Local Students Celebrate Everyday Heroes: AVWA and Killester College Announce Winners of International Women’s Day Competition

SPRINGVALE, VICTORIA – 6 March 2026 – The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA), in partnership with Killester College, is proud to announce the winners of the "She Inspires Me" Photography and Reflection Competition, held in celebration of International Women’s Day.

The collaborative initiative invited students to reflect on the women who have had a meaningful impact on their lives. Students submitted photographs of family members, teachers, mentors, or community figures, accompanied by short written reflections. The theme encouraged young people to highlight women whose strength, hard work, and influence often go unnoticed in everyday life.

All entries were carefully evaluated by a judging panel of four, from AVWA and Killester College staff.

Congratulations to our Winners:

First Prize ($1,000 Gift Card)

• Winner: Mikaela Reuben - Lola

• Reflection: “Through her quiet strength, selfless love, and unwavering faith, she inspires me to live with purpose and beauty.”

Second Prize ($500 Gift Card)

• Winner: Keira Ly - Master Stella

• Reflection: “As my instructor, she pushes me beyond my limits and encourages me when I’m not at my best. Because of her, I stand taller — in sport and in life.”

Encouragement Awards (5 x $50 Gift Cards) Congratulations to our five Encouragement Award recipients, whose beautiful submissions also deeply moved the judges:

• Ava-Jayne Pallan

• Wendy Nguyen

• Krisha Kancharla

• Connia Phan

• Sarah Nguyen

"AVWA is committed to empowering women and celebrating their contributions across all walks of life," said Nicky Chung, CEO of AVWA. "Storytelling through images and words is a powerful way to honour women, especially those whose strength is expressed quietly and humbly. We were incredibly inspired by the submissions from the students at Killester College, which beautifully recognise the everyday heroes shaping their journeys."

Maree Edwards, Teacher at Killester College, said the competition highlighted the thoughtful and heartfelt way students responded to the theme. 

“We would like to thank the AWVA for initiating this competition for Killester College students and for their generous sponsorship. We were impressed by all the students who entered, each showcasing a woman who inspired them in a heartfelt way. In judging the photo competition, we looked for a distinctive image taken by the student themselves, paired with a caption that truly captured the spirit of the theme ‘She Inspires Me.’ The winning photo and caption beautifully achieved this — it was not only original and creative but had an emotional impact. We commend all our entrants for taking the time to participate in this competition. We look forward to your entries in 2027”

To mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, 8 March, the winning entries and other select submissions will be exhibited at Killester College throughout March and at AVWA’s Springvale Office from April onwards. 

AVWA is also currently in discussions with the local Council to potentially display the students' work to the broader community.

-ENDS-

Media Contact

Nicky Chung

CEO

Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone number 0475 871 589

For more information about AVWA please visit https://avwa.org.au/en/

AVWA

The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA) is a values based, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the health, wellbeing, and empowerment of community members. AVWA has 438 employees, 4 offices in Victoria, and five program areas – Family and Children Services, Training and Vocational Services, Aged and Disability Services, Health and Community Wellbeing and Cultural and Language Services.