Prize Recipients Announced for the 2026 Kathleen Gorham Awards
Images: Belinda Strodder Photography
The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is pleased to announce the prize recipients for the Kathleen Gorham Awards 2026, held on Sunday 16 August at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) in Melbourne.
The Kathleen Gorham Memorial Awards provide RAD students with opportunities to build confidence in performance, gain valuable stage experience and develop skills to prepare for future competitions. Students from Intermediate Foundation through to Solo Seal participated in classes and performances, with finalists selected from each vocational level before performing their variation for an audience.
Students had the opportunity to learn from and be assessed by an exceptional panel of leading dance professionals. Classes were taught by Deborah Johnson, an experienced ballet educator, coach, adjudicator and RAD Examiner with more than 30 years of experience, while the adjudication panel comprised Wendy Holt, RAD Examiner; Claire Phipps, Academy of Queensland Ballet; and Lucinda Dunn, former Principal Artist with The Australian Ballet and educator at The Australian Ballet School.
The expertise of the teaching and adjudication panel reflects the high standard of training and performance opportunities the RAD provides for its students.
Adjudicator Claire Phipps reflected:
“It was a joy adjudicating the Kathleen Gorham Awards, and I left feeling inspired for the future of dance in Australia. What impressed me was the dancer’s willingness to push themselves through class content and experiment with their artistry in their variations. I witnessed a maturity and professionalism beyond their years, which is by no means common or indeed expected. I look forward to following and engaging with these dancers as they forge into the industry.”
Results – 2026 Kathleen Gorham Awards
Intermediate Foundation
Winner: Kayla Sun – Point Cook Performance Arts
Runner Up: Ava Wang – Brian Nolan Academy of Dance
Artistry Award: Amy (ShiWen) Su – Jiayin Masterclass
Encouragement Award: Ellie Clark – Expressions Ballet Academy
Intermediate
Winner: Emily Hu – Brian Nolan Academy of Dance
Runner Up: Blake Robertson – VCASS
Artistry Award: Lucy Hawkins – VCASS
Encouragement Award: Harper Luong – Academy of Dance Australia
Advanced Foundation
Winner: Claudia Westrup – The National Ballet School
Runner Up: Luke Jonisuke Holt – VCASS
Artistry Award: Tim Cheng – Jiayin Masterclass
Encouragement Award: Henry Forbes – Expressions Ballet Academy
Advanced 1
Winner: Jasper Zajacek-Tieu – VCASS
Runner Up: Stella Bateman – Jane Moore Academy of Ballet
Artistry Award: Swiss Strickland – Expressions Ballet Academy
Encouragement Award: Fletcher Thomas – The National Ballet School
Advanced 2 & Solo Seal
Winner: Eden-Rose Driver – VCASS
Runner Up: Ella Eastoe – VCASS
Artistry Award: Thomas Smithers – Jane Moore Academy of Ballet
Encouragement Award: Chloe Lahood – VCASS
Overall Award Winner
For the second year in a row, Milla Calyk has been named the Kathleen Gorham Overall Winner and recipient of the $1,000 Kathleen Gorham Memorial Award Scholarship.
Additional Special Awards & Scholarships
- Martin Rubinstein Most Potential Award: Luke Jonisuke Holt – VCASS
- Paul Hammond Encouragement Award: Swiss Strickland – Expressions Ballet Academy
- Australian Ballet School Scholarship: Claudia Westrup – The National Ballet School
- Sydney Dance Company Scholarship: Zara Azzopardi – The National Ballet School
- Academy of Queensland Ballet Scholarships: Henry Forbes – Expressions Ballet Academy and Jasper Zajacek-Tieu – VCASS
Congratulations to all students who participated in the 2026 Kathleen Gorham Awards, with particular recognition to the finalists and prize recipients for their dedication, artistry and commitment.
RAD Australia also extends its sincere thanks to our adjudicators, class teacher, event volunteers and the Regional Advisory Panel of Victoria & Tasmania for helping make this year’s Awards a success. We gratefully acknowledge our event sponsors and donors as well as our National Sponsors—Bloch Australia, Energetiks and Capezio—for their ongoing support of RAD events and opportunities for young dancers.
