Applications open Monday 15 August and close at 11:59pm on Sunday 16 October 2022.
To enter, students can apply in the form of:
- Essay
- Short story
- Audio/video presentation
- Musical composition or artwork.
Please note: Applicants must submit a statement of intent with any non-essay entries.
All students must be supported by their parent/carer and principal.
Submit your application online via the
Smarty Grants Application. Successful applicants will be notified in November 2022
Application criteria
Applications must be related to the theme and be:
- the student's own work with no assistance from their family, school staff or friends
- compliant with copyright laws and include references (where applicable)
- supported in writing by the student's parent/carer using the
PSoD 2022 Parent Carer Declaration and Copyright Permission Form (docx - 1.54mb)
- supported in writing by the student's principal using the PSoD 2022 Principal Statement and Declaration Form
- in English
- in one of the specified formats outlined below, and
- submitted by the given deadline via the online platform noting that:
- all written entries and statements of intent must be submitted as a word or pdf file, using Arial 11 font with 1.5 spacing between lines. Word count does not include references or footnotes.
- all artwork must be submitted as an image file
- file size must not exceed 25MB. Entries, such as video or audio submissions, which exceed the file size can be uploaded to a public website (such as YouTube) and the url link can be attached as a pdf or word document.
Specified formats
Competition entries must be in one of the following specified formats:
- an essay up to 800 words
- a short story or another literary format up to 800 words
- an audio presentation, such as a podcast (maximum 5 minutes)
- a video presentation, such as a short film or dance (maximum 5 minutes)
- a musical composition, such as an original song (maximum 5 minutes)
- an artwork (painting, drawing, photograph, textile or other art form).
Note: applications which exceed the word or time limit will be assessed only up until the prescribed limit is reached.
Statement of intent
Students submitting a non-essay entry must also submit a statement of intent (up to 200 words). It will be assessed in conjunction with the submission against the assessment criteria and should indicate:
- how the research/exploration was conducted;
- how the entry responds to the research, topic and overarching themes;
- an explanation of the form, audience, purpose and context of the entry;
- overall conclusions on the topic.
Theme for 2022-23
Drawing on classical Greek thinkers and reformers such as Cleisthenes and Solon, students should prepare their competition entry responding to the following prompt:
Democracy is a channel to change that exists far beyond the ballot box and walls of parliament. Change makers are ordinary people that can make extraordinary change. Young people are uniquely placed to hold the world to account and drive change from a new perspective. Discuss, in relation to one or more of the below:
- The ideas of Ancient Greek philosophers, thinkers, reformers or lawmakers,
- A historical or current issue or campaign,
- A historical or current change maker or leader in the local, national or global community,
- Recent or historical law reform in Australian local, state, or federal jurisdictions.
The Department has put together a list of helpful resources to assist students with their initial research on the theme for 2022-23. Please note, these resources will need to be included in the bibliography if utilised.
PSoD 2022 Helpful Resources (pdf - 581.97kb)
Assessment criteria
Applications will be assessed against the criteria as follows:
1. Knowledge and understanding (25%)
- Demonstrates understanding of the origins and nature of democracy as a channel to change and its influence on modern Victorian or Australian society.
- Demonstrates understanding and examples of change making and identifies the place of young people in this process.
2. Exploration and analysis of the topic (25%)
Provides an original commentary on the topic that is supported by a relevant example or examples in one or more of the below:
- The ideas of Ancient Greek philosophers, thinkers, reformers or lawmakers
- A historical or current issue or campaign
- A historical or current change maker or leader in the local, national or global community
- Recent or historical law reform in Australian local, state, or federal jurisdictions.
3. Demonstration of research (20%)
Has clear and logical links to the topic including links to classical Greek thinkers and reformers such as Solon and Cleisthenes. The submission draws from a range of sources and cites these in a bibliography.
4. Shows creativity and innovation (30%)
Shows creativity and originality in the process followed or the product produced.
Entries will be assessed on merit and will also consider access and equity considerations ensuring a gender balance, inclusion of students from lower-income families, students from rural and regional areas, and representation from government, Catholic and independent schools. Student applications will be short-listed by an expert panel. Winning entries will be decided by the department. This decision will be final.
PSoD Changemakers
Successful applicants may choose to take part in a PSoD Changemakers initiative as part of the program. The initiative allows students to lead and implement a school improvement project and present it to their school council. Each project will need to showcase civics and citizenship as well amplifying student voice and agency in the school community. Further information and support material will be provided to the successful schools for consideration. Schools may choose to opt-out of this part of the program.