The Young Achiever Award aims to recognise young Old Collegians and their individual achievements in diverse areas of endeavour.

It might be in their career, involvement in sport, the arts, culture or an act of bravery that deserves recognition.

The presentation of the award shows tangible models of good men and allows the school community to gain inspiration from their dedication and achievement.

The award was first presented in 2014.

Recipients to date are:

1. Joshua Hyde (SPC 1999-2004) was inducted in 2014 for his excellence in music. While bsaed in Paris, Joshua has toured the world as one of its leading young saxophonists. He has been the recipient of numerous prizes and awards including the Weril National Student Award and the Nickson, Willem van Otterloo and Welsford Smithers Travelling Scholarships, in 2010 he was the winner of the 5th International Saxophone Competition in Nantes (France), and in 2011 was awarded the 1st prize and audience prize at the prestigious 3rd International Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone competition in Bangkok.
2. Daniel Ferguson (SPC 2004-09) was inducted in 2016 for his excellence in the field of science. Upon leaving St Patrick’s Daniel completed a Bachelor of Science Advanced with Honours in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University and in two thousand and eleven was Awarded for the highest combined aggregate score in second year genetics and in two thousand and twelve won the Dean’s Fellowship Award. In 2015 Daniel was hailed internationally after his first ever co-authored scientific paper was published by an influential American medical journal and received international media coverage. Daniel and a team of scientists made a breakthrough in the study of breast cancer by identifying a genetic trigger for the disease which will hopefully enable earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
3. Jake Laidlaw (SPC 2008-12) was inducted in 2017 for his excellence in carpentry. In 2015, at a lavish function in front of 700 people at Crown, Jake – a fourth year carpentry apprentice – was named as the Housing Industry of Australia Victorian Apprentice of the Year earning him the chance to represent his state at the 2016 national titles. In May 2016, on Hamilton Island, Jake’s talents were recognised at a national level when he was crowed the HIA Australian Apprentice of the Year.
4. Callum Linane, pictured below, (SPC 2008) was inducted in 2017 for his excellence in ballet.  Callumstarted ballet classes at the Ballarat Centre of Music and the Arts when he was 11 and arrived as a Year 7 student at St Patrick’s College in 2008. Showing exceptional talent as a dancer he was soon accepted into The Australian Ballet School where he completed his schooling. Callum has since toured with The Dancers Company in 2013 and 2014; he joined The Australian Ballet in 2015, ­has played the demanding lead role in the company’s season of John Neumeier’s Nijinsky, has performed in Coppelia and was promoted to coryphée in 2017. In 2016, at just 21 years of age, Callum was crowned winner of the $20,000 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award at the Sydney Opera House.
5. Daniel Butler (SPC 2009-14), Shaun Grigg (SPC 2001-06) and Daniel Rioli (SPC 2012-15) were all inducted in 2018 after all three were members of the 2017 Richmond AFL premiership winning team.
6. Matthew Short (SPC 2008-13) was recognised in 2018 after being the first Old Collegian in more than 60 years to play cricket for Victoria in the Sheffield Shiel. Matt is also the first Old Collegian to ever play a Big Bash League game and also captained a Cricket Australia XI in a match against England, in which he made a century and took four wickets.
7. Liam Duggan (SPC 2009-14) was inducted in 2019 after playing for the West Coast Eagles in their 2018 AFL premiership winning team.