Crescent Awards 2023 — Celebrating the best and brightest students and educators

“Success should never be concealed in the shadows of modesty, but rather celebrated with resounding applause and genuine pride. By celebrating success, we not only honour those who have persevered, but we inspire others to reach for greatness, to believe in their own potential, and to embrace the possibilities that lie before them.”

With these words, Professor Talal Yassine, MD of Crescent Wealth, opened the 2023 Crescent Awards ceremony on Saturday 19^th August, welcoming honoured guests, dignitaries and some of Australia’s most influential teachers and accomplished students.

Now in its second year, the Crescent Awards serves as a national platform to acknowledge, showcase and celebrate the inspired achievements and contributions made by educators, leaders, educational teams and Muslim learners across sites of education in Australia.

This year’s gala event was held in the Marquee Ballroom at Alencia in Dandenong South and was hosted by Iman Balla. It was attended by students, educators and school representatives from around the country, as well as their supporters and special guests.

The awards encompassed three categories: secondary school Muslim learners, individual educators, and educator team praxis awards.

Secondary School Learner Awards:

• Graduate / Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australia
  • Winner: Senator Fatima Payman – Australian Islamic College Kewdale
  • Runner-up: Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah – King Khalid Islamic College 
• Learner All-Rounder Award
  • Winner: Runcorn State High School 
  • Runner-up: St. George Girls School
• Learner Award for Community Impact
  • Winner: Mansfield State High School
• Learner Award for Creative Impact
  • Winner: Playford College 
  • Runner-up: Islamic College of Brisbane
• Learner Award for Entrepreneurial Impact
  • Winner: College of Brisbane
• Learner Award for Leadership Impact
  • Winner: Minaret College 
  • Runner-up: Islamic College of Brisbane 
• Learner Award for Sporting Impact
  • Winner: Malek Fahd Islamic School 
  • Runner-up: Runcorn State High School 

Educator Individual Awards:

• Educator Award for Distinction in Leadership 
  • Winner: Fazan Rana – Unity Grammar
  • Runner-up: Waseem Hassoneh – Islamic School of Brisbane 
• Educator Award for Excellence & Innovation in Teaching
  • Winner: Zaynab Salim – Unity Grammar
  • Runner-up: Usman Ali Rana – Minaret College
• Educator Award for Outstanding Contribution to School Community
  • Winner: Abrahim Al-Zubeidi – Playford College 
  • Runner-up: Arwa Shadeed – Al Firdaus College 

Educator Team Praxis Awards:

• Educator Team Award for Outstanding Curriculum [Re]-Design or Renewal
  • Winners: Suraiya Girach, Rheinawaty Iman Partoredjo, Rabul Khan, Maneesha Iqbal, Nisa Johnson, Zeena Ackland, Ayman Zafar – Islamic College of Brisbane (IP Heartbeat Team) 
  • Runners-up: Ruchi Goindi, Suraiya Girach, Nisa Johnson – Islamic College of Brisbane 
• Educator Team Award for Outstanding Pedagogical [Re]-Design or Renewal 
  • Winners: Chris Riemann, Racha Makki – Playford College 
• Educator Team Award for Outstanding Student Wellbeing Program or Policy
  • Winners: Kathryn Jones, Janine Hood, Lina Magraby, Inas Hassan, Saba Quraishi, Aisha Umar Muaawiyah – Sidrah Gardens School (Back to the Fitrah Mentoring Academy)
  • Runners-Up: Billal Khoder, Samara Jalloul, Thamina Kassar - Malek Fahd Islamic School
• Educator Team Award for Outstanding Professional Learning and Collaboration  
  • Winners: Rabiha Nasser, Danielle Ayad, Nazek Raad, Shereen Alameddine, Nour Nazha – Unity Grammar (Austral)

The evening also included the presentation of the Crescent Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished service to Islamic schooling and education in Australia.

This year it was posthumously awarded to Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam — former Grand Mufti of Australia, co-founder of Preston Mosque and the Australian Federation of Islamic Societies, mentor, teacher, husband, father and grandfather. It was given in recognition of Sheikh Fehmi’s leadership, dedication and progress towards creating social harmony in Australia and was accepted by members of his family.

The event was made possible by the support and assistance of our event partners, Crescent Wealth and the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education at the University of South Australia, as well as our generous supporters, TLC, Islamic Relief and Binah.

The Hon. Professor Bob Carr, Crescent Foundation Chair, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to supporting the Muslim community and opening doors for all Australians, "Through the Crescent Awards we aim to recognise individuals and institutions that enrich our young community within the educational sector. We remain dedicated to empowering more Muslims to ascend to senior executive ranks and other high-profile roles across all sectors, thereby enabling them to make a significant contribution to the fabric of Australian society."