Applications to the 2025 Women's Developmental Leadership Program:
If you are a Pacific woman on an Australia Award who will be enrolled at an Australian university / tertiary institution for the first semester of 2025, you are eligible to apply. If you do not meet these criteria, you are not eligible and your application will be disqualified at the initial screening stage without review.
The Women's Developmental Leadership Program is not open to Australia Awards alumni. All candidates must have at least one semester remaining of their tertiary course (at least until Semester 1 of the program year) in order to apply.
However, WLI regularly offers other programs, events and activities for Australia Awards alumni, which are promoted through the WLI website, Linkedin and Australia Awards social media pages.
Yes. You will find these on the requirements page.
We strongly encourage applicants to have drafted 200-to-300-word answers (in a separate document) to the application’s longform questions before starting the online application.
Responses to these questions are your opportunity to show us who you are, how you stand out, what areas of leadership interest excite you, and why you would be a star participant on the program.
There is a word limit of 300 words on each longform question. To review these questions before you start your application, please read the requirements page.
Please be patient once you have submitted your application form. The program receives a high volume of applications and the WLI team takes time to carefully consider each one thoroughly and fairly. The applications are screened to ensure they are complete and that all applicants are eligible for the program.
The applications are then scored against predetermined criteria and a shortlist of applicants may be invited for phone interviews with a team member. Shortlisted applicants' Student Contact Officers are contacted to verify application details.
In December, successful applicants will be contacted and offered a place on the program.
All costs associated with your participation will be covered by the Australia Awards Women Leading and Influencing (WLI) program. This includes accommodation, meals and travel from your place of study to the intensive program locations, access to mentors, leadership coaching, counselling, academics and subject matter experts.
In return, the program asks participants to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that they are able to participate in all activities, including the two residential intensives and monthly mentoring sessions.
The first intensive in will be held from 7 – 14 February in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
The second intensive will be held from 22 – 28 September in Queensland (QLD).
You must be available to attend both intensives face-to-face to be eligible for this program.
Please contact us. We are watching our messages carefully over this time in case any applicant has a problem with the application form. We will respond to you as soon as possible.
If you have read all the information on this page, as well as on the ‘requirements’, ‘how to apply’ and the ‘Women's Developmental Leadership Program’ page and still have questions, please contact us.
We are watching our messages carefully over this time for applicants’ questions, and we will respond as soon as possible.
