Criteria
All award categories are open to young people aged between 12 and 25 years who live, work, learn or play in the City of Greater Geelong. The Volunteer Award category - (Working with young people) is open to all ages.
Active Achievement Award
This category recognises a young person
whose involvement in sport and recreation has had a positive impact.
Nominees may have demonstrated:
- the ability to inspire others in a positive way
through their chosen sport,
- volunteering or acting
as a role model that encourages and supports others to participate, and/or
- a strong dedication
and achievement within their chosen sport.
Arts and Music Award
This category recognises a young person who
has demonstrated hard work, creativity and passion in their art and engaged
the community through various mediums including visual arts, music, writing, sculpture, theatre, or film.
Nominees may have demonstrated:
- the ability to inspire others in a positive way
through their art or music,
- provided a contribution to the community through
their art, and/or
- contributed to creating a vibrant and creative
art or music community, this may include the organisation of music, art events
or collectives.
Citizenship Award
This category
recognises individual young people that may be described as a champion due to their involvement and dedication to empower others.
Nominees may have demonstrated:
- a significant contribution to the local community,
- used their skills and positive attitude to connect and empower others, and/or
- mentored other young people and engage them to participate in the
community.
Cultural Awareness Award
This category recognises a young person who
has contributed to creating a vibrant and diverse cultural community.
Nominees may have achieved outcomes in:
- promoting the inclusion and participation of
young people from Culturally Diverse backgrounds in community life,
- encouraging and promoting initiatives for the
wider community that enhances community cohesion and understanding of other
cultural practices, and/or
- planning and delivering cultural celebrations across the municipality.
Innovation Award
This category recognises and celebrates the
efforts of a young person who strives to make change through innovative
projects, inventions or initiatives that have made a significant impact.
Nominees may have achieved outcomes in:
- digital technology,
- social entrepreneurship and/or small business start ups,
- initiatives promoting eco-friendly practices and environmental sustainability, and/or
- innovative use of social media platforms to raise
awareness and advocate for change.
Inspiration Award
This category recognises a young person
who can be described as an inspiration for others.
Nominees may
have demonstrated:
- resilience to overcome challenges and have used their experiences to guide and motivate others, or pursued careers in a demanding field despite facing obstacles in their lives,
- strength to improve the lives of others by displaying admirable qualities of empathy and kindness, and/or
- caring duties for a family member, relative or
friend with a disability, mental illness or chronic condition.
Leadership Award
This category recognises a young person who
has demonstrated leadership within their community through school, work or
other pursuits/contributions and is regarded by others as a good role model.
Nominees may have achieved outcomes in:
- encouraging other young people,
- advocating for others in the community,
- promoting respectful and positive behaviour/attitudes, and/or
- volunteering or getting involved in various activities with a focus on community participation and social connectedness.
Unsung Hero Award
This category recognises a young person who can be
described as having a positive attitude, a positive attitude, a willingness to help and a
commitment in doing so.
Nominees may have demonstrated:
- an eagerness to work quietly behind the scenes with a positive ‘can do’ attitude and who consistently go the extra mile,
- non-traditional leadership roles, who may not even know they are a leader among their peers, at home or in their community, and/or
- young people who are making a difference but not in a way that would usually get them recognition.
Volunteer Award - Working with young people
This category recognises any person who works on a voluntary basis with young people.
(This award is
open to all ages).
Nominees may
have:
- volunteered their time in existing programs to mentor young people,
- exceptional leadership in supporting a young person or youth group,
- inspired, encouraged and supported a young person to develop their ideas and activities,
- broken down barriers for young people to participate through their volunteering endeavours, and/or
- positively impacted others in the community.
Nominate
Nominations for the 2024 Geelong Youth Awards are now closed.