By Dr Rebecca Barlow, Secondary School Teacher

Year 11 Modern History student, Alec Wilson, has won the prestigious title of ACT Young Historian of the Year. The title was awarded by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. You can watch Mr Barr announce the award here.

Earlier in the year Alec submitted an essay to the Australian History Teachers’ Association’s National History Competition. The theme for 2024 was Crisis and Response. The competition received over 6000 entries nation-wide, and around 1000 entries from across all year levels in the ACT.

Alec’s essay addressed the question: To what extent did Australia’s participation in World War One present a crisis for its fledgling nationhood, and what were the strategies enacted by government to manage and respond to the challenges posed by its involvement in the war?

In addition to being ACT champion, Alec was also the overall ACT winner in the special category Australia’s Wartime Experiences, and the overall winner in Years 11 –12 (all categories). His total prize money was $900.

Alec will now proceed to the national awards ceremony at Parliament House and is in the running to be the National Young Historian of the Year. Good luck, Alec!

Any Radford students wishing to enter the competition in 2025 should speak to their teachers early in Term 1.