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About the Prize

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The Jan Pentland Prize is our sector’s most prestigious award and is bestowed annually. The prize is managed by Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), not the Jan Pentland Foundation.

Information is included here as people will naturally associate the Jan Pentland Prize and Jan Pentland Foundation scholarships together.

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Each year, FCA calls for nominations from the sector for the prize and convenes a three person committee to consider them. The committee includes FCA's chair, together with two representatives from the community.

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Prize Criteria

Nominations could focus on one specific activity or achievement, or on a contribution over an extended period, and should specifically address at least one of the following criteria:

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  • Outstanding achievement in financial counselling and/or consumer advocacy;

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  • Achievement in undertaking law reform, campaign work, community development, and/or community education.

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The Committee considering the nominations also considers the extent to which nominees reflect the values of the sector as set out in the Australian Financial Counselling Code of Ethical Practice, including respect, professionalism and social justice.

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Nominations

If someone you know has contributed significantly to the financial counselling sector in the past year, please nominate that special person by clicking on the Nomination Form button below.

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It's a huge honour to be nominated. You'll make that person's day.

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Jan Pentland Prize Nomination Form 2026
Nominations close: Friday, February 6 2026

2025 Winner

Isis Khalil

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Isis Khalil is an exceptional financial counsellor whose tireless advocacy, strategic mind, and fierce compassion and drive, have delivered life-changing outcomes for some of Australia’s most vulnerable clients. She never backs down from a challenge, taking on cases that most would put in the too hard basket. Even when agency funding was lost in a previous role, Isis continued to volunteer her services, driven by a clear sense of social justice and deep empathy for those facing hardship.

 

She has spearheaded groundbreaking advocacy efforts, including being instrumental in launching a class action against Sportsbet, reversing a strata bankruptcy action for elderly clients by leveraging media attention (despite having no prior media experience), and securing a full debt waiver of $600,000 from PayPal for a young gambling client.

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Through her work, Isis has changed embedded laws, confronted systemic issues, fought large betting companies and achieved results for her clients that far exceed anyone’s expectations. The professionalism, expertise and dedication in her approach to work, sets a high standard for financial counselling in Australia.

 

Currently heading the counselling team at Mountains Youth Services Team (MYST) in the Blue Mountains, Isis continues to deliver extraordinary outcomes for vulnerable young people. Among her most notable schievements is recovering a $230,000 inheritance for a client after their home was wrongfully sold by a major bank.

 

Isis Khalil represents everything the Jan Pentland legacy stands for — fearless advocacy, smart and strategic thinking, and an unshakable commitment to those doing it toughest.

Past Winners

2011 Fran Manuela

2010 Jillian Fletcher

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