AES Alert: 24 June 2026 |
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Dear Visitor, With just 81 days until aes26 in Darwin | Garramilla Country, the conference program is available online, featuring 184 speakers, 120 presentations and more than 76 hours of content. As you start planning your conference experience, don't forget that nominations for the 2026 AES Awards and Fellows of the AES remain open until 3 July 2026. Award recipients and new Fellows will be celebrated at the Gala Awards Dinner on 17 September. A final reminder that applications for the aes26 Conference Support Grants for Emerging Indigenous Evaluators close at COB tomorrow, Thursday 25 June. 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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Applications are now open for aes26 Conference Support Grants for Emerging Indigenous Evaluators.
The grants support emerging Indigenous evaluators from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Pacific Islands to attend the 2026 AES International Evaluation Conference in Darwin | Garramilla Country.
Applications close COB Thursday, 25 June 2026 - TOMORROW
| | | | | We also encourage our community to help spread the word and support this important initiative through sponsorship. Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive, and culturally responsive evaluation community. |
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Nominations for 2026 are 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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July 2026 August 2026 October 2026 | |
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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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ACE Evaluation Library: The Australian Centre for Evaluation (ACE) has recently launched a new collection for Place-Based Evaluations in the ACE Evaluation Library. Designed to make evaluations of Australian Government programs and services more readily accessible to policymakers, the library is a valuable resource for public servants, researchers, consultants and the community and non-profit sectors to find and use evaluation evidence. Please email evaluation@treasury.gov.au if you are interested in helping us grow the library collection. |
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New international editions of Australian evaluation texts by AES Fellow & Life member, Yoland Wadsworth, have been published by Routledge London. Do It Yourself Social Research and Everyday Evaluation on the Run have both been popular best-selling texts demystifying research and evaluation, and Human Inquiry for Living Systems: Building in Research and Evaluation for Life identifies how to achieve systems change using iterative 'full cycle' evaluative inquiry processes. All three books have never been out of print. Now revised as an anniversary box set trilogy, they provide a comprehensive framework incorporating all the major forms of research and evaluation using a logic in which each takes their part in 'full cycle inquiry’ from existing practice to change for improvement and its testing in new practice. Michael Quinn Patton’s tribute to globally launch the trilogy as a coherent magnum opus is here. More about the books (and a 25% discount for the set) here. |
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What does it actually mean to 'do' systems thinking?
Wednesday, July 8 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM AEST Everyone's doing systems thinking. Open any policy, program or response and it's 'systems informed', 'systems aware', or built to grapple with complexity. But what does it actually mean to take a systems view into your own practice? Matt Healey from First Person Consulting is running a free webinar to dig into exactly that. Over the past six years his practice has shifted heavily towards systems thinking and systems methods, sometimes working with a system to understand it, sometimes working within one to change how it operates. In this session Matt presses pause to share what he's learnt: how to think systemically, the methods worth knowing, where to start, and the tips and traps along the way. It's free, and when registering there's space to send through a question you're wrestling with, which Matt will build into the session. Come along, and share with your networks. Register 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.
One year in, Iris Ethics expands resources for users In the almost one year since Iris Ethics opened for business, the company has produced more than 50 free resources for researchers and reviewers navigating the often complex field of human research ethical reviews. Now those resources are easier than ever for users to find, with a new menu creating a streamlined user experience (https://www.irisethics.com.au/). |
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Clear Horizon Academy – Courses Now Available Build your MEL practice with Clear Horizon Academy. Our upcoming courses help evaluators, practitioners, and teams strengthen their skills, apply practical tools, and learn from experienced MEL specialists. AES members receive 15% off with the code “AES15”, and group bookings of 5+ can access a 30% discount. Course enrolments also include free access to Track to Change, Clear Horizon’s digital MEL platform. Coaching can also be added to support your learning journey or booked as a standalone pathway. Systems Transformation: Strategy and Evaluation (24 July, paced over 6 weeks)
Want to better understand and evaluate systems change? This course offers practical ways to design strategy, make sense of change, and evaluate systems-wide initiatives. You’ll explore systems transformation concepts, apply useful frameworks and tools, and build confidence to test, learn, evaluate, and adapt in real-world settings. ➡ Learn more Most Significant Change (31 July, paced over 5 weeks)
Learn how to use stories of change to understand what matters, surface unexpected outcomes, and communicate impact in a meaningful way. This hands-on course guides you through collecting, selecting, and analysing stories using a participatory approach. Developed by Jess Dart, co-author of the MSC User Guide, it draws on a globally adopted method for generating rich qualitative evidence. ➡ Learn more
Complete Guide to Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) (7 August, paced over 17 weeks)
Strengthen your confidence across the full MEL cycle, from building theory of change and measurement frameworks through to evaluation design, learning, and impact communication. Drawing on Clear Horizon’s 20+ years of experience, this practical course helps you apply core MEL principles, develop your own MEL plan, and learn from experienced practitioners along the way. It is a comprehensive course packed with relevant tools, methods, and templates you can apply straight away. ➡ Learn more |
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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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