Chief Minister's Study Tour 2027

Chief Minister's Study Tour

Shared History. Shared Future.

Guiding Question:
“The Australia-Japan relationship is critical to the Northern Territory's future. As a young Territorian and future leader, what initiative, idea or partnership would you champion to strengthen ties with Japan and help build a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific? Why would it matter?”

This is the page for submitting your entry to the 2027 Chief Minister’s Study Tour.

For more information about the program, please visit the Chief Minister's Study Tour 2027 website.

Overview

The Chief Minister's Study Tour is a Northern Territory Government initiative designed to connect young Territorians with historical learning opportunities, the region’s military history, contemporary partnerships, and future opportunities in diplomacy, peacebuilding and leadership.

In June 2027, a group of students from across the NT will travel to Okinawa, Japan to visit significant Second World War sites and engage in leadership and reflection activities.

This fully funded tour will include:

visits to historical sites and museums
cultural experiences and exchanges
leadership and reflection activities

Participants will also take part in pre-departure orientation and post-tour engagement activities.

Who can apply

To be eligible, you must:

be enrolled in Year 9 at a school in the Northern Territory in 2026
hold, or be willing and able to obtain, a valid passport for travel in June 2027 at your own cost
have parent/guardian permission to apply and participate if selected. Parent/guardian contact details will be required for verification and communication.

We strongly encourage applications from students across all regions of the NT, including remote and regional communities.

Submission checklist

As part of your application, you will need to:

upload your entry in one of the accepted submission formats (e.g. Recorded power point presentation, website, essay)
provide your personal and school information
confirm availability to participate in the Study Tour and associated activities
declaration that your submission is your own original work and complies with the Study Tour requirements regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Selection process

Once submitted, your entry will be assessed based on the following criteria:

understanding of the topic
response to the guiding question
use of evidence and examples
communication and creativity
overall impact.

Shortlisted finalists will be contacted directly by the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet.

Shortlisted students will then be interviewed by a panel including senior representatives from DefenceNT and the Department of Education and Training.

In addition to student submissions, the panel will consider the following criteria:

interest in learning about the history of the relationship between Australia-Japan relations
commitment to learning from others and through experiences
interest in exploring pathways in diplomacy, leadership and Defence
willingness to share learning with their school and wider community
openness to trying new things and experiencing Japanese culture.

The interview panel will select a group of successful applicants, who will be contacted before a public announcement.

Privacy and Communications

By submitting, applicants and their guardians acknowledge that if selected, the student’s name, school, and image may be used in Northern Territory Government communications, including promotional materials, media releases, and social media, for the purposes of promoting the program and celebrating student achievements.

This online submission portal will ask for:

your contact details (student and parent/guardian)
your school details
your Study Tour entry, uploaded in your chosen submission format written or multimodal response (uploaded file)
a Talent Release Form regarding media, requiring parent/guardian’s consent.

The application should take around 15-20 minutes to complete, provided you have your files ready to upload. If you create a Have Your Say account, you can save your progress and return to complete your application.

If you need assistance email defencesupport.cmc@nt.gov.au