Nominations Open for the National Awards for Local Government – Australia

Deadline: 19-Nov-21

Nominations are now open for the National Awards for Local Government to highlight innovative and resourceful solutions implemented by local governments, which make a difference to their local communities.

The awards celebrate excellence in service delivery and showcase community solutions that directly respond to community needs by overcoming barriers and feature new contemporary and creative thinking.

Recognising the many challenges local governments and communities have faced in recent times, the award process for 2021 has been streamlined and simplified. This year, nominations will be submitted for the first time online with entries no more than 350 words.

Award Categories

In 2021, there are eight award categories which highlight how local governments are delivering positive outcomes which create stronger, resilient and cohesive communities.

• Creativity and Culture Award
  • This award recognises local government projects which:
    • create vibrant, cohesive communities that use arts and culture to support community
    • embrace wellbeing, diversity and encourage social inclusion through community participation in artistic activities
    • leverage arts and culture to improve community sustainability and increase local economic opportunity.
• Boosting Productivity through Infrastructure Award
  • The award recognises local government projects which:
    • utilise technological innovations or regulatory changes
    • consider sustainability, liveability and productivity in investment strategies and planning
    • address long-term infrastructure priorities and offer clear economic productivity benefits.
• Contributing to Regional Growth Award
  • The Contributing to Regional Growth Award recognises local government projects which:
    • improve the liveability of a region and take advantage of region specific opportunities
    • empower vibrant and connected regional communities that promote diversity and inclusion and
    • strengthen investment and development opportunities, share resources, build local capability, and create jobs.
• Cohesive Communities Award
  • This award recognises two specific outcomes:
    • Projects which seek to improve the lives of people with disability by driving a more inclusive approach to the design of policies, programs and infrastructure which:
    • address barriers for people with disability, their families and their carers
    • promote and facilitate participation of people with disability, their families and their carers
    • promote or facilitate partnerships between government, business and communities that achieve improved access and
  • Projects that sustain and celebrate the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of their society which:
    • foster a sense of belonging, identity and shared values and promote civic rights and responsibilities
    • encourage participation in the local community and develop innovative approaches to connecting the local community and building community harmony
    • celebrate the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the community and foster an inclusive and respectful community.
• Excellence in Road Safety Award
  • This award recognises local government projects which:
    • improve road or roadside infrastructure with a focus on safety benefits including heavy vehicle transport
    • address the specific safety needs of vulnerable groups or target specific road user risk factors
    • improve emergency medical response services for those involved in road crashes.
• Addressing Violence against Women and their Children Award
  • This award recognises local government projects which:
    • address underlying cause of as gender inequality and power imbalances to eliminate violence against women and their children
    • support and advocate for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence and sexual harassment
    • raise awareness and create cultures and communities of respect, inclusion and gender equality.
• Promoting Indigenous Recognition Award
  • This award recognises local government projects which:
    • raise awareness and understanding of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and culture in Australia’s contemporary society
    • build positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through events and activities
    • implement innovative community-building strategies in partnership with local Indigenous communities.
• Women in Local Government Award
  • This award recognises female leaders and initiatives in local government which:
    • support local women to stand for elected roles to represent their communities
    • implement initiatives in the workplace which help to improve the progress and representation of women in leadership positions
    • establish programs to support and recognise women as current and emerging leaders, including mentoring, networking and training opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

• All elected local government organisations (councils, shires and other recognised organisations that provide direct services to Australian communities) are eligible to enter. If developed with other organisations, the local government entity must be the lead applicant.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3wpZDUf