The 2026 VATE State Conference – Ode to Joy – is a celebration of the work of English teachers that is joyful, playful, experimental and human. At the heart of this State Conference is the belief that joy is serious work and the spirit of dreaming is alive and well in each of us.

The conference will be delivered in-person over two days – Thursday 19 November and Friday 20 November 2026 - at Deakin University's Burwood campus. For those who are unable to attend the conference in person, our program will also include a live-streamed component.

VATE’s annual short story writing competition ‘A Story in Miniature’ is now open! We are seeking short, sharp and polished tiny tales of up to 500 words that celebrate the everyday, the unique, the interesting and imaginative.

To support students to enter the A Story in Miniature writing competition, VATE is offering two interactive student writing workshops (online via Zoom) facilitated by competition judge, writer and short story enthusiast, Averil Robertson. Join Averil as she revisits some of the key components that make up an epic short story and helps students to workshop an opening sentence to kickstart their story.

VATE membership renewal for 2026 is now open.

We'd like to thank the strong and vibrant VATE community that continued to support our English teaching colleagues across the state in 2025. You can now renew your VATE Membership for 2026 through the 'My account' area of your account or if you aren't a current VATE member, you can join here!