Dear Visitor, Nominations for the 2026 AES Awards are 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. Details can be found below. We’re excited to share that the full draft aes26 program will be released tomorrow, 28 May 2026! Don’t miss your chance to join us in Darwin - early bird registrations close on 9 June 2026. 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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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! | Nominations open for Fellows of the AES Those members who have made a long term and wide ranging contribution to the AES and the field of evaluation are recognised by the Society through a special category of membership called 'Fellow of the AES'. This is a positive step towards enhancing the professionalism of the Society. The special membership bestowed on Fellows of the AES recognises their outstanding contributions to the Society and to evaluation more generally. Learn more about the nomination process. Awards will be announced at the aes26 International Evaluation Conference Gala Awards Dinner, on the evening of 17 September in Darwin. |
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Making Space, Valuing Place: A Preview of aes26 in Darwin with Christabelle Darcy and Alison Reedy on the It Depends Podcast. | What does it mean to make space - and truly value place - in evaluation? In this episode, aes26 co-convenors Christabelle Darcy and Alison Reedy share a thoughtful preview of the 2026 AES Conference in Darwin, from the powerful conference theme and diverse keynote line-up to the conversations they hope will challenge and connect the evaluation community. With a focus on context, collaboration, and broadening who belongs in evaluation conversations, this is a glimpse into a conference experience designed to stretch thinking and spark unexpected connections in the Top End. "We wanted to be able to invite a broad range of people into the evaluation space who may not think of themselves as evaluators, but are doing work that is evaluative" Listen here - or wherever you get your podcasts. |
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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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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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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 signing up to a course. Systems Transformation: Strategy and Evaluation | starts 24 July – This course has been developed to help changemakers and evaluators who are working to transform complex societal systems in the pursuit of a just, sustainable, and equitable world. This work goes beyond surface-level fixes and aims to shift the very structures, mindsets, and dynamics that shape social, economic, and environmental realities. In this course we explore how to develop strategy and evaluate progress while constantly learning. The content dives deep into the nature of systems transformation work, exploring what it truly means to change a system and the implications for strategy and evaluation in this context. The learning is grounded in real-world case studies, cutting-edge frameworks, and the experience of systems transformation leaders supported by a strong network of thinkers, academics, evaluators and practitioners. Importantly, you will learn the inner practices and mindsets required to navigate the inherent complexities and uncertainties of this vital work both as an evaluator and strategist.
Most Significant Change | starts 31 July – This course teaches you how to master the Most Significant Change technique – a valuable part of your measurement, evaluation and learning toolkit. This technique allows you and your teams/ community to uncover meaningful insights about the impact and value of your work. Learn to collect and identify powerful stories of change, facilitate a participatory dialogue to establish the most significant ones, and bring to light insights on what people truly value and why. This methodology provides you with a gold mine of qualitative information to complement your measurement data, enabling you to make more informed decisions about your initiative. This course has been developed by Jess Dart, the co-author of the MSC User Guide, and adopted globally by leading development agencies such as UNICEF, Oxfam and World Vision. Complete Guide to Measurement, Evaluation and Learning | starts 7 August – This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and the tools to effectively build and implement your measurement, evaluation and learning plan for your program to help you create maximum impact. MEL provides critical evidence and insights that can drive strategic decision-making and ongoing improvement, meaning greater impact and value for money for your initiative. Throughout the learning modules, you will explore how to scope, design, and implement a tailored approach to MEL for your context. We’ll peel the onion layer by layer. First, we unpack your theory of change – this will help you get super clear about how your activities will lead to outcomes. Next, we look at how to wrap a measurement framework around this. Then address some of the bigger questions – that’s the E in MEL. Finally, we look into how to visualise, learn and adapt throughout your MEL journey and take your teams and/or community along with you. MEL at Clear Horizon is guided by a set of 10 co-developed principles. This will help you place learning at the heart of measurement and pay attention to equity. The unique focus is on how measurement systems can feed real-time learning to enable you to create deeper and more equitable impact. |
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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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