Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG was born in Burnie and joined the Army in January 2000. He was posted to the then 4th Battalion (Commando), Royal Australian Regiment, now the 2nd Commando Regiment.
Corporal Baird was awarded Australia’s 100th Victoria Cross for the most conspicuous acts of valour, extreme devotion to duty and ultimate self-sacrifice during fighting in Afghanistan on 22 June 2013, as a Commando Team Commander in Special Operations Task Group.
Corporal Baird’s actions reflected his personal motto: ‘Aspire to Inspire’.
He was recognised as one of the most inspiring leaders within 2nd Commando Regiment, where he was chosen to be a leader for representing armed forces values, including toughness; leadership; initiative; and compassion.
The Scholarships
Up to two Scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded to further the recipients’ education.
The Scholarship will be awarded in 2025, in time for the start of the 2026 school year.
TOPIC ‘Aspire to Inspire’
Applicants are required to respond to one of the two following questions:
- How does Corporal Baird’s leadership, acts of valour, devotion to duty and self-sacrifice reflect the finest traditions of Australia’s military and peacekeeping history? OR
- What does Corporal Baird’s personal motto of ‘Aspire to Inspire’ mean to you?
Entry format
Entries may be provided in one of four formats:
- Written (essay, poetry or reflection) – maximum 2,000 words
- Audio presentation (spoken and/or music) - 10-15 minutes
- Video presentation - 10-15 minutes
- Digital presentation - 10-15 minutes
Applicants must also provide up to 250 words explaining how they would use the scholarship prize of $2,500 to further their education.
Scholarships Eligibility
The Scholarship is open to students intending to enrol in Years 11 or 12 in 2026 at any Tasmanian school or home education at the same year level.
Students may only receive one scholarship.
Assessment Criteria: (applied equally)
- Criterion 1:
- A - Alignment with, and applied understanding to the topic
- B - Quality of presentation,
- C - Creativity and originality,
- Criterion 2:
- Credible referencing, and
- Insightful learning reflections (if AI was utilised)
- Criterion 3:
- Benefit to the applicant and community.
Originality, General and AI Use Referencing
In line with the Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification's 'Academic Integrity Guide for Students', your work must be your own (except for where the source of information, images, ideas or works is correctly referenced and acknowledged).
For a guide to referencing visit the National History Challenge website.
Expectations for using AI in this Scholarship application:
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All work must be the student’s own original creation.
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Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, image or video generators, etc.) may be used to support the creative process — for example, brainstorming ideas, checking grammar, or summarising background material.
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If applicants use AI, they must tell us how they used it and what they learnt from the process. It's not about being perfect, it's about their voice, their perspective and their ideas.
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Entries that rely on excessive assistance from AI — where the tool has generated the majority of the content or creative work — may be excluded from consideration. This will be determined at the discretion of assessors.
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Assessors will be looking for the student’s authentic voice, ideas, and reflection above all.
Consent
A student can provide consent to submit this application if aged 16 years or over, otherwise the consent of a parent or recognised carer is required.
Payment of 2026 Scholarship
Each Scholarship will be paid in one instalment of $2,500 – paid by 31 January 2026.
Administration of the Scholarship
The Scholarship is administered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet with support from the Department for Education, Children and Young People.
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