Scholarships & Awards

Zonta’s scholarship program operates at the local, national and International level.

Adelaide High School  and Mitcham Girls High School Year 11/12 Scholarships

Each year, a Year 11 girl is nominated by the school and receives a $1,000 scholarship. Contingent on her success she is eligible to continue to receive the scholarship again in Year 12.

Criteria for selection includes academic merit, financial need and personal commitment to community service.
Recent recipients are:

The University of Adelaide Honours Scholarship

The winner is selected by a panel including the Chair of the Zonta Club of Adelaide’s Award Committee. It takes into account the applicant’s academic achievements and the quality, depth and usefulness of her post-graduate research. The scholarship is presented at an annual Awards Ceremony for all post graduate and undergraduate scholarship winners at the University of Adelaide.

An annual scholarship of $3,000 is awarded each year to a female graduate of the University of Adelaide’s School of Science and Engineering undertaking an Honours course. This award was initiated in 1975 as an open Fellowship Award granted to women to enable them to continue in an aspect of their chosen profession. In 2007, this became The University of Adelaide Honours Scholarship Program.

The purpose of the scholarship is to support a female student undertaking studies in maths, science or engineering to encourage more women to study subjects which have been traditionally male dominated.

Recent recipients include:

2011    Phiala Shanahan: Application of theoretical particle physics to dark matter
2012   Michelle Cruickshank: Synthesisation of a natural product shown to have anti-cancer properties
2013   Natalie Nateran: Identificaiton of causative mutations in three dominantly inherited rare diseases
2014   Madeline Boorman:  Petroleum Geology and Geophysics 2015
2015  Victoria Ludlow:  Role of motor signalling in Dental Pulp Cells
2016  Samantha Newell: Role of cognitively enriched lifestyles on neuroplasticity
2017  Ellen Swan:
2018  Melpomene Tantalos: Refugee Trauma

Zonta Club of Adelaide Community Development Award

This grant of $3000 assists full time female students of the University of South Australia to contribute to community development projects in Australia or overseas and must demonstrate clear outcomes which benefit women in a disadvantaged community. The funds are to be used for travel and financial assistance when undertaking the project.   The grant is open to undergraduate and post graduate course work, continuing students undertaking short term study, short term placement or participating in a study tour. Preference may be given to projects in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community, South East Asia or a Pacific Island nation.

Women Of Achievement

The Zonta Club of Adelaide recognises women who have made unique and noteworthy contributions in the community by advancing the status of women and demonstrating initiative, leadership, impact, commitment, personal achievement and success. Nominations are made by club members to the club’s Awards Committee who then make the final selection.

The Awards Night is a prestigious event held at the Adelaide Town Hall where the Mayor of Adelaide welcomes the guests and presents the certificates.

Congratulations to the following women who received an award in 2017:

• Prof Fiona Arney  Child Protection and the Community
• Prof Emerita Anne Edwards AO  Education and Community Service
• Jacqui McGill  Mining Engineering
• Dr Leanna Reid  Science
• Prof Karen Reynolds Biomedical Engineering
• Dr Alice Rigney  Aboriginal Education
• Jo Stuart Rattray  Technology
• Hon Kelly Vincent  Human Rights
• Prof Kerryn Williams AC  Health

Amelia Earhart Fellowship Award

The Zonta International Foundation Amelia Fellowship was established in 1938 in honour of Amelia Earhart, famed pilot and Zontian. These Fellowships are open to women of all nationalities enrolled in a PhD/doctoral program at an institution offering fully accredited graduate courses and degrees in aerospace-related sciences and engineering. Each annual fellowship is valued at US$10,000 and is awarded to 35 women around the globe. Since the program’s inception, Zonta has awarded 1,403 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totalling US$8.3 million, to women in 687 countries. 31 Australian women have been awarded a fellowship. Each summer, the Zonta Club of Adelaide hosts a breakfast in the parklands to raise funds for the fellowship. There is no local award for this fellowship. Applicants apply directly to Zonta International. More information can be found on the Zonta International website zonta.org

Jane M Klausman Women in Business Scholarship

Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce; however, gender equality is not yet a reality in senior management and corporate boardrooms around the world. To encourage more women to pursue education and careers in business, Zonta International established the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship. Zonta International offers up to 32 scholarships of US$2,000 each at the district/region level and six international scholarships of US$8,000 each. Scholarships are awarded annually to women pursuing undergraduate or master’s degrees in business management. Since the program’s inception, Zonta has awarded 527 Scholarships, totalling more than US$1.2 million, to 397 women representing 56 countries.

More information can be found on the Zonta International website zonta.org

Young Women in Public Affairs Award

In 1995, when the Beijing Platform for Action was adopted, the global average proportion of women in parliament was just 11 percent. As of 1 December 2018 women hold 24 percent of seats in the world’s national parliaments. Many barriers to women’s political participation and gender parity in political representation still remain across the globe. Recognizing that to bring about sustainable changes that benefit all of humanity, women must have equal participation in the decision-making process, Zonta International established the Young Women in Public Affairs Award in 1990.Established in 1990. This Award honours young women aged 16 to 19 who demonstrate a commitment to leadership in public policy, government and volunteer organisations. The program operates at the Zonta club, district and international levels. Zonta clubs provide awards for club recipients, and district and international awards are funded by the Zonta International Foundation. Ten international scholarships of US$4,000  and up to 32 district/region scholarships of US$1,500 are awarded each year. Applications must be submitted through a Zonta club. More information can be found on the Zonta International website zonta.org

Since the program’s inception, Zonta has given 888 awards (includes international awards), totaling US$924,750, to 756 young women representing 56 countries. More information can be found on the Zonta International website zonta.

In 2018 Shibra Shujaat was nominated by the Zonta Club of Adelaide for the District 23 Award and went on to win a Zonta International Award.

Women in Technology Scholarship

A new Zonta International Women in Technology Scholarship has been introduced to encourage women to pursue education, career opportunities and leadership roles in technology. Materials for the first round of this scholarship are now available.

Women pursuing an information technology (IT) degree or closely related program, who demonstrate outstanding potential in the field, are eligible to apply. More information can be found on the Zonta International website zonta.org