Did anyone else get this in the mail today?
Is the letter indicative of the award or is it a nomination in the purest sense of the word?
Yes, I got it, too.
I think it means you have got the award; they just have to confirm your identity and citizenship status and stuff.
How is this calculated because I know people with better ATARs than me who weren't nominated?
You can think of it as based on an ATAR calculated with study scores instead of subject scores. So, a lot of people with high ATARs due to taking subjects like Latin and Specialist and such may not get it because there's no scaling involved.
There's an explanation on the
VCAA website:
The order of merit for the award of the prize is based on their Australian Student Prize score. In Victoria, the Australian Student Prize score is calculated by the addition of the Study Scores obtained in the past two years for the best four studies plus ten percent of Study Scores obtained in up to a maximum of two other VCE studies. Extension studies undertaken at University and VET studies may contribute to the score.
Victorian students who are International Mathematics and Science Olympiad medal winners are included in the Victorian nominations for the Australian Student Prize. Students who enrol in the International Baccalaureate at a Victorian school and who achieve a maximum IB score of 45 and the maximum ATAR (formerly known as ENTER) are included in the Victorian nominations for the Australian Student Prize.
Oh yeah, congratulations!