Not every education opportunity linked to Australia's military heritage is a financial scholarship. This directory covers five national programs for primary and secondary students - research competitions, creative programs, and school-level awards - with real value behind them: a $910,000 government grant funds one, and another sends eight students to overseas battlefields for ANZAC Day.
None of them require a veteran connection. Any student at an Australian school can enter.
Two things make a strong entry into any of them: meeting the program's own criteria, and - where the entry involves research or family history - a genuine, well-told account of a family's service. That second part is what most entries miss, and it's exactly what a decoded service record is built to supply.
Important: these aren't financial scholarships
Before you go further - these programs are different from the scholarship and bursary guides elsewhere on this site. They don't provide ongoing financial support for tertiary study. They're educational programs, competitions, and awards for primary and secondary school students.
Looking for financial scholarships for descendants of veterans? See the Gallipoli Scholarship Fund, AVCAT Sponsored Scholarships, or the complete application guide.
Teacher, parent, or student interested in military history education? Read on.
1. Who can enter
The base rule is the same across every program in this directory.
| Base requirement | The rule |
|---|---|
| Veteran connection | Not required for any program listed here. Every entry is open regardless of family service history. |
| School enrolment | Must be enrolled at an Australian primary or secondary school. |
| Year level, scope and deadline | Set individually by each program - see the directory below. |
Individual programs add their own criteria on top of that base - year level, entry format, geographic scope, and deadline. Check the relevant row in the programs before a student starts work on an entry.
2. Your Digger story
These programs share a purpose with every Digger scholarship on this site: preserving the memory of the Anzacs in younger generations. A judge reading a Simpson Prize essay or a National History Challenge entry is looking for the same thing a scholarship panel looks for - a student who has gone past "my grandfather served" into the real detail of where their ancestor served, what they lived through, and why it still matters.
That's exactly the material a decoded service record provides. Decode My Digger takes a veteran's original war record - the dense, faded paperwork held by the National Archives - and turns it into a story told in today's language, anchored to the key events: dates, postings, units, battles. Here's Banjo Paterson's decode as an example.
For a Simpson Prize or National History Challenge entry, a decoded record gives a student:
- Clear, dated facts about their ancestor's service to build a research project around
- Readable source material a judging panel can follow without deciphering handwriting and army shorthand
- The confidence to write about their family's service with accuracy and respect
At $59, it's a research resource, not just a family keepsake - and it works for a school competition entry the same way it works for a scholarship application. If a student is also heading toward a Gallipoli Scholarship Fund or AVCAT application later, the same prompts guide that writing too - see Your statement - where to start.
The programs
| Program | Year level | Type | Scope | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson Prize | Year 9-10 | Essay/AV competition | National | Varies by year |
| National History Challenge | Primary-secondary | Multi-format competition | National | 28 Aug 2026 |
| ANZAC Day Schools' Awards | Primary-secondary | School-level award | National | Varies |
| RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC | Primary-secondary | Education program | NSW | Ongoing |
| RSL Queensland Draw to Remember | Primary | Creative program | National (rolling out) | Varies |
Simpson Prize
Who: Year 9 and 10 students across Australia What: A national civics-based research competition on the service of Australians in WWI and WWII, judged by essay or audio-visual entry at state and territory level Prize: Eight national winners (one per state and territory) get a three-day program in Canberra - the Australian War Memorial, historian briefings, meetings with veterans - then travel to overseas battlefields (typically Gallipoli, the Western Front, or Kokoda) for ANZAC Day Backing: $910,000 Australian Government grant, administered through the Department of Education No veteran descendant requirement Website: simpsonprize.org
Supported by RSL Australia, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the Australian War Memorial.
National History Challenge - Australia's wartime experiences category
Who: Primary and secondary school students across Australia What: A national history competition; the wartime experiences category asks students to connect the annual theme to Australia's military history 2026 theme: "Voices" 2026 entries close: 28 August 2026 Entry formats: written essay, audio-visual project, website, exhibition, performance No veteran descendant requirement Website: anzacportal.dva.gov.au/classroom/national-history-competition
The NHC covers all of Australian history - the wartime experiences category is the entry point for a military-history-focused project. The format flexibility means a strong writer can submit an essay, a video-comfortable student can build a documentary, and a creative student can build an exhibition.
ANZAC Day Schools' Awards
Who: Primary and secondary schools across Australia What: A school-level award recognising schools for outstanding ANZAC Day commemoration and military history education - assemblies, ceremonies, community engagement, research projects No veteran descendant requirement Website: anzacportal.dva.gov.au
This is a school-level award, not an individual student prize. Students involved in their school's program still gain experience in research, public speaking, and event organisation.
RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC
Who: Primary and secondary school students in NSW What: An RSL NSW program connecting students with their local RSL sub-branch - visits to sub-branches and memorials, meetings with veterans and their families, local military history research, participation in ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day activities, and creative responses to military heritage themes Running since: the 1950s - more than 70 years No veteran descendant requirement
NSW-based. Students outside NSW should check with their state RSL branch for an equivalent program.
RSL Queensland - Draw to Remember
Who: Primary school students What: A creative program for Remembrance Day - schools receive educational resources, and students respond through drawing and creative expression Scope: Developed by RSL Queensland, being rolled out nationally No veteran descendant requirement
Fills the gap at the younger end of military history education, which typically pitches at older students - the Simpson Prize doesn't open until Year 9. Contact your state RSL branch to check availability outside Queensland.
How to enter
None of these programs pay out scholarship-style funding. See the note above if you jumped straight here. What's on offer is recognition, an experience - Canberra, overseas battlefields - or school-level acknowledgement.
Start with the deadline that applies to you. The National History Challenge is the only program here with a fixed 2026 date - entries close 28 August 2026. The Simpson Prize's window varies by year; check the website for the current cycle. The RSL programs run on an ongoing or rolling basis.
Use family history as source material, if you have it. Neither the Simpson Prize nor the NHC requires a veteran connection, but where a family service record exists, it gives a student real primary-source material for either competition - see Your Digger story above.
Match the program to the student's year level.
- Primary: RSL Queensland's Draw to Remember; ANZAC Day Schools' Awards and RSL and Schools Remember ANZAC also run at primary level
- Year 9-10: the Simpson Prize
- Primary through secondary: the National History Challenge
If financial scholarships are also relevant. These school programs and the tertiary scholarships covered elsewhere on this site serve different stages of the same story. A student who enters the Simpson Prize in Year 10 and later applies to the Gallipoli Scholarship Fund or AVCAT in first year of university is building a coherent record of engagement with military heritage. For the full picture, see the complete application guide and searchable scholarships database.
Data sourced from the Simpson Prize, Department of Veterans' Affairs ANZAC Portal, RSL NSW, and RSL Queensland. Last verified 8 June 2026. Verify program details, entry dates, and requirements directly with each provider.