The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) was proud to present the 2026 Betsy Sawers Awards on Sunday 20 September at Gungahlin College Theatre, Canberra.
This year’s event held particular significance with the introduction of the Sawers Family Award for Artistry, a new annual award established through the generous support of Betsy Sawers’ family. Created to celebrate the artistry that was so central to Betsy’s life and teaching, the $500 award will continue to be presented each year at the Betsy Sawers Awards. The inaugural recipient was Aimee West from Kim Harvey School of Dance.
The Sawers family’s support represents a special continuation of Betsy’s legacy and their connection to the awards held in her name. Known affectionately as “Mrs S”, Betsy made an extraordinary contribution to dance education in Canberra and beyond, producing professional dancers and teachers while inspiring a lifelong love of dance in countless students.
The annual Betsy Sawers Awards continue this legacy by bringing together dancers from across the ACT and Riverina, from Grade 2 through to Advanced 2, providing students with the opportunity to showcase their technical development and artistry while gaining valuable performance experience.
The 2026 awards were adjudicated by Kerrie Smith RAD Examiner RTS, with Caitlyn-Rae Crook teaching the Grade classes and Tara Chapman teaching the Vocational classes.
Alongside the new Sawers Family Award for Artistry, students were recognized across the Graded and Vocational levels.
The 2026 Betsy Sawers Awards recognized dancers across Grade 2 through Advanced 2, with awards presented to winners, runners-up and recipients of Bloch Encouragement Awards. The evening’s top honor, Betsy Sawers Outstanding Dancer 2026, went to Harlow Menzies of Kim Harvey School of Dance, who also took first place in Grade 6.
In the Grade divisions, Koko McClean of GDance Academy won Grade 2, with Vivien Johns of Jayz Dance Company named runner-up. Elspeth Brunker of MAKS Ballet Studio took the Grade 3 title, followed by Alana Zovko of Kim Harvey School of Dance, while Katherine Shears of GDance Academy won Grade 4, with Arthur McHutchison of Kim Harvey School of Dance as runner-up.
Bailey McLoughlin of The Training Ground won Grade 5, with Athena Gash of Lisa Clark Dance Centre as runner-up. Grade 6 was won by Harlow Menzies of Kim Harvey School of Dance, followed by Selina Haragli of Lisa Clark Dance Centre. Abbey Brough of Ballet Canberra won Grade 7, with Hugo Raine of Lisa Clark Dance Centre as runner-up, while Victoria Seymour of Kim Harvey School of Dance won Grade 8, with Amelia Turnbull, also of Kim Harvey School of Dance, named runner-up.
The Bloch Encouragement Awards for Grades 2–5 and Grades 6–8 went to Alexandra Lelliott of Kim Harvey School of Dance and Sophia Anderson of Lisa Clark Dance Centre, respectively. The Sawers Family Award for Artistry was presented to Aimee West of Kim Harvey School of Dance.
At Intermediate Foundation level, Daisy Piper-Schulstad of MAKS Ballet Studios was named winner, with Aurelia Webb as runner-up and Miriam Tate receiving the Bloch Encouragement Award. Abbey Brough of Ballet Canberra won Intermediate, followed by Selina Haragli of Lisa Clark Dance Centre, while Allegra Violi of GDance Academy received the Bloch Encouragement Award.
In Advanced Foundation, Lila Hynson of Lisa Clark Dance Centre won, with Eluney Tapply Orozco of Kim Harvey School of Dance as runner-up and Lily Bellchambers of Lisa Clark Dance Centre receiving the Bloch Encouragement Award. Zahra Zulkapli of Kim Harvey School of Dance won Advanced 1, followed by Victoria Seymour of the same school, with Rose Thompson of MAKS Ballet Studios receiving the Bloch Encouragement Award. Advanced 2 was won by Claire Hinds-Salter of Lisa Clark Dance Centre, with Gabriella Haebich of Ballet Canberra as runner-up and Emily McCoy of The Training Ground receiving the Bloch Encouragement Award.
RAD Australia extends its gratitude to the Sawers family for their generous support of the new Sawers Family Award for Artistry, to Bloch Australia for its continued support of the Betsy Sawers Awards, and to the ACT/Riverina Regional Advisory Panel, event faculty, volunteers, participating teachers, students and families who contributed to the event.
For more RAD Australia news, visit au.royalacademyofdance.org.
