Australia Day in the Central Highlands

Citizen of the Year

The Citizen of the Year Award recognises those aged 26 years and above who have made a significant contribution to their community.

Young Citizen of the Year

The Young Citizen of the Year Award recognises those aged 25 years and under who have made a significant contribution to their community.

Cultural Award (Individual or group)

The Cultural Award recognises individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the arts and culture in their community.

Senior Sportsperson/ Administrator of the Year

The Senior Sportsperson/ Administrator of the Year Award recognises individuals aged 18 and over who have an outstanding record of achievement in their sport or have made a significant contribution as a coach, official or administrator.

Junior Sportsperson of the Year

The Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award recognises individuals aged 17 and under who have an outstanding record of achievement in their sport or have made a significant contribution as a coach, official or administrator.

Community Event of the Year

The Community Event of the Year Award recognises a community event held in the Central Highlands Regional Council area that has made a significant contribution to the community profile economically, culturally and socially.

Open with the important information

Start with a clear and specific statement that outlines why your nominee is worthy of the award. Ask yourself:

What activities or actions has the nominee undertaken to stand out? What has the nominee accomplished that goes above and beyond their job description? What special skills or talents have they employed? How has the nominee changed their community? Why are you motivated to nominate this person?

Consider your audience

The people on the judging panel come from all walks of life. Imagine you are talking to an intelligent, engaged audience without specific expertise in your field. Spell out acronyms the first time you use them and avoid using jargon, overly scientific language or terms that may not be familiar to people outside your industry.

Share their story

Strengthen your nomination by painting a picture of the person. What motivates them to make a difference? What personal challenges have they overcome in their life? Why do they inspire others? How does this person make you feel?

Don’t just say it, prove it

Use real-world examples that demonstrate what you’re saying is true. Whether your nominee was the first one to lend a hand at the local football club or the person staying back late each night at the lab, we want the stories of their life and the impact they have made.

Tell the facts

Support your nomination with hard facts and reliable statistics. Can you provide specific measures of this person’s success?

Aim for quality, not quantity

A long nomination isn’t always a better nomination. Try to keep your sentences short and concise and avoid repetition. Steer clear of detailed job descriptions and work histories or providing multiple referee statements that don’t offer new information.

Stick to selection criteria

The panel is looking for people who make a significant contribution to the community, who are a role model for people in their community and demonstrate excellence in their field, so ensure your nomination addresses these criteria.
For the Community Event of the Year award, the panel is looking for an event that makes a significant contribution to develop the regional economy and social and cultural life.

Selection criteria and how to prepare a nomination

When completing the nomination form, it is important to address selection criteria.

1. Significant contribution – Give evidence that the nominee/ event has made a significant contribution to their community.
2. Inspirational role model – Give evidence that the nominee has outstanding personal attributes and is an inspirational role model for their community.
3. Demonstrated excellence in their field
   1. Provide specific examples of how the nominee has gone above and beyond what could be reasonably expected of someone in a similar situation.
   2. Include a list of appointments/ positions/ academic or sport or other achievements and memberships.
4. Community Event of the Year nominations only: Contribution to development of regional economy and social and cultural life. – Provide data to substantiate the claims of economic, social and cultural contribution. This might include participant numbers, organisations involved, and revenue generated.

The judging panel will also give consideration to the following in assessing and comparing nominations against the above criteria:

1. Personal, academic and professional achievements.
2. Contribution in the relevant field – how has the nominee ‘put back’ into their field to benefit others.
3. Demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity.
4. Personal interests and community involvement.
5. Contribution to development of regional community and or/ economy.
6. Degree of difficulty of the achievements and sacrifices made.
7. Future goals and likely impact.
8. Previous awards and recognitions.
9. Voluntary work beyond paid employment.
10. Nature and length of activity or service.
11. Achievements as an individual or as part of a group or organisation.

Eligibility criteria

1. Nominees must be an Australian Citizen and reside within the local government boundary of Central Highlands Regional Council. Community events must be held within the local government boundary of Central Highlands Regional Council.
2. Previous award recipients must not have won the same award category more than once in three consecutive years.
3. Nominees must be within the accepted age range of the award.

An individual can be nominated in more than one category, but a separate form must be completed.

How are nominations assessed?

The Australia Day Awards judging panel assesses the nominations based on the selection criteria. The panel consists of councillors, council representatives and community members reflecting each of the award areas. Read more in the Australia Day Awards Judging Panel Terms of Reference.

Are nominations confidential?

All nominations are confidential, and the information will be used only to assist council to consider the merit of the nominations.

Previous award recipients may be approached by council to share their experience for the purpose of promoting future Australia Day Award campaigns.

When are nominations considered?

Nominations for the Australia Day Awards are open between 1 August and 31 October in the year before the awards. All award nominees will be notified via contact details provided on the nomination form and receive an invitation to attend the award presentation on 26 January. A list of nominees may be published before the 26 January.

Click here to complete a nomination form.