Sunshine Coast Grammar School Principal, Mrs Anna Owen, and Head of Digital Innovation, Mr Justin Pembroke, have been once again named in The Educator’s Hot List 2026.
The annual Hot List celebrates 50 Australian educators making a significant impact through leadership, innovation and excellence in education. This year marks the fifth time Mrs Owen has received the honour, following recognition in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Mr Pembroke has been named for the fourth consecutive year, having also been recognised in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Their inclusion recognises their individual leadership and also highlights Sunshine Coast Grammar School’s commitment to creating innovative, future-focused learning opportunities for students.
Under Mrs Owen’s leadership, Sunshine Coast Grammar has strengthened its reputation as a leading independent school, with a strong focus on academic achievement, co-curricular opportunities and continuous improvement. A passionate advocate for emerging technologies in education, Mrs Owen has championed opportunities that equip students with the skills and experiences needed for an increasingly technology-driven world.
One of the strongest examples of this vision is Sunshine Coast Grammar’s robotics program, developed and led by Mr Pembroke. The program has grown significantly in recent years, providing students with opportunities to apply STEM learning through robotics, engineering, coding, problem-solving and competition.
This year, Mr Pembroke led Sunshine Coast Grammar’s Iron Lions robotics team to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in Houston, Texas, where the team achieved outstanding results, including a fourth-place finish in its division.
Mrs Owen said the Hot List recognition reflected not only individual leadership, but the collective commitment to continuous improvement across the Sunshine Coast Grammar community.
“I’m thrilled that Sunshine Coast Grammar is once again recognised for the innovation and excellence of our programs and school leaders,” Mrs Owen said.
“I am very proud of the positive progress we continue to make at Grammar, especially the growth and success of our robotics program. Seeing our students compete and succeed on the world stage demonstrates the power of providing authentic, future-focused learning experiences.”
For Mr Pembroke, sharing the recognition with Mrs Owen is particularly meaningful given their shared commitment to expanding opportunities for students through STEM and robotics education.
“I’m glad Anna and I can share this recognition, as it celebrates the great work we are doing here at Grammar. The recognition is incredibly rewarding, but the real achievement belongs to our students,” Mr Pembroke said.
“Robotics gives students the opportunity to apply their learning in meaningful ways, and it has been exciting to see them develop the confidence and skills needed to compete with some of the best teams in the world.”
The recognition of Mrs Owen and Mr Pembroke celebrates both educational leadership and the growing strength of Sunshine Coast Grammar’s STEM and robotics programs, demonstrating what is possible when innovation, opportunity and student learning come together.