The StuditaliA Awards Ceremony 2025

On Wednesday 3 December 2025 there was an air of excitement at the Premiers’ Hall in the Parliamentary Annexe as invited guests began arriving in anticipation of the StuditaliA Prize Awards Ceremony. The event recurs annually and is run by Global Engagement at the Queensland Department of Education under the patronage of the Italian Consulate Brisbane.

Way back in 1994, the then Italian Consul put forward the idea of rewarding excellence among Year 12 students studying Italian in Queensland schools. Over the ensuing 30 years, hundreds of successful candidates have been awarded the prize of a month-long all expenses paid trip to Italy with the opportunity of attending an Italian high school. This year’s winners will be hosted at the “Convitto Paolo Diacono” boarding school in the picturesque town of Cividale del Friuli (near the city of Udine).

In the majestic Premier’s Hall, the six StuditaliA 2025 prizewinners took their seats alongside the Consul of Italy Luna Angelini Marinucci, the Honorable John-Paul Langbroek, Minister for Education and the Arts, as well as illustrious representatives of the Brisbane Italian community, parents, teachers and friends. Master of Ceremonies Susan Brook (Acting Director Global Engagement, Dept of Education), warmly welcomed guests then proceeded to call up the StuditaliA recipients and their chaperone Amanda Krennedy, Senior Italian teacher at Kelvin Grove State College, to receive their awards.

The star attraction at the event was a musical performance by Louise Whittaker who demonstrated her operatic talent by singing ‘Sì, ma d’un altro amore’ by Mozart and ‘Ridonami la calma’ by Tosti. Louise, herself a former StuditaliA winner, congratulated the winners and wished them well as they embark on this life-changing trip.

On behalf of the winners, Leonard Cavallaro of Kelvin Grove State College thanked the organisers and sponsors of StuditaliA for continuing to offer such a worthwhile prize and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to further their knowledge of Italian language and culture.

Co.As.It. Community Services Ltd and its division Italian Language Centre (ILC) is a major sponsor of the StuditaliA Prize. The StuditaliA Prize is an esteemed annual award that celebrates the exceptional achievements of Queensland students in Italian language learning. The prize is delivered by the Queensland Government’s Department of Education International in collaboration with the Consulate of Italy in Brisbane and the Italian community. To find out more about the StuditaliA Prize click here: Queensland Government Education – Italy: StuditaliA Prize.

 ILC offers Italian language classes for all ages and levels and supports Italian programs in Queensland schools.