nominated by the Zonta Club of Toowoomba Area Inc has been announced as our 2022 District winner. Mahsa is in her final year at Fairholme College, Toowoomba. Her connection to community volunteer programs is to be commended, her initiative with the Regional council projects are an example of this, a School back pack project providing packs to newly arrived students to help them settle in to the new format of Australian schooling, and her Youth Group Networking project has seen the many of support groups in Toowoomba meet and understand each other’s purpose, with a day session to be able to pool resources providing a platform of networking. Mahsa has been actively involved with her community, producing a Persian Program on FM102.7, being a volunteer for Pure Land learning college association and Youth Peace Leader. Mahsa will be a member of the Australian delegation to the International Interfaith Peace Conference Malaysia this year.  We wish Mahsa all the best as her nomination is now considered at the International level.