Three students from South Asian backgrounds have achieved an outstanding clean sweep at the Victorian Parliament Prize 2026, winning first place across all three age categories.
Noah Farid, Kashvi Soni and Anna Mathew impressed the judging panels with thoughtful 90-second speeches addressing issues affecting young people and the wider Victorian community.
Organised annually by the Parliament of Victoria, the competition invites students from Grade 5 to Year 12 to imagine themselves as Members of Parliament and answer the question: “What would you say to Parliament if you were an MP?”
Noah Farid, from Stella Maris Catholic Primary School in Point Cook, won the Grades 5–6 category. His speech called for Victoria to introduce a minimum age of 16 for riding e-bikes, raising an important issue surrounding road safety and the growing use of e-bikes among young people.
Kashvi Soni, from Catholic Ladies’ College, secured first place in the Years 7–9 category. Her speech explored why young Victorians are increasingly at risk of loneliness, drawing attention to an important social and mental health challenge affecting younger generations.
In the Years 10–12 category, Anna Mathew, from Suzanne Cory High School School, received the top prize for advocating for Auslan to be taught in every classroom. Her message highlighted the importance of inclusion, communication and creating greater awareness of Australia’s Deaf community.
Their success is a proud moment for Victoria’s South Asian community and reflects the confidence, compassion and civic awareness of the next generation of multicultural Australians.
The 2026 competition attracted an impressive 1,180 entries from more than 180 schools across Victoria. Students addressed a wide range of issues, including mental health and wellbeing, education, artificial intelligence, environmental protection, animal rights, the voting age and four-day school weeks.
Entries were assessed on the clarity of their message, their use of evidence and diverse perspectives, and their understanding of why the chosen issue was important. The judging panels included Victorian Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff and representatives from Parliament’s Education Advisory Panel.
Each first-place winner will receive $500 and a commemorative trophy, while their schools will receive civics and citizenship educational resources.
The achievements of Noah, Kashvi and Anna demonstrate the valuable contribution young Australians from South Asian backgrounds are making to public discussion. Although their speeches focused on different subjects, each student showed a willingness to identify an important community issue and confidently advocate for meaningful change.
Their voices are a powerful reminder that young people are not simply the leaders of tomorrow-they are already helping shape the conversations that matter today.
The complete results and winning entries are available through the Parliament of Victoria.
