This year almost 200 nominations have made the 2018 long list. As acting nominations coordinator, I have been working with the panel to assess all nominations for eligibility, and we have been pleased to acknowledge the vast majority in the categories in which they were nominated.
The panel is about to begin work on the shortlisting process by reading each nomination and, where possible, viewing the work provided by the nominees. The panel will go through three rounds of voting, selecting their top four in each category in the first round, reviewing and voting again in the second round, and finally, if required, conferring by teleconference prior to the short list being announced. In this process the nominations coordinator tallies up the votes in each round, which also identifies the eventual winner in each category. The nominations for Lifetime Achievement are also considered, but nominees in this category are not published in advance.
The Awards will be presented by Ausdance National in September, but in the meantime there is a period of intense work ahead for the voluntary panel members, all of whom take the judging process very seriously. The email conversations throughout the process are respectful and knowledgeable, and their professionalism is wonderful to observe. Ausdance National pays tribute to this special group of people, to whom the dance profession owes a great deal. This year’s panel is:
- Robina Beard OAM (Panel Chair)
- Bradley Chatfield (Qld)
- Carol Wellman Kelly (SA)
- Darren Spowart (NSW
- Julia Quinn (NT)
- Karen van Ulzen (Vic)
- Lesley Graham (Tas)
- Maggie Tonkin (SA)
- Matthew Lawrence (Qld)
- Michael Whaites (WA)
- Michelle Potter (ACT)
- Patrick Harding-Irmer (NSW)
- Susan Bendall (Vic)
- Terri-Ann White (WA)
Advisors:
- Jeff Meiners
- Julie Dyson
- Lee Christofis