The UA award was given to Crace for his work assessing the international education industry in Australia, reflecting how important and integral international students are within Australia’s higher education system.

“To be recognised in this way…is a surprise and an honour”

“I’m glad that international education is becoming a larger voice in Australia’s discussion of both its higher education sector and the broader education landscape,” commented Crace.

“To be recognised in this way and be considered among mainstream journalists is a surprise and an honour.”

The piece for which he won the award, Australia’s Rip Tides, first appeared in our quarterly magazine The PIE Review and an abridged version is available here.

It charts the major growth that the country has seen in international enrolments since 2014, associated policy adjustments, and concerns that the level of growth is not being enjoyed across all sectors.

Concerns over workplace exploitation of international students nodded to Crace’s holistic understanding of the sector and the challenges facing students as they adjust to their new life in Australia.

Crace, who has worked for The PIE for over two years, also picked up the IEAA Award for Excellence in Professional Commentary last year during the AIEC conference.