The Greg Graham Memorial Scholarship (GGMS) is valued at $10,000 and $3,000 for the Peter Connor Book Award. Since the awards were first introduced in 2001, over 40 agriculture students have benefited from the generosity and foresight of SunRice, Rice Research and rice industry supporters. In response, most of these students have returned to our communities and farms with leading-edge knowledge to help strengthen and rejuvenate our agricultural industry.
This financial support helps alleviate financial pressures, purchases the bulk of textbooks, and facilitates greater focus on university study. It also enables students to move away from home and study when otherwise this may not be possible, particularly during drought years and other times of hardship.
The scholarships have the following eligibility criteria
- Applicants must be the child/grandchild or nominated employee* of:
- A current financial member of RGA and/or,
- an A-Class shareholder and/or,
- an Australian rice grower who has grown rice at least once in the last 3 years, including C25.
- Applicants must be in the early stages of their career or education path. Scholarships will only be awarded to applicants whose tertiary education courses align with the objectives of the scholarship (see further below).
- Applicants must be in at least their second year of study at an Australian tertiary institution.
- Applicants need to demonstrate a commitment to the rice industry and that the scholarship will help contribute to this commitment.
- Recipients of the Peter Connor Book Award are eligible for GGMS.
- Recipients of the Jan Cathcart Scholarship are ineligible for the GGMS.
- Recipients previously awarded a GGMS are ineligible for the Peter Connor Book Award.
- Past recipients of the GGMS are ineligible to re-apply.
The award of the scholarship is at the sole discretion of the RGA. The RGA will review each application against the scholarship criteria set out above and any other factors it wishes to take into account in determining the successful applicant (if any) in any year. The RGA’s decision on the successful candidate is final and the RGA is not obliged to provide candidates with the reasons for its decision.
*a nominated employee must have worked within the rice farming business for more than 6 months.
