A Churchill Fellowship is a life-changing journey. Fellows travel to learn, to listen, and to connect with experts around the world. Many describe it as one of the most rewarding professional experiences of their lives. But equally important is what happens after you return — sharing what you discovered.
So far this year, we have received more than 150! A significant increase over previous years, given that we typically welcome around 100 new Fellows.
Since our last Churchill Chatter, we have published 53
- Health, Medicine & Wellbeing – 12
- Environment, Climate, Conservation & Agriculture – 10
- Community, Social Equity & Policy – 10
- Education, Schools & Learning – 6
- First Nations & Indigenous Knowledge – 6
- Arts, Culture & Creative Practice – 6
- Justice, Law & Policing – 6
- Industry, Manufacturing, Technology & Innovation – 6
While most reports arrive in written format, this year also brought exciting new approaches to knowledge-sharing. We received several audio and video-based reports — including a podcast series — demonstrating the creative ways Fellows are now communicating their work. These formats help broaden accessibility and bring research to life in powerful and engaging ways.
Why the increase this year?
We reviewed our archive and discovered that some reports were never received or may have been lost over time.
As many know, the Trust was founded through the generosity of thousands of Australians. Over the years, those early donations, together with the support of our sponsors, have allowed Fellows to explore important questions, trial new ideas, and bring global insight back to Australia. In return, each Fellowship includes a commitment to complete a written report so that everyone can benefit from that knowledge.
To help fill these gaps, we reached out widely, and Fellows responded. Submitting a report is more than simply closing out a project. It:
- records your research for future reference
- helps your knowledge reach those who can use it
- completes your Fellowship obligations
- enables you to receive your inscribed Churchill Medallion
- unlocks opportunities for further Trust funding
New and improved
This month, we launched a new way to browse and access Fellowship Reports. Previously, these were updated manually, making it harder to find the most recent work. Reports are now linked directly to each Fellow profile and displayed automatically as they are published — meaning new knowledge is visible in real time.
You’ll now see a clearer layout on the Projects and Reports Page, including a short summary of each report and a one-click download button. This makes it easier for readers to explore work by topic, discover new ideas, and learn from the experiences of Fellows past and present.
If you are unsure whether we have your report, visit your profile page on the Churchill website — if it appears there, we have it.
And if it is missing? Consider this a report amnesty. No matter how long it has been, we would welcome a late submission.
Your knowledge matters — and we would love to help you share it.