Dear Visitor, In this fortnight’s AES Alert, we’re highlighting two valuable member opportunities now open. Expressions of Interest for mentees in the AES Group Mentoring Program close Friday 17 May 2026, offering members the chance to connect, learn and grow alongside experienced evaluators. Nominations for the 2026 AES Awards are also now open, recognising excellence and innovation across the evaluation community, with winners announced at the aes26 Gala Awards Dinner in Darwin. These opportunities showcase the strength of AES membership - members supporting members and celebrating outstanding evaluation practice. A reminder that AES members receive access to seminar materials and recordings via their member profile. Visit the members-only section to explore highlights from this year’s seminars so far. Stay connected! Make sure you continue receiving the latest news and opportunities, take a moment to check that your member details are up to date. Login and update your details. |
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Meet your mentors! The Mentee Expressions of Interest is open and closes on Friday 17 May 2026, and we’re excited to introduce the mentors behind the AES Group Mentoring Program - working together in themed groups to support your learning and growth.
Each group brings a unique focus and a team of mentors guiding the conversation: - Career Pathways in Evaluation
- Evaluation on the Fringes
- From Conversations to Capacity – Catalysing ECB through facilitation and engagement
- Navigating Challenging Organisational Environments
- The Capacity Collective
- Culturally Responsive Evaluation - WALKING IN TWO WORLDS
The mentors are a loyal group of AES members who generously give their time and expertise. Alongside the people working behind the scenes, they make this program possible - truly members supporting members.
If you’re looking to build skills, expand your network, and learn alongside peers, there’s a group for you.
Meet your mentors: HERE
EOIs for mentees open close Friday 17 May 2026: HERE
Learn more about Group Mentoring: HERE
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Nominations for 2026 are now open and close Friday 3 July 2026. Awards will be announced at the aes26 International Evaluation Conference Gala Awards Dinner, on the evening of 17 September in Darwin. Click here to access the Awards nomination portal where you can download the ‘Information on nominations’ PDF guide, complete your online nomination form, and upload your nomination and authorisation documents. There are six categories of Awards:
- Evaluation Systems Award
- Indigenous Evaluation Award
- Evaluation Journal of Australasia Publication Award
- Public Sector Evaluation Award
- Emerging New Talent Award - proudly sponsored by Program Evaluation Services
- Award for Enhancing the Social Good
Detailed information is available in the Award categories section. Learn about Past Award Recipients. We encourage you to nominate the innovative work you are doing and give our judges something new to consider! |
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May 2026 June 2026 June Workshops: MEL Introductory Concepts and Skills Intensive NEW July 2026 August 2026 In person Workshops | Perth IPAA WA | |
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The Of Interest section of the AES Alert includes information from international evaluation societies as well as upcoming events and other articles that may be of interest to our members and wider evaluation community. There is no charge to be included. Please send content to aes@aes.asn.au by Tuesday lunchtime. Your article should include a short blurb and any relevant links. Note that we don't include images or upload documents. Note that the AES reserves the right to refuse publication if we don't judge that your copy is of interest to members of the AES. Member notices are given preference. |
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PLACE Scholarship Program is now live! Applications are now open and will close at midnight 18 May 2026 (AEST). Most people in place-based work learn by doing. They build their practice in real time, often in complex environments with limited formal support. But there still aren’t enough clear or accessible ways to develop the skills this work actually requires.
That's why Partnerships for Local Action and Community Empowerment (PLACE) is pleased to launch the PLACE Scholarship Program, which will open up funded training pathways for anyone working or volunteering in place-based work across Australia. Designed to build the skills needed to support strong, locally led work, the program gives participants: - Access to a curated set of high-quality courses
- Funding to cover course fees and travel
- A peer group to learn from others and apply the learning in practice
The aim is simple: help people deepen their practice, connect with others doing similar work, and strengthen impact in communities. If that's you, we encourage you to check your eligibility and apply here:www.placeaustralia.org/scholarship-program/ |
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NSW Government Evaluation Library: NSW Government has launched their own Evaluation Library - a searchable, central collection of published evaluations from across NSW agencies. It consolidates reports on programs, policies and regulations, making it easier for public servants, researchers, community partners and the public to find and use evidence about what works. The library will continue to grow as new evaluations are published. |
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The Realist Research Evaluation and Learning Initiative (RREALI) team at Charles Darwin University are pleased to announce three courses in realist research and evaluation for 2026. 10% discount for AES members. - Introduction to Realist Philosophy of Science: Gain a solid grounding in realist philosophy of science, the foundation for all realist work.
- Realist Review: Learn how to design and conduct a realist literature review.
- Realist Evaluation: Learn how to design and conduct a realist evaluation.
The courses are available as microcredentials, requiring assessment and providing a formal academic transcript, or as non-accredited short courses, not requiring assessment and providing a certificate of attendance. The courses are fully online, with all required reading materials and pre-recorded lectures supplied. Microcredentials and short courses will be taught in one cohort, with identical course content. The courses include approximately two hours of pre-recorded lectures, several readings, and a three-hour workshop each week. The micro-credential requires approximately 10 hours per week over four or five weeks; the short courses around 7 hours per week because they do not require assessment activities. Microcredentials are not suitable for international student visa holders in Australia and are not eligible for subsidy by the Australian Government. For further information, please contact Gill Westhorp gillian.westhorp@cdu.edu.au or Kerryn O'Rourke kerryn.orourke@cdu.edu.au. |
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National Statement changes: Are you ready? The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research is changing. Whether you're running government evaluations or procuring evaluation services, you need to know what's coming. Allen + Clarke recently hosted a free 45-minute webinar with their evaluation experts breaking down what's changed, when HREC review is now required, and exactly what you need to update in your ethics processes and evaluation design before the changes take effect. Watch the recording here. |
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Listen: The It Depends Podcast with Matt Healey Looking for a podcast that tackles questions without straightforward answers? Welcome to The It Depends Podcast, hosted by Matt Healey from First Person Consulting. In each episode, Matt and his guests explore the tricky, nuanced world of evaluation, systems thinking and change, design, and complexity. It's your go-to source for thoughtful conversations, practical insights, and comfort in embracing uncertainty.
Browse summaries of every episode in the Podcast Library, or find and follow The It Depends Podcast on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Discover why the best answer to tricky questions often starts with "it depends…". |
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Iris Ethics HREC opens for applications
Following successful registration with the NHMRC, Iris Ethics has opened its Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for submissions, making it the first privately operated, open access HREC to focus solely on the evaluation, market research, and social research sectors. The committee is chaired by Professor Chris Maylea, an experienced social researcher and legal scholar, and includes people from all over Australia representing a range of lived and professional experiences and includes practicing evaluators. This ensures that reviews are completed quickly with an understanding of the research purpose and methodologies used, and that the committee can act as a trusted advisor and partner. Iris Ethics also delivers rapid reviews for lower risk evaluation projects and produces a growing library of resources to support ethical evaluation practice.
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Clear Horizon Academy – Courses Now Available Enrolments are now open for a range Clear Horizon courses, with AES members eligible to receive a 15% discount (just use the code “AES15” at enrolment to claim your discount). Learners will get free access to Track to Change, Clear Horizon’s digital MEL platform, when they signing up to a course. Evaluation | starts 15 May – This course dives deep into the five steps to develop an overarching evaluation framework for the MEL plan. Starting with scoping the evaluation framework, the content takes you through criteria selection, which then feeds into the crafting of the big evaluation questions. You will learn a tested, practical approach to develop a strong set of evaluation questions to complement your measurement framework. The fourth step gives you insights into the different evaluation methods and teaches you how to select the most appropriate ones. Completing the journey is a module focused on analysis and sense-making. Evaluating Place-Based Approaches | starts 22 May – This course has been designed to equip you with the unique skills required to effectively measure and evaluate place-based initiatives for maximum impact. Starting with an overview of systems change – the umbrella discipline of place-based approaches – you will learn about the key principles and unique challenges of evaluating place-based approaches before delving into strategies to develop an evaluation framework specific to place-based initiatives. You will apply the learnings through practical exercises and see this approach in action with real-life case studies. This course has been developed by the creators of Australia’s game-changing place-based evaluation framework. System Transformation Masterclass | 27 May – How do you track progress when change is non-linear, distributed, and unfolding across a system? This masterclass gives you three practical tools to do exactly that. Led by Jess Dart, this live session covers three core tools used in systems-informed evaluation: Adaptive Progress Markers to help you track meaningful signals of change without locking systems into fixed pathways; Collective Noticing Method to support shared data collection and sensemaking across diverse actors, and building the foundation for adaptive decision-making; Impact Logging to record changes in real time, tracking outcomes and building an evidence base as the work evolves. This is an interactive, hands-on session. You will work with real examples, try the tools in practice, and leave with a curated resource pack you can adapt to your own context. |
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AES Blog
| We want to hear from you! What is interesting you in the world of evaluation? Have you attended an AES event recently and are keen to share what you learned? Please refer to the Guidelines for what and how to submit to the AES blog and if you have any questions, please email the team at blog@aes.asn.au. Check out the the latest AES blogs by clicking here.
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Job Vacancies | Employers looking to fill positions in program monitoring and evaluation and performance measurement can list their job vacancies on the AES website. This service is available to members and non-members for a small fee. Discover the benefits of advertising on the AES website as recruiters and for applicants. Local and overseas opportunities are listed throughout the year and are also included in the AES Alert e-newsletter. |
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Consultants Directory | The AES often receives enquiries looking for evaluators with specific areas of expertise. These enquiries are directed to the online searchable Consultants' Directory. As well as being 'discovered' by potential customers, consultants in the directory also enjoy receiving early advice on any call for Evaluation services tenders. AES members can be listed in the Consultants' Directory for a small fee. Log into the AES website and access the form here. |
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Logging On to Member Only areas of the new AES website | Members can now remain logged into the AES website rather than log in each time - simply click on the 'Remember me' box when loggin in. If you have forgotten your username and password, please email us at aes@aes.asn.au. |
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Become an AES member | Do you work as an evaluator, commission evaluation work, manage evaluation projects, are an academic teaching and conducting research, a tertiary level student or even a professional interested in evaluation and performance measurement? Are you interested in developing your knowledge and skills across evaluation theory, methods and practice while networking with other professionals involved in similar work? Then you will benefit from joining the AES. Click here for more information and to apply to join. |
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| We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands in which we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. The Australian Evaluation Society is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. |
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