Growth 
 Scholarships 

​​​Who is eligible to apply for a Timber Queensland Growth Scholarship?

• Available to residents of Queensland only

• Open to applicants working in both the public and private sector

• Open to applicants working in all segments and levels of the forest and timber industry supply chain, or currently undertaking studies related to the forest and timber industry
   

What can you use a Timber Queensland Growth Scholarship for?

A Growth Scholarship will provide financial assistance (e.g., cost of course/fees, travel, time away from a job) for a development opportunity .
 

A development opportunity can include informal and formal experiences and innovation learnings, such as assistance with on-the-job training, short courses, study tours, components/units of formal qualifications, attendance at conferences and events, short term work placements and/or secondments to gain experience.

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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOUNDING PARTNER

Kennedy's Timber Award - $10 000 

 

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DIAMOND PARTNER

HQPlantations Operational Award - $5000

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DIAMOND PARTNER

AKD Award - $5000​

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RUBY PARTNER

DTM Timber Award - $2500

 

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What is the assessment and selection process?

Applications for the 2026 – 2027 Growth Scholarships are now open.  Applications are to be submitted online by 30 June 2026. Note once the application is commenced online it cannot be saved. It is recommended to prepare your answers in a word document and then cut and paste into the online form. View a copy of the questions here to plan your application before submitting them online. IMPORTANT: Plan your answers, save your work offline

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Applications for each Award will be considered by a selection committee comprising of one Timber Queensland staff member and a cross section of industry representatives with appropriate expertise to assess applicants.

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Interviews are only required for The Kennedy’s Timber Award and will be conducted in late July 2026,  in person or online as necessary.  

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Changes to the 2026 - 2027 Scholarship Award Program

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Please note the following changes to the 2026 - 2027 that have been introduced following feedback from industry participants.

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1. Age limits have been removed.  All industry participants are now welcome to apply for a Growth Scholarship Award.

2. The HQPlantations Award will now be known as the HQPlantations Operational Award.   This change has been introduced to align with applications from individuals working in hands‑on, operational roles across Queensland’s forest and timber industry.   This award is now focused on applicants whose learning projects:

• Are grounded in day‑to‑day operational practice in forestry and processing

• Address real‑world challenges such as safety, productivity, logistics, skills development, or on‑the‑job training

• Strengthen practical capability and workforce resilience across the industry supply chain

   3. To better reflect the operational nature of this award, applicants may choose to submit their application as either a                    written response or a short video submission.  Read over a copy of the questions here to plan your application.

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Terms and Conditions

The award of a TQ Growth Scholarship is subject to the recipient agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions and signing an agreement between Timber Queensland and the recipient.
 

• Applications submitted jointly by more than one person will not be considered. Scholarships are awarded to an individual and cannot be shared or transferred.

• You are only eligible for one Scholarship per year; however you may apply for more than one Scholarship provided the applications are submitted for different categories. Each application must be on a separate form.

• Unless a Scholarship has been forfeited due to unforeseen circumstances, past Scholarship recipients are ineligible for an award in the same category for a period of two years.

• Applications must include a budget estimating the cost of the development opportunity and the proposed use of the Scholarship funds. Only reasonable costs should be budgeted for, scholarship funds must not be used for the purchase of equipment (e.g. computers, cameras, telephones, materials, supplies and costs associated with a spouse or family member).

• Scholarship funds must only be used for the purposes outlined in your Proposal. You are responsible for all expenses additional to the Scholarship funds provided.

• Milestone payments for each Award will be negotiated individually and will be dependent on proof of development opportunity progression.

• All scholarship recipients are required to complete a short development opportunity report (a template is provided and report should be no more than 10-15 pages, excluding any appendices) within two months of completing the activity funded by their awarded scholarship.

• Unless otherwise approved by Timber Queensland, you must commence your development opportunity in the financial year you are granted the Scholarship. A later commencement date will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

• There may be tax implications related to you being awarded a Growth Scholarship.  Any scholarships paid are likely to be treated as assessable income.  Timber Queensland has no responsibility or authority in the matter but recommends that scholarship recipients keep receipts for all expenditure and seek independent advice with respect to their eligibility for claiming tax deductions. 

• There may be GST implications for scholarships paid to recipients who are self-employed or hold an ABN. Any GST liability will be borne by Timber Queensland and will not affect the amount of funds allocated for the scholarship.
   

Past recipients of the Timber Queensland Growth Scholarships

• Kennedy's Timber Award - $10 000 

  • 2025 -2026 - Gian Carlos Poleto - Enhancing Forest Management in Queensland Using Drone and LiDAR Technologies

  • 2024 - 2025 - Trinh Huynh - Silvopasture study tour in the Southeast climate hub in the US Read Trinh's Learning Project report here

  • 2023 - 2024 Katie Fowden - Canadian Exemplar First Nations Forestry Partnerships.
    Read Katie's Learning Project report here

  • 2022 - 2023 Adam Faircloth for his Learning Project “Vibroacoustic Study Tour”  Read Adam's Learning Project report here

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• HQPlantations Award - $5000

  • 2025 -2026 - Alan Ferguson - Operation Log Haulage TAE40122

  • 2024 - 2025 - Matt Kavanagh - Growing Planting Mechanisation study tour

  • 2023 - 2024 Nicola Morris - Designing a Healthy Home – Researching Building Biology & Passivhaus Principles

  • 2022 - 2023 Brendan Foster for his Learning Project “Refocusing the future of Queensland’s forests” Read Brendan's Learning Project report here

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• AKD Award - $5000

  • 2025 -2026 - Babar Hassan - Enhancing Timber Protection Knowledge through IRG-WP Conference and Chinese Institute Engagement

  • 2024 - 2025 Bianca Andreis Da Cunha Forestry’s Future: Women’s Protagonism in leading Sustainable change – Yale School of Management Executive Education's online Women's Leadership Program.  Read Bianca's Learning Project report here 

  • 2023 - 2024 John Said - Mechanisation of the Pruning Regime Read John's Learning Project report here

  • 2022 - 2023 Chandan Kumar  for his Learning Project “Understanding silvicultural and environmental factors affecting density and stiffness of Queensland’s Southern Pine Plantations”   Read Chandan's Learning Project report here 

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• DTM Timber Award - $2500

  • 2025 - 2026 - Sebastian Ballard - Certificate III In Forestry Operations.

  • 2024 - 2025 Kristiina Marquardt Training to obtain a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) - Multirotor 25kg. Read Kristiina's Learning Project report here

  • 2023 - 2024 Daniel Schweitzer - Cert IV Work Health & Safety

  • 2022 - 2023 Darcy Oborne for his Learning Project “Certificate IV in Human Resources”
     

​The 2022 – 2023 Award recipients shared their experiences thinking of an idea for a “learning project” and how winning an award has impacted their careers so far.  It was very interesting and inspiring!  ​You can watch the webinar on demand here (use the passcode 6u&n@Acb)

 

Need more information?

If you require more information regarding the Growth Scholarship Program contact

Clarissa Brandt, General Manager - Strategic Relations & Communications - clarissa@timberqueensland.com.au

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Help us get the word out!

We encourage organisations to promote the Growth Scholarship Program to their staff.  Promotional material include flyers and social media posts are available for your use.  If you would like copies of these please contact admin@timberqueensland.com.au