Before you begin
Please note the following important information.
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You will also be asked to provide a high resolution photo of the nominee, or group.
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There is also the opportunity to provide supporting information, which might include references or media clippings. This is not mandatory.
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Please note that all entries will be shortlisted. Finalists will be required to participate in a judging day later in 2023.
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Before you nominate, please ensure you have the authorisation of the nominee, and that they have read the terms of entry. If the nominee is under 18, please ensure you have the authorisation of their parent or guardian.
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All individual finalists (excluding the Minister for Youth’s Most Outstanding Youth Worker Award) must be aged between 10 and 25 as of 20 September 2024.
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Self Nominated Applications are welcome
The Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia reserves the right to place nominees in multiple categories during the shortlisting process if they are deemed suitable.
Award Category
The Minister for Youth’s Most Outstanding Youth Worker Award
Young people deserve great youth workers.
At every youth centre, support service and even a growing number of schools, there’s a team of
dedicated youth workers, developing programs, lending a sympathetic ear and providing a vital support
structure for young people in need.
This award celebrates the efforts of those youth workers, whose passion and dedication changes lives.
The category winner will be eligible for the WA Young Person of the Year Award if they are aged 25 or under as at Friday 20 September 2024.
Criteria
- Demonstrated passion and commitment to improving conditions for young people
- Demonstrated improved outcomes for young people
- Commitment to high professional standards, youth work principles and the youth sector in WA
Mercy Care Positive Achievement Award
This award recognises the accomplishments of young people with lived experience, be it housing
instability, disability, discrimination, mental health, stigma, systemic barriers or personal disadvantage,
who have worked through significant challenges, changed attitudes and elevated their peers.
This award is open to young people aged 10 - 25.
Criteria
- The nominee has lived experience of disadvantage, systemic barriers or social prejudice
- The nominee has challenged outdated cultural norms and expectations through their lived experience, be it as an advocate, an activist or through their regular work
- The nominee has worked to elevate, support and empower their peers with similar lived experience
Parkerville Children and Youth Care Creative Contribution Award.
Young people are at the forefront of creative movements globally. Be it a new wave of artistic
expression, an innovative form of community arts or the intersection of creativity and activism, progress
in the arts is frequently youth-centred and youth-led. The Creative Contribution Award celebrates those
young people who are using creative and artistic practice to tell compelling stories, reflect the world and
uplift their peers.
This award is open to artists, arts facilitators, art teachers and arts workers aged 10 – 25, working across
any discipline, including community arts, visual arts, film, theatre, performance, dance, music, literature,
community arts, media arts and interdisciplinary practice.
Criteria
- The nominee excels in their chosen discipline, including as an artist, a facilitator, a teacher or an arts worker
- The nominee has made meaningful contributions to the cultural fabric of their community through their creative work
- The nominee has used their creative to work to uplift, educate, or empower their peers and/or
their community
The Y WA Collective Action Award
We know that young people are frequently driving change in our society. We also know that
collaboration is often the genesis of great ideas.
This award celebrates a youth-led initiative driven by young people aged 10 - 25, collaborating and
channeling their collective efforts to generate meaningful social impact.
Finalists will demonstrate a passion for making change in their community; a focus on inclusivity and
collaboration in their practice; and an innovative approach to problem-solving and breaking down
barriers.
This award is open to groups led and driven by young people aged 10 - 25, including those incubated
within a school program, university, TAFE or similar education institution; within an Local Government;
or a youth initiative or a youth group. This award is open to both formally organised, auspiced groups
and informal collectives.
Criteria
- Inclusivity and collaboration
- Meaningful impact in their chosen area of work
- Ongoing sustainability and impact
The Youth Focus Sector Collaboration Award
Organisations can achieve great things working within their bounds, but sometimes it takes a meeting of
minds, cultures and ideas to generate real impact.
The Youth Focus Sector Collaboration Award celebrates outstanding projects in the youth sector that emerge from collaboration, skill-sharing and a cross-pollination of ideas between two or more organisations.
Successful nominees will be strongly informed by co design, innovation and teamwork between organisations that generate meaningful outcomes for young people and/or the youth sector.
Criteria
- The project addresses a need or a gap in the youth sector and/or for young people
- The project involves young people in both its design and its outcomes
- The project is the result of extensive collaboration or co-design between two or more organisations
- The project has generated meaningful outcomes for young people and/or the youth sector
The ECU Community Leadership Award
Our communities thrive on reciprocity – on sharing knowledge, ideas, resources and support. Young people in our communities look to each other for these supports, to be uplifted, inspired and elevated.
The ECU Community Leadership Award celebrates young people aged 10 – 25 who are peer leaders, inspirers and activators – be it through sports, education, professional networks, culture, community action or any other areas where peer leadership is essential.
Criteria
- Demonstrated role as a peer leader
- Demonstrated commitment to and impact in uplifting peer groups
- Demonstrated community involvement
The Commissioner for Children and Young People Participate Award
Young people look to their peers for inspiration. In the important and often challenging years before adulthood, it’s vital young people can turn to their peers for support, encouragement and inspiration.
The Commissioner for Children and Young People Participate Award is open to young people aged 10 – 17 who show outstanding dedication to making a positive change in their community and demonstrate peer leadership through their chosen pursuit – be it in their school and education, through sports, student council, community involvement, their work, extracurricular activities or any other relevant pursuits.
Criteria
- Demonstrated peer leadership through education, extracurricular activities
- Demonstrated community impact
- Demonstrated ability to elevate the voice of young people
The Youth Futures Innovation for a Sustainable Future Award
New problems need new thinking and new solutions. Sometimes those best ideas come from fresh eyes
and bright young minds, motivated by an intrepid spirit and youthful enthusiasm.
From dedicated programmers and progressive digital developers to budding environmentalists and
curious conservationists, the Youth Futures Innovation for a Sustainable Future Award celebrates those young thinkers, innovators and trailblazers, exploring new territory in technology, the environment and the modern world.
Criteria
- Commitment to innovative practice, new ideas and problem-solving
- Commitment to sustainability
- Demonstrated community involvement and community outcomes
The Mission Australia Young Changemaker Award
History shows us that young people are at the forefront of social change. From fights for gender
equality, anti-racism and disability rights in decades past to contemporary movements for marriage
equality, Black Lives Matter and School Strikes 4 Climate, young people are at the forefront of grassroots
activism, political campaigning an sophisticated social media advocacy.
The Mission Australia Young Changemaker Award celebrates those young people age 10 – 25 fighting
against injustice, discrimination and inequality, working to create meaningful change in their local communities and the world they’re set to inherit.
Criteria
- Demonstrated commitment to combat injustice and inequality
- Demonstrated an impact on their community (geographic or demographic)
- Demonstrated consultation with relevant communities in their activism
The Carers WA Milestone Award
This award recognises and honours the achievements of young people who have successfully pursued their personal goals while fulfilling caring duties or who have advocated for those occupying caring roles. A young carer is anyone under the age of 25 who has a family member or friend that they support with disability, chronic illness, mental health challenges, drug, or alcohol dependency or who is frail due age. Young carers, demonstrate exceptional tenacity, commitment, and brilliance in managing responsibilities beyond their years and overcoming challenges and disadvantages. It acknowledges their ability to achieve personal, educational, or health-related goals while providing care to their family or community members.
Criteria
- The nominee has lived experience in a caring role or has been a vocal advocate for young carers.
- The nominee has shown initiative in seeking help, self-motivation, or raising awareness to overcome obstacles, or has provided support to other young carers to overcome challenges or promote awareness.
- The nominee has attained an educational, social, or wellbeing objective, or has assisted another young carer in achieving such a goal.
The Charmaine Dragun Memorial Award
Charmaine Dragun was a recipient of a WA Youth Media Award for an outstanding journalist under the age of 25, and this Memorial Award has been created in her honour, and is supported by the Dragun Family.
This can include the nominee’s training, their career history, previous and current employers, primary areas of focus and service delivery, programs they’ve worked and plans for the future.
This can include projects the nominee has developed and/or delivered, improvements they’ve made to service delivery, individual advocacy and specific examples of how the nominee has improved the lives of their clients.
This can include partnerships the nominee has forged between organisations, contribution to policy and funding and their influence on other youth workers.
This can include the nominee's training or educational background, an overview of their artistic discipline and artistic career up to this point, the motivation behind their work and planned future developments in their practice.
This can include the way their work has engaged their local community at a geographical level, or a specific artistic community relevant to their discipline, a cultural diaspora or a community of lived experience.
This can include any teaching, instructing or workshop facilitating the nominee has performed in relation to their work, the way in which their work centres or champions other voices, and the way in which their work brings attention to important ideas, issues or groups of people.
This can include a background of the nominee and their lived experience, their educational or career background, or any work they may have done as an advocate.
This can include the nominee's peer leadership, advocacy, activism, signal boosting, public speaking, group facilitation and any other activities the nominee has undertaken to support others with similar lived experience in their community.
This can include how the project or collective came into existence; the background of the individuals in the group; and how the project or collective found its purpose.
This can include efforts the collective made to be more inclusive and representative of relevant groups; how the group solves problems and democratizes decision-making; and consultation with relevant communities or demographics.
This can include events the collective or project has held; changes to policy, legislation, rules or accessibility that have emerged from the group’s advocacy; new initiatives that have emerged from the group’s work; and communities that have benefitted from the group’s effort.
This can include the project's genesis, the gaps it seeks to address, its objectives, the sector context of the organisations involved, problems that emerged and how they were addressed.
This can include how young people were involved in the genesis of the project; how the project involved consultations with young people; how the voices of young people were considered in the project and how feedback from young people was incorporated into the project.
This can include the relationship context of the organisations involved; the way the organisations worked together; the way sector stakeholders were involved in the project (government and/or non-government organisations); how resources were shared or pooled; and how relationships were developed and maintained.
This can include new pieces of work that have emerged; better outcomes for young people or the youth sector; stronger relationships between organisations and any other benefits that may result from the project.
This can include a brief biography of the nominee and their background in education, community involvement and professional pursuits; their main areas of interest; their extra-curricular activities and any current projects they may be undertaking.
This can include activities the nominee has undertaken in their regular professional or educational capacity, their role within specific communities (geographic or demographic), specific examples of direct community support, and the ways in which they’ve uplifted, inspired and empowered their peers.
This can include a biography, their educational background, their community involvement (be it school, geographical, culture or demographic community), extra-curricular activities and their plans for the future.
This can include specific examples of support the nominee has provided to their peers; the impact of their extra-curricular activities; and outcomes of some of the work and projects they have undertaken.
This can include participation in committees, student government or youth advisory groups; advocacy on behalf of their peers or young people in general; and community involvement through organisations, sports, work or other avenues.
This can include a brief biography of the nominee and their background in education, community involvement and professional pursuits; their main passions in innovation and sustainability; their motivations; and current projects under development.
This can include projects that the nominee has undertaken, pilot programs, research, community initiatives, school or university projects, or any other relevant activities that have made an impact to individuals, groups, organisations or broader communities.
This includes the nominee’s future plans with existing or future projects; their commitment towards sustainability (in an environmental, business, health or any other relevant context) and how their work fits into a broader social context.
This can include a brief biography of the nominee and their background in education, community involvement and professional pursuits; their key passions when it comes to advocacy; what motivates them to do what they do; and future plans.
This can include events and campaigns the nominee has coordinated or been involved and their outcomes; how the nominee has brought about meaningful change to areas like policy, laws, resourcing or access for others; and how the nominee has fought to improved lives for their peers.
Note that “community” can refer to a geographical community like Karratha or Canning Vale; a school community; or a community of lived experience, such as people from a similar ethnic background, people with lived experience of disability or people with a similar likeness of lived experience.
This can include how the nominee has amplified the voices of others in their community through their work; the way the nominee elevates their peers; and how the nominee ensures they represent the needs of their community.
This can include how the nominee has shown initiative in seeking help, self-motivation, or raising awareness to overcome obstacles, or has provided support to other young carers to overcome challenges or promote awareness.
This could be an educational, social or wellbeing objective that the nominee themselves have attained, or the nominee could have supported and assisted another young carer in attaining this objective.
This could be through advocacy, activism or through their regular work. Please include how the nominee's lived experienced has encouraged them to challenge these norms.
Supplementary Material
This section is for any additional material that may be relevant to the nominee, including media clippings, collections of links to videos, letters of support, examples of work, publications and any additional content that supports the nominees appliction.
Please submit files as .doc, .docx or .pdf files.
Nominee Details
Enter the details of the person or organisation you are nominating for an award.
10MB Maximum
Nominee Declaration
