Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship

2022 Future of Finance student scholarship winner announced

We are pleased to announce Emily Greer from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has been awarded the 2022 Canstar Student Scholarship.

Our 2022 scholarship application is now closed and no longer accepting new submissions.

 

Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship

The Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship is an initiative to help students studying at Australian universities or TAFEs get a head start for their future careers, with a $5,000 prize, plus career coaching^ that money can’t buy.

Canstar actively supports the future of the finance and technology industries. That’s why we’re offering a scholarship to a student who’s as passionate about these areas as we are. The successful applicant will get a helping hand towards covering their uni costs, plus invaluable career guidance.

Canstar Scholarship details

An eligible Australian university or TAFE student will receive:

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A cash prize totalling AU$5,000 to go towards the cost of their studies

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A two-hour career, CV and interview coaching session.

 

Simply tell us, in 800 words or less, your response to this question:

‘Inflation is growing at its fastest pace in 20 years, resulting in some price increases not seen since before the global financial crisis. With cost of living being such a key issue currently, what opportunities do you see for the fintech community to support consumers through this period?’

Please include footnotes and a bibliography for your sources. No word limit applies for referencing.

We’ll announce the winner in January 2023.

How do I apply?

Download the submission form and complete all fields. Send the form, along with your completed essay, back to us at scholarships@canstar.com.au with the subject line: Canstar Scholarship Submission {– your name}.

 

Who can apply?

To be eligible, applicants must be:

  • enrolled as a student at an accredited Australian university or TAFE (it doesn’t matter what course you are studying)
  • a permanent resident or citizen of Australia
  • over 18 years of age

 

Scholarship timeline

July to October 2022: Applications open

31 October: Final day to submit your entry

November 2022: Shortlisting of applications

December 2022: Final judging

January 2023: Winner announced.


What are the judges looking for?

 

1. Demonstrate an understanding of Australian consumer finance

3. Use relevant domestic and/or international examples

4. Show creativity and the ability to write in a clear, compelling, original and engaging way.

 

^Terms and conditions apply.

Did you know? 

Canstar Blue is offering a scholarship at the same time. This means that if you’re eligible, you can apply for both to give yourself two chances to win $5,000. You must submit a fully original essay application for each scholarship. Terms and conditions apply.

Discover the Canstar Blue Scholarship

Canstar Scholarship FAQ

Why is Canstar offering a scholarship?

Canstar actively supports the future of the finance and technology industries. That’s why we’re offering a scholarship to the university or TAFE student who’s as passionate about these areas as we are. We understand how much going to uni or TAFE can demand of students, so the successful applicant will get a helping hand towards covering their uni or TAFE costs, plus invaluable career guidance to help set them apart when the time comes to make their next career move.

How will the winning application be selected?

A panel of Canstar judges made up of senior managers and executives will decide which application answers the question posed on the application form in the most compelling way. This will be done using a blind review process. Remember, only original, unpublished essays that are 800 words or less (excluding references) will be considered.

When will I find out if my application has been successful?

All applicants will be contacted by email in January 2023 about the outcome of their application once the winner is selected.

Which universities are eligible?

Applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident studying at an accredited Australian university or TAFE. Accredited Australian universities and TAFEs are searchable on https://training.gov.au/, a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments

Which TAFEs are eligible?

Applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident studying at an accredited Australian university or TAFE. Accredited Australian universities and TAFEs are searchable on https://training.gov.au/, a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments

I’m in my final year of studies at an Australian university or TAFE. Can I apply?

You must be enrolled at an accredited university or TAFE in Australia both at the time of entry and when the scholarship is awarded in January 2023 to apply. You also need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

I study part-time at an Australian university or TAFE. Can I apply?

Full- and part-time students at accredited Australian universities and TAFEs are eligible. You also need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

I don’t study finance. Can I apply?

You can apply for the Canstar Future of FInance Scholarship if you meet the eligibility criteria, irrespective of whether you are studying finance or not.

What can I use the money for if I win?

The successful applicant can put the prize money towards the cost of their university or TAFE studies. This could cover expenses such as tuition fees, accommodation and travel expenses, books and other learning materials.

Will late applications be considered?

Only applications received by Canstar by 11:59pm AEST on 31 October 2022 will be considered.

Will there be a penalty for submitting a shorter or longer essay?

Only essays of up to 800 words (excluding references) will be considered. Anything longer than that will be excluded from the judging. As long as your essay answers the question in a thorough and compelling way, you won’t be penalised for submitting a shorter essay. 800 words excluding references is simply the maximum length.

What referencing should I use?

Please use the Chicago 17th A notes and bibliography (the Notes system) format of referencing. Footnotes require you to mark the in-text citation with a superscript number and provide a reference citation within the footnote. Organise your bibliography alphabetically by author family name. The University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne both have more information about the notes system of referencing.

Will my academic record be taken into account in the judging process?

No, our judges will assess eligible applications solely on the basis of the essay provided.

What other scholarships are offered by Canstar?

Canstar offers two scholarships: the Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship (this one) and the Canstar Blue Scholarship (find out more). Both scholarships are open to applications from eligible students at Australian universities and TAFEs, with different questions, selection criteria, judging panels and terms and conditions that apply. In 2022, applications for both the Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship and the Canstar Blue Scholarship close at 11:59pm AEST 31 October 2022.

What is the difference between the Canstar Scholarship and the Canstar Blue Scholarship?

The Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship will give a successful applicant $5,000^ to put towards their university students, plus career coaching. The judges will be looking for applicants who have demonstrated their understanding of finance in Australia and considered the needs of Australian consumers and their money (like we do).

The Canstar Blue Scholarship will give a successful applicant $5,000^ to put towards their university students, plus career coaching. The judges will be looking for applicants who have demonstrated their understanding of consumer trends in Australia and considered the needs and pain points of Australian consumers when making purchase decisions, plus the type of information they would require.

Can I apply for both the Canstar Scholarship and the Canstar Blue Scholarship?

While eligible applicants can apply for both scholarships, the Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship winner will be decided first. This winner will not be eligible for the Canstar Blue Scholarship, even if they have submitted a separate application.

Do I need to submit a different essay for the Canstar Scholarship and the Canstar Blue Scholarship?

You can decide to apply for the Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship, the Canstar Blue Scholarship or both. Any application needs to be fully original for each scholarship, including the essay you submit and the response. Use the different application forms on both the Canstar and Canstar Blue websites, and follow the separate submission instructions.

What if I have a question about the scholarship?

If you have any questions about the scholarship, please contact Canstar before you submit your application via scholarships@canstar.com.au.


Canstar Scholarship terms and conditions

1. Acceptance of these terms and conditions 

Information on how to apply for the 2022 Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship (Scholarship) forms part of these terms and conditions. Submission of an application for the Scholarship is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions and Canstar’s privacy policy at https://www.canstar.com.au/privacy-policy/. 

Canstar reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions at any time without notice before the closing date of Monday 31 October 2022.

2. Overview

Canstar offers a scholarship to support Australian citizens and permanent residents in undertaking their tertiary studies at an accredited Australian university or TAFE institute. Canstar will award the eligible student who we feel best demonstrates an understanding of consumer finance, emerging technology and the issues that matter to Australians and their money.

If you are currently enrolled at an accredited university or TAFE in Australia, you are eligible to apply for the Scholarship. Accredited Australian universities and TAFEs are searchable on https://training.gov.au/, a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments. 

3. Details

One award under the Scholarship valued at AU$5,000 will be granted by the Scholarship Committee (see point 6) to a scholarship winner (if any) who has met the eligibility criteria and is judged to have written the best Essay answer. The award granted is to assist the scholarship winner with the cost of tuition and study. 

As part of the Scholarship prize, the scholarship winner will also receive a single two-hour career coaching session with a nominated Canstar representative, which includes a critical review of the scholarship winner’s CV, a mock interview, and an interview coaching session.

The non-monetary portions of the prize may be delivered to the scholarship winner in person at Canstar’s Brisbane office, or using Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts or any other form of video conferencing software at a time that is determined by Canstar. The manner of delivery of the non-monetary portions of the prize is at Canstar’s absolute discretion and depends upon where the scholarship winner is located. 

4. Eligibility

To be eligible for the Scholarship, each Applicant must:

  • be over the age of 18 at the time of application;
  • be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia;
  • have been accepted into, or be enrolled full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at an Australian university or TAFE, or both, at the time of entry and awarding of scholarship; and
  • submit an application and Essay answer to scholarships@canstar.com.au by the closing date for applications.

Additionally, an Applicant is ineligible if:

  • they are an employee of any company in the Canstar group, or if they are an immediate family member (spouse/partner, children, parents) of an employee of any company in the Canstar group; or
  • they have previously been awarded a scholarship from any company in the Canstar group. 

5. Applications

a. Application forms (the 2022 Canstar Scholarship application form) are available on the Canstar website. All applications must include a fully completed application form signed by the Applicant and an Essay answer written by the Applicant.

b. Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 AEST, Monday 31 October 2022 via email to scholarships@canstar.com.au

c. Only one application is permitted per Applicant. 

d. The Essay answer must be submitted in Word format, Google Doc format or PDF and must not be more than 800 words in length, excluding appropriate referencing using the Chicago-style notes and bibliography system

e.The Essay answer must be in English, and may include one diagram.

f. The Essay answer must be the Applicant’s original work and may not be plagiarised from the works of others.  

g. The Essay answer must not have been previously published or submitted for publication.

h. The Essay answer must not infringe another’s intellectual property rights or moral rights.

i. To facilitate the blind review process, the Essay answer must not include any information that might identify the Applicant.  Instead, that information is to be supplied in the application form, which is to be submitted with the Essay answer. 

j. Please do not contact Canstar with regard to your scholarship application once lodged. All Applicants will be contacted upon determination of the scholarship winner in January 2023. Canstar will not provide individual feedback on why an application was unsuccessful.

k. Canstar may contact Applicants to clarify anything in their application. Any contact is not indicative of an Applicant’s standing in the selection process, and in no way indicates whether or not that Applicant has been selected as the scholarship winner. 

l. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Any personal details provided incorrectly on the application form may be deemed by Canstar as an invalid submission. Canstar reserves the right to utilise a plagiarism checker tool to ensure that the Essay submitted by an Applicant is the Applicant’s original, unpublished work. Canstar may, at its complete discretion, not consider an application that it considers contains work that is not entirely the Applicant’s.  

Canstar’s privacy policy at https://www.canstar.com.au/privacy-policy/ applies to the personal information provided by Applicants.

6. Selection criteria and conditions

Canstar has appointed a Scholarship Committee comprising of nominated representatives of Canstar (Scholarship Committee) to review each application and make the final decision on the award of the 2022 scholarship (including whether or not to award a scholarship).  Entries will be reviewed on a blind basis by the Scholarship Committee.

The Scholarship Committee will judge applications on the basis of relative merit with reference to the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated understanding of Australian consumer finance.
  • Demonstrated understanding of at least one emerging technology and its potential impacts on consumers and their finances.
  • Use of relevant domestic and/or international examples.
  • Creativity and ability to write in a clear, compelling, original and engaging way.

By submitting an application, the Applicant declares that the Essay is the Applicant’s original work, not copied or derived from any other works or material, has not been published prior to the scholarship submission, and does not infringe the intellectual property rights or moral rights of any third party.

By submitting an application, the Applicant assigns to Canstar the copyright in the Essay answer, and irrevocably consents to Canstar using and publishing the Essay answer (including on the Canstar website) and to using any information in the Essay answer to improve or change any Canstar product or service (including the Canstar website).

By submitting an application, the Applicant irrevocably consents to Canstar using the Applicant’s name, image and educational institution name in marketing material and publicity in relation to this scholarship.

Canstar reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to not award any scholarship if there are no eligible Applicants.  The decision of the Scholarship Committee is final.

The Scholarship will be granted following any Applicant verification that Canstar requires, in its absolute discretion. 

The 2022 Canstar Future of Finance Scholarship will be announced and awarded in January 2023.

The scholarship winner will be notified via the email address provided on the application form within one week of the Scholarship Committee determining the scholarship winner.

Results may be published on Canstar’s website or any other publication. Canstar reserves the right to reproduce in any newspaper, magazine, film, website or other medium, personal details, information and images relating to the Scholarship awarded to the scholarship winner. 

Each Applicant must, until 31 December 2023:

  • refrain from conducting themselves in such a manner that Canstar, in its discretion, considers prejudicial to the reputation of Canstar;
  • engage with Canstar’s representatives from time to time as deemed mutually suitable, to report on Scholarship related activities;
  • participate in marketing and media activities as required by Canstar. 

7. Amount

The scholarship amount will be paid to the scholarship winner in two equal instalments. The first will be upon the award of the scholarship and the second payment will be in July 2023, provided that the Applicant makes good progress in their studies and subject to these terms and conditions. The payment dates will be determined by Canstar at Canstar’s absolute discretion, and will be communicated to the scholarship winner in a timely manner.

The scholarship winner will have to provide bank details to receive the monetary element of the prize. 

Payment of the first instalment is, at all times, conditional upon the scholarship winner providing Canstar with:

  • written confirmation from the relevant university of the scholarship winner’s enrolment;
  • evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent residency.

Payment of the second instalment is, at all times, conditional upon the scholarship winner continuing to comply with the expectations described in clause 6 above. 

The scholarship winner may forfeit any unpaid instalment of the scholarship amount if they change their course of study or if Canstar reasonably considers that their conduct is not consistent with the objectives of the scholarship or clause 6 above.

8. Breach

In the event that the scholarship winner fails to comply with any of the requirements set out in these Terms and Conditions, in addition to all other rights available to it, Canstar may, in its absolute discretion, require the scholarship winner to repay, in part or in total, monies paid to the scholarship winner by Canstar in connection with the award of the Scholarship. 

Who is Canstar?

Canstar is a trusted financial platform and Australia’s biggest financial comparison site*, comparing more brands than any other. Our purpose is to simplify the world of finance and help consumers confidently find the right product for them, whether it’s a home loan, savings account, car insurance policy, super fund or one of the many other products we research, rate and compare.

We started up in 1992 as a privately-owned financial research agency and today we are one of Australia’s fastest growing digital businesses, with over 2 million Australians visiting our sites each year, and 4 in 5 people recognising the Canstar logo.

 

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You can compare today with Canstar. Just click on our top menu to see financial products and use our comparison tables to find a 5-Star-Rated deal. You can compare Australia’s top performing super funds, make your money work for you in a term deposit or through investing, and find out what personal loans, car loans and home loans are on offer. Savings of up to several hundred dollars might be possible too if you switch to an award-winning car insurance, health insurance or travel insurance provider.

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