As January comes to an end, we reflect on another month of intense international competitions and exciting announcements.
In our first newsletter of 2026, let’s recap January and have a look at what’s coming up over the next few months across domestic and international activities.
2026 is now well underway and is promising to be another year of fantastic national competition. Check out Shooting Australia’s 2026 Domestic Endorsed Event Calendar to keep up with all the action.
Check out the full 2026 domestic calendar at the link below:
The 2026 ACTA Trap Nationals were held between the 7th and 11th of January at the Melbourne Gun Club.
In the first major event of the 2026 domestic endorsed event series, the ACTA Nationals brought together some of Australia’s best trap athletes to compete for the coveted Commonwealth and National Titles.
The ACTA Nationals were also a 2026 National Team selection component for upcoming Senior World Cups and Junior World Championships. Get a full recap of the ACTA Nationals by reading the article at the link below.
During the ACTA Trap Nationals, Shooting Australia began the presentation of its 2025 Awards of Excellence awards.
Awards were presented across the Shotgun High Performance Program, as well as Community Awards in acknowledgement of the tremendous contributions officials and volunteers make to the sport. We congratulate the four athletes who received High Performance Awards, as well as the finalists in each of the categories.
Medals received during international shotgun competition were also acknowledged.
Penny Smith
Laetisha Scanlan
Mitch Iles
We also congratulate the individuals who were recipients of the community focussed awards for shotgun.
Glenniss Lawrence – ISSF World Championships Shotgun, Athens, Greece
Tania Evans – ISSF World Cup Shotgun, Lonato, Italy
Robert Marcato – ISSF World Cup Shotgun, Lonato Italy
Awards of Excellence awards for the Precision High Performance Program (Pistol, Rifle and Para) will be presented on Friday 20th February in conjunction with Sydney Cup 1.
To keep up to date with our 2025 Awards of Excellence presentations, follow Shooting Australia on Facebook.
This month, 10 Australian para shooting athletes took part in a week-long training camp at the Brisbane International Shooting Centre. The camp brought together pistol and rifle athletes from varying stages of development, including talent transfer athletes familiar with high-performance systems in other sports, developing athletes progressing from grassroots to high performance, and an experienced cohort of internationally competitive para shooting athletes.
The camp aimed to bring everyone together to foster connection, encourage knowledge sharing, and support the ongoing development of athletes in varying stages of their para shooting journey. Precision Program Manager and Para Lead, Cat Berry, highlighted that “The camp provided a really beneficial platform for bringing everyone together and building a strong team for 2026. It was also an opportunity for each athlete to set their individual plans for the year, with clear goals and touch points in place.”
With the talent identification and development of para shooting athletes a key focus of Shooting Australia’s LA2028+ High Performance Strategic Plan, Cat is excited about what lies ahead. She said, “I’m excited about the strong plans we have in place for our current cohort of athletes and the support that will guide them through their para shooting journey. We will continue to create opportunities for future generations of para-athletes through talent transfer camps, with the next opportunity to be scheduled in the coming months.”
Read the full story on our website by following the link below.
The 2026 Air Gun Tour was a development opportunity, which offered 10 Australian athletes (7 rifle and 3 pistol athletes) a chance to gain valuable experience in international competitions in Slovenia, Austria and Germany.
After arriving in Europe, the Australian Team split into two groups, with one attending the ISSF Grand Prix Ruse in Slovenia and the other attending the T9F competition in Innsbruck, Austria. The full team then reconvened in Munich, Germany to compete in the H&N Cup (with a field of over 700 competitors) to round out their tour.
The Australian Team was consistently competitive throughout the tour, with Benjamin Paulino and Charlotte Bland both securing junior medals, with Benjamin also achieving an Australian Junior record. Tanvi Lathwal, Benjamin Paulino and Jack Rossiter each made finals appearances in senior events.
To see all the results from the 2026 Air Gun Tour visit the link below:
Amir Grand Prix, Lusail
Where: Doha, Qatar
When: 5-13 February
Discipline: Shotgun
ISSF WORLD CUP FINAL 2025 EVENT INFORMATION
WA State ISSF Qualifier (Tier 2)
Where: WA Gun Club
When: 14-15 February
Discipline: Shotgun
WA STATE ISSF QUALIFIER EVENT INFO
Sydney Cup #1 (Tier 1)
Where: Sydney International Shooting Centre, Cecil Park, NSW
When: 19-23 February
Discipline: Pistol & Rifle
Selection Overlay: Junior World Championships Selection Event 1 & 2
IMPORTANT NOTE: The NSW firearm registry has advised that all Juniors from Western Australia who are competing in this event will be required to complete and submit an International Visitors Permit. This can be found by visiting NSW Police Website.
TRSA State Championships (Tier 2)
Where: Wingfield, SA
When: 6-8 March
Discipline: Rifle
TRSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT INFO
VAPA ISSF State Titles (Tier 2)
Where: Melbourne International Shooting Centre, VIC
When: 7-9 March
Discipline: Pistol
Entries Close: 13 February
VAPA ISSF STATE TITLES EVENT INFO
ACTA Nationals – Skeet (Tier 1)
Where: ACTA National Grounds, East Wagga Wagga
When: 15-19 March
Discipline: Shotgun
Selection Overlay: World Cup Selection Event & Junior World Championships Selection Event 1 & 2
ACTA NATIONALS – SKEET EVENT INFO
BISC Cup (Tier 1)
Where: Brisbane International Shooting Centre, QLD
When: 26-30 March
Discipline: Pistol & Rifle
Selection Overlay: Junior World Championships Selection Event 3 & 4
BISC CUP EVENT INFO
Over the next month, eSafety will be a hosting free webinar for athletes, officials and sports community members.
This months free upcoming webinars include:
This session is for community sport leaders and volunteers who want tips to create safer online spaces and learn how to respond to online abuse.
When: Thursday 14th May, 12.30pm-1.15pm AEDT
To learn more about this webinar and to register your interest, click the link below.
This session is for athletes, coaches, officials and others in sport who want to set up safer personal social media accounts and learn strategies to respond to online abuse.
When: Tuesday 26th May, 1.00pm-1.45pm AEDT
To learn more about this webinar and to register your interest, click the link below.
ISSF Academy educational courses for coaches are back in 2026!
Check out the link below to see what’s coming up and to register for courses on the ISSF Academy website at the link below.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Shooting Australia TV on YouTube where you will be able to re-watch domestic event coverage, hear from athletes – post competition, and more! Best of all, it is free!
SUBSCRIBE TO SHOOTING AUSTRALIA TV
Check out our national team selection criteria and our current leaderboards on our website or at the the link below!
