​​The Australia China Alumni Association (ACAA) brought together close to 150 alumni and guests for the 18th Australia China Alumni Awards Sydney Gala and ACAA Scholarships Presentation on 26 October 2026 at Sergeants’ Mess, Mosman.

The evening recognised outstanding alumni achievements across business, entrepreneurship, the arts and research, alongside the presentation of AUD 40,000 in ACAA Scholarships.

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Now in their 18th year, the Australia China Alumni Awards have recognised more than 800 finalists and over 170 winners, celebrating the contributions of alumni who strengthen connections between Australia and China.

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Dr Tianli Zu Receives Two Honours

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University of Sydney alumna and Chinese-Australian multimedia artist Dr Tianli Zu received both the 2026 Australia China Alumni of the Year and the Arts and Creativity Award.

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Mr Jason Yat-sen Li MP, Member for Strathfield and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, presented the Alumni of the Year award. He recognised Dr Zu’s contribution to making Chinese culture part of Australia’s everyday landscape through her public artworks.

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Her work includes the Lunar New Year Gates at Darling Harbour, lantern imagery displayed at the Adelaide Festival Centre, the Eight Treasures Mask papercut installation in the Powerhouse Museum’s collection, and the Lantern Horse in Chatswood.

 

Sydney Award Winners

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2026 Australia China Alumni of the Year — Dr Tianli Zu
Chinese-Australian multimedia artist; alumna of the University of Sydney.

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Business Achievement Award — Mr Huiming Lin
Founder and Managing Partner of Auslaw Partners; alumnus of Bond University and the Australian National University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alumni Enterprise Award — Ms Cici Li
Cosmetic chemist and Founder and CEO of Auskin Laboratories; alumna of UNSW Sydney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arts and Creativity Award — Dr Tianli Zu
University of Sydney alumna with a Master of Fine Arts and PhD.

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Members’ Choice Award — Dr Kaiqin Le
Biomedical research fellow specialising in metabolism and ageing at Monash University; alumnus of Monash University.

 

ACAA Scholarships Support Emerging Talent

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ACAA Scholarships totalling AUD 40,000 were also presented during the evening. Funded by alumni-led organisations, the scholarships reflect the community’s commitment to supporting the next generation.

 

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The 2026 scholarship recipients are:

• ACAA–Teamlink Scholarship for R&D Innovation: Yudi Tang, PhD candidate in Mining Engineering, UNSW Sydney.

• ACAA–RL Education Scholarly Mindset Scholarship: Cindy Li, Year 11 student at Abbotsleigh. Second place: Lucas Yang; third place: Katherine Ye.

• ACAA–Laurel Scholarship for Emerging Leaders in Medical Science: Zhongyang Guan, PhD candidate in Public Health, Curtin University. Second place: Raymond Zhuang, James Cook University; third place: Zhiwei Yang, University of Sydney.

• ACAA–Duan & Duan Future Legal Star Scholarship: Susan (Yuet Tung) Pun, PhD candidate in Law, Monash University. Second place: Ronan Baker, University of Adelaide; third place: Terry Yu, University of Sydney.

ACAA congratulates all recipients and thanks Teamlink, RL Education, Laurel International and Duan & Duan for their support.

 

From Connection to Empowerment

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In her welcome address, ACAA Co-Chair Ms Sara Cheng spoke on the theme “From Connection to Empowerment”. She highlighted ACAA’s work supporting students through scholarships, helping young alumni through free workshops, and recognising established alumni through the annual awards.

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Since its establishment in 2007, ACAA has developed a network of more than 45,000 members across eight chapters in Australia and China.

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His Excellency Mr Scott Dewar, Australian Ambassador to China and Patron of ACAA, delivered a congratulatory video message. Distinguished guests included Mr Mark Coure MP, Mr Jason Yat-sen Li MP and Mr Simon Chan AM, alongside senior representatives from Australian universities and scholarship sponsors.

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ACAA extends its sincere thanks to its leadership team and Advisory Board for their guidance and dedication, and to the Australian Embassy in China, distinguished guests, university partners, sponsors, judges, organising committee and volunteers for their support.

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Celebrations Continue in Beijing

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The Beijing Gala will take place on 21 November 2026 at the China World Hotel, where the remaining four category awards will be announced and presented to China-based alumni.

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We look forward to welcoming alumni, university representatives and partners to celebrate further achievements within the Australia–China alumni community.

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