Excellence in Action: Mannix Residents Deliver Outstanding Semester 1, 2026 Results

The Academic Award Winners’ Portrait: Award recipients gathered in the Junior Common Room for the annual Academic Award Winners’ Portrait – commemorating their hard work in style.

Mannix College proudly recognised its top academic performers from Semester 1, 2026 at its Academic Awards Formal Dinner. Joined by residents, Academic Guides, staff, and distinguished guests, the evening celebrated the dedication, discipline, and scholarly achievements of the community.

In total, the College celebrated 51 residents, presenting 10 recipients with the prestigious Knox Scholarships and recognising 41 residents with Academic Excellence Awards for achieving a High Distinction average (80+ WAM).

The overall average grade achieved by Mannix residents remains at a Distinction, averaging 70.4, continuing to comfortably exceed the Monash University average and reinforcing Mannix’s reputation as a thriving residential academic hub.

From Ideas to Impact

The college welcomed Sarah Mander to give the keynote presentation. Sarah is a purpose-led leader with a background in communications and engagement. She has worked across higher education, sustainable development, the startup ecosystem, and diversity and inclusion in Australia and the UK.

She now leads the Generator at Monash, her work focuses on building pathways from ideas to impact, with experience spanning entrepreneurship, innovation, impact and startups.

Sarah set six challenges to inspire residents to think beyond their academic results and consider the journey of discovery, the importance of making and then learning from mistakes, and to seize opportunities: 

Be curious

“Ask more questions. Take the class that doesn’t obviously fit your degree. Go down the Wikipedia or TikTok rabbit hole. Talk to someone whose perspective you don’t understand.”

Have a bias toward action

“You will learn far more from doing something imperfectly than from paralysing yourself trying to get it right.”

Reframe the problem

“When something isn’t working, ask yourself whether you’re actually looking at the right problem.”

Remember that it is a process

“You do not need a master plan. In fact, I’d be slightly suspicious of anyone who has one at 19”

Practise radical collaboration

“Despite all the awards that have been given out tonight, here I am telling you that you do not know everything… Find mentors. Find peers. Find people who see the world differently to you”

Choose well

“This isn’t about finding the perfect option. It’s about generating possibilities, making the best choice you can with the information you have, and then committing to it”

Supporting Student Success

The College remains committed to providing residents with the environment and tools needed to excel. Initiatives such as the weekly StudyFest, our Tuesday evening in-person academic workshops, alongside one-on-one support, continue to bridge university studies with supportive residential living, ensuring all residents can perform at their best.

Mannix congratulates all award recipients and the wider resident cohort on their sustained effort and academic growth throughout Semester 1, 2026.

Knox Scholars

The Knox Scholarships are named in memory of Cardinal James Robert Knox, Archbishop of Melbourne from 1967–1974, who blessed and laid the College’s foundation stone on 23 May 1968. Awarded to the highest-performing resident in each faculty, recipients receive a $1,000 prize, generously supported by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.

• Joel Hanness – Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
• Bella Campbell – Faculty of Arts
• Henry Buckley – Faculty of Business and Economics
• Alex Aidt – Faculty of Education
• Hannah Morpeth – Faculty of Engineering
• Ankul Sidana – Faculty of Information Technology
• Alex Batchelor – Faculty of Law
• Nick Heerey – Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science
• Brodie Graham – Faculty of Science
• Annie Grave – Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Academic Excellence Awards

Awarded to residents who achieved an overall High Distinction average in their Semester 1, 2026 studies.

Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

• Joel Hanness

Faculty of Arts

• Bella Campbell

• Madeline Baxter

• Sara Rogers

• Oliver Downing

Faculty of Business and Economics

• Henry Buckley

• John Hansen

• Aidan McCutchen

Faculty of Education

• Alex Aidt

Faculty of Engineering

• Joseph Afford

• Akshay Aneesh

• Will Broom

• Ellie Cowell

• Neve Harris

• Jackson Helm

• Alice Hengel

• Hannah Morpeth

• David Perry

• Tom Walker

Faculty of Law

• Alex Batchelor

• James Clarke

• Nandini Gangaram

• Sebastian O’Sullivan

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science

• Alex Bielen

• Amelia White

• Annabel Broad

• Ava Bandt

• Charles Loorham

• Ella Burns

• Ishaani Girish

• Nick Heerey

• Nina Dunn

• Sophie Scalzo

• Emily Zou

• Dora Chen

Faculty of Science

• Brodie Graham

• Eloise Mudge

• Katie Teodorzcuk

• Lachlan Rogers

• Mhairi Cornford

• Siena Goldfarb